Hello everyone! It's been a little under a month since the last drop, and while I know I said the next update would be the last, it looks like I lied (-__-)! I was well into the work of the final* update when I was made aware of a couple of serious bugs that could cause players to have their games crash, so rather than make everyone wait an extra two months to be able to progress, I went ahead and polished off what I had finished as best as I could, and rolled it out! The result is a pretty sizeable "backstage" update with only eight additional quests (less than what we are used to, I know). I have attached the dev notes below, and remember: there is a community page now!

https://golden-fish-entertainment.itch.io/volt-age-genesis/community 

Remember: I'm just one person, so if you discover any issues, please please PLEASE post them here so I can be aware of them and fix them ASAP...the last thing I want is to have someone not be able to join the game because I wasn't able to play through the game in exactly the same way you did...and on that note, big shout out to ANDAEUS for making me aware of not one, but two big issues that I had not stumbled across before! A hero like you deserves to be immortalized in VoltAge:Genesis (and beyond?)... :D

-NOTE: Players who previously completed the demo and chose to return to the mainland will be able to return to the point where the demo left off by speaking to the man next to the bus stop in Pedregal Springs.

-Until the next official update, players will be able to claim a limited-edition weapon by speaking to the white-haired girl near the bus stop in Pedregal Springs.

• Andaeus’ Blade (Exotic 1-Handed Sword)
  • DESCRIPTION: A weapon gifted to you by a mysterious patron. Possesses an energy that breaks down mechanical foes’ programming.
  • Grants +57 Attack, +21 M. Attack, -8 Agility, +12 Luck, +2% Hit Rate, +2% Evasion, +2% Crit. Rate
  • Has a 6% chance to cause every robot status effect in the game (calculated separately)

-NOTE: Upon downloading this update, players will no longer be able to claim the limited edition “Shield Coin” accessory.   

-8 new quests

• The Practical Magician, Pt. 1        (Allan Storyline)
• The Fighter’s Challenge                  (Corbett Storyline)
• Missing in Action, Pt.2                     (Butler Join Quest)
• Tools of the Trade IV                         (Freeform Quest)
• Supply and Demand XVII               (Freeform Quest)
• Supply and Demand XVIII             (Freeform Quest)
• Supply and Demand XXXII            (Freeform Quest)
• Wealth of Knowledge III                (Freeform Quest)

-Changes to Existing Quests

• Fresh Blood
  • CRITICAL BUG FIXED
    • Upon speaking with Tony, the party is immediately transferred to Marecocha Woods for the remainder of the quest.
    • Players will not be able to leave the Woods until the quest is done, but based on a number of factors (progress in the game, Tony's level) this should not be a hardship for the party.
    • For players who have already started the quest in its old (i.e. unstable) version, Tony will join the party right before the bats attack. This will prevent the issue where the player is unable to "finish" the quest (since the cutscene will not begin if Tony is not listed as a party member).
• Death
  • CRITICAL BUG FIXED
    • Fixed an issue where players could fail to meet the parameters to refuse the fight yet still be given the option to say “No”, crashing the game.
  • Nolan’s profile info will be updated upon completing the quest [Additionally, see “Changes to Party Members”, below].
• Truth Revealed
  • If the dream sequence does not occur prior to the completion of “Death” (because the player failed to meet the required parameters), it will occur once the party has returned to Pedregal Springs following the events in the Yuramayo Temple.

-New Areas Opened:

• Huipata Hills
  • Situated along the southern coast of Marema, the Huipata Hills have long been avoided by travelers due to their importance to the Treehuggers who fiercely defend the area.
  • Upon beginning “Missing in Action, Pt.2”, Nolan and Co. will venture into this deadly paradise in search of Butler and the Quartermaster.

-Changes to Existing Areas

• Acllapata Fortress (Breeze Inn 2F)
  • Added a lootable “Homemade Tapper” to one of the dressers
• Estancia Ruins (Lagus Books)
  • Removed the wandering shambler encounters from the front part of the store
  • Added two (2) books for Allan to the front part of the store (happy hunting!)
• Estancia Ruins (VolTech HQ 1F)
  • Added a lootable “RADPatch” to the security desk
• Jellumaray (Deserted Home)
  • Added a lootable “Rubber Glove” beneath the sink
• Monolito Weapons Factory
  • The Sentry Drones patrolling Monolito Weapons Factory have begun to target the Sludge population more aggressively, greatly reducing their numbers.
    • The overall chance of encountering Sludges in Monolito has been reduced from 37% to 23%.
      • Sludges and Barrel Sludges will no longer appear together here.
    • Conversely, this means that Sentry Drones, Giant Bats, Spooklights, and Giant Spiders will all appear more frequently in this area, increasing its overall difficulty!
• Monolito Weapons Factory (Workshop)
  • Added a lootable “Screwdriver” to one of the cupboards
• New Panavinto (Inn 2F)
  • Added a lootable “Lace Fan” to one of the dressers
• Pecasta Caverns
  • Made the entrance to the sublevel a little easier to find.
  • The layout of the Pecasta Caverns sublevel has been changed. Players who save their game in the “old” sublevel prior to downloading the update will be transported back to the sublevel entrance when they load their save file.
• Rieldara Cave
  • Changed the appearance of the battle screen background.
• Rieldara Valley
  • The Warbots running amok in Rieldara Valley have begun to target the Sludge population more aggressively, greatly reducing their numbers.
    • The overall chance of encountering Sludges in Rieldara Valley has been reduced from 28% to 18%.
    • Conversely, this means that Shellbeasts, Millipedes, and Warbots will all appear more frequently in this area, increasing its overall difficulty!
  • The overall chance of encountering Model-F Warbots in Rieldara Valley has been reduced from 24% to 14%.
  • The overall chance of encountering Model-K Warbots in Rieldara Valley has been reduced from 24% to 18%.
  • The overall chance of encountering Model-S Warbots in Rieldara Valley has been reduced from 24% to 18%.
  • All three Warbot types will no longer be encountered together as a “pack” here.
  • NOTE: The above-listed rates may not add up to 100% since some encounters contain multiple enemy types.
• St. Joseph’s Road
  • Added a book for Allan to the temple library.
• Tierra’s Pillar (Depths)
  • Fixed a tiling error which was preventing the player from exploring the left tunnel immediately after entering the Depths.
• Tierra’s Pillar (Temple)
  • The “Angel Robes” have been removed.
  • The contents of the container have been replaced with a “Clergyman Robe” and “Clergyman Hood”
• Trabunco Mountain Caves
  • Removed several suspicious-looking rocks that weren’t actually suspicious at all.
  • The final (long) cave section where Deisols begin to spawn now has much lower spawn rates for Hunter Drones (22%) and Sentry Drones (26%).
    • This greatly increases the overall numbers of Giant Bats (30%), Giant Spiders (4%), and Deisols (22%) in this area.
  • NOTE: The above-listed rates may not add up to 100% since some encounters contain multiple enemy types.

-Changes to Party Members

• NEW PARTY MEMBER AVAILABLE
  • Upon completing “Missing in Action, Pt.2” Butler will join the party.
    • Butler is a solid addition to any party, with access to a wide selection of Kinesis and Hybrid [Ice], [Electric], and [Water] elemental attacks.
    • In addition, Butler can act as a serviceable healer, though it should be noted that he does not learn any “group” HP recovery skills until “Healing Mist” (at Level 70).
    • On the physical side, Butler is able to use all armor / shield types and wields Knuckles (all), Daggers (all), Spears (all), and Swords (Standard, Exotic, and Heavy only).
  • WELCOME TO THE TEAM, BUTLER!
• Nolan has undergone massive changes to his late-game progression (See Below)
• Nolan’s skill progression has been changed.
  • No longer learns “Kismet” at Level 40.
    • Now learns “Deteriorate” at Level 40 instead.
  • No longer learns “Karmic Strike” at Level 50.
    • Now learns “Chaos Surge” at Level 50 instead.
  • No longer learns “Battle Cry” at Level 60.
    • Now learns “Terrify” at Level 60 Instead.
• Nolan’s secondary passive skill(s) can now be unlocked [SPOILERS AHEAD]
  • Upon the completion of “Death”, if Nolan attacks the people in the temple, he will unlock the passive “Tethered Soul”.
    • Once “Tethered Soul” has been unlocked, Nolan gains a permanent 50% resistance to all negative status effects. This bonus stacks with his racial resistance to “Silence” and “Confuse” making him effectively immune to those statuses.
  • Upon the completion of “Death”, if Nolan refuses to attack the people in the temple, he will unlock the passive “Chaotic Soul”.
    • Once “Chaotic Soul” has been unlocked, Nolan gains a permanent 10% chance to apply the “Deteriorate” status when attacking foes.
    • The status can only be applied when using Nolan’s standard “Attack” option or certain skills which make physical contact with the target, such as “Power Tackle” or “Focus Strike” [See “Changes to Skills”].
  • Existing save files will be adjusted if necessary, regardless of which path the player has chosen. Appropriate changes will be applied upon entering Pedregal Springs.
• Corbett’s skill progression has been changed.
  • No longer learns “Evil Eye” at Level 70.
    • Now learns “Evil Eye” at Level 61.
  • No longer learns “Impale” at Level 82.
    • Now learns “Impale” at Level 70.
  • No longer learns “Vorpal Blade” at Level 88.
    • Now learns “Vorpal Blade” at Level 82.
• Carmen’s “Clear Eyes” skill has been fixed.
  • Description stated it gave a 5% Hit Rate boost, but actually applied a 10% boost.
  • Now correctly grants a +5% Hit Rate boost as stated in the description.
• Tony’s loadout has been slightly adjusted for when he joins as a guest.
  • Now has a “Bark Amulet” instead of a “Spiked Bracer”.
  • Now has the ability to use the following skills in battle:
    • Anchor Punch
    • Geo Spear
    • Consecrate
    • Battle Cry
    • Stoneskin
    • Sanctuary
    • Geo (from Stone Charm)
  • This should prevent issues where players manage to get trapped in an unwinnable battle against a Spooklight during the “Fresh Blood” quest.

-Changes to Enemies

• Warbot Model-F
  • Chance of dropping “Mangled Plate” has increased from 12% to 50%
  • Now only drops one Scrap Metal upon defeat
• Warbot Model-K
  • Chance of dropping “Cracked Processor” has increased from 12% to 50%
  • Now only drops one Scrap Metal upon defeat
• Warbot Model-S
  • Chance of dropping “Smashed Hydraulics” has increased from 12% to 50%
  • Now only drops one Scrap Metal upon defeat

-Changes to Weapons

• The value of the H2 Burst Rifle has been increased to 1320 Volts (+200 Volts)
• The following SMGs now (correctly) prevent shields from being equipped:
  • Abaddon
  • HK-71a
• An error in the Midas Knuckles has been fixed.
  • No longer allow the wearer to use the “Chaos Surge” skill.
• The Rubber Glove has been tweaked
  • [Electric] Resistance granted by the weapon has been increased from 1% to 5%
• The Harumaru can now only be used by Stark.
  • NOTE: The Harumaru cannot be sold.

-Changes to Armor

• Some armor descriptions have undergone minor changes.
• Armor which grants resistance to all status effects now grants the appropriate level of “Resist All” rather than listing each status resistance individually.
• All HEADWEAR has undergone massive rebalancing, as follows:
  • Stats have been reviewed for consistency and appropriate changes have been made using the following equation for determining stats:
    • (Headwear Base * Tier) + (Manufacturer Bonus)
  • Headwear which previously offered specific damage resistance has been standardized across all pieces.
    • Headwear which offers specific (i.e. not “universal”) damage resistance now grants (Tier)*(5)% resistance to the relevant types.
  • All “Headband” pieces have been renamed as “[Prefix] Mask”
    • All “Mask” gear now offers a universal stat resistance of (Tier-1)*(5)%
  • All “Hood” pieces now offer a passive universal damage bonus of (Tier)*(1)%
  • Some headwear pieces have undergone additional tweaks.
  • New stats and values are listed below:
    • Casual Hat
      • +10 Defense, +9 M. Defense (190 Volts)
    • Cotton Hood
      • +10 Defense, +9 M. Defense, Univ. Resistance 1% (190 Volts)
    • Padded Helm
      • +13 Defense, +11 M. Defense, -1 Agility, [Crush] Resistance 5% (230 Volts)
    • Reed Helm
      • +17 Defense, +15 M. Defense, -2 Agility, +3% Evasion, [Water] and [Slash] Resistance 5% (330 Volts)
    • Rusty Helm
      • +9 Defense, +6 M. Defense, -4 Agility (110 Volts)
    • Scrap Helm
      • +9 Defense, +6 M. Defense, -4 Agility, Univ. Resistance 1% (110 Volts)
    • Scavver Mask
      • +13 Defense, +11 M. Defense, Neg, Stat. Resist 5% (480 Volts)
    • Silk Hood
      • +13 Defense, +11 M. Defense, Univ. Resistance 2% (480 Volts)
    • Leather Helm
      • +19 Defense, +15 M. Defense, -1 Agility (660 Volts)
    • Hide Helm
      • +5 M. Attack, +20 Defense, +16 M. Defense, -2 Agility, +2% HP Regen, +2% AP Regen, [Ice] Resistance 10% (860 Volts)
    • Steel Helm
      • +25 Defense, +19 M. Defense, -3 Agility (820 Volts)
    • Tortoise Helm
      • +24 Defense, +18 M. Defense, -4 Agility, +3 Luck, [Water] / [Earth] / [Pierce] / [Slash] Resistance 10% (820 Volts)
    • Military Hat
      • +14 Defense, +21 M. Defense, -1 Agility, [Machine] Resistance 15% (1020 Volts)
    • Magician Hood
      • +2 Attack, +2 M. Attack, +19 Defense, +16 M. Defense, -1 Agility, +1% Crit. Evasion, Univ. Resistance 3% (1170 Volts)
    • Brigandine Helm
      • +29 Defense, +23 M. Defense, -2 Agility, +3% Evasion (1590 Volts)
    • Deadhander Mask
      • +5 Attack, +19 Defense, +11 M. Defense, -1 Agility, +5 Luck, Neg. Stat. Resist 10% (1170 Volts)
    • Reinforced Helm
      • +2 Attack, +41 Defense, +22 M. Defense, -4 Agility (1830 Volts)
    • Shellbeast Helm
      • +5 M. Attack, +35 Defense, +26 M. Defense, -4 Agility, +2% HP Regen, +2% AP Regen, Univ. Resistance 3% (1980 Volts)
    • Explorer Mask
      • +19 Defense, +15 M. Defense, Neg. Stat. Resist 15% (1360 Volts)
    • Clergyman Hood
      • +20 Defense, +18 M. Defense, -1 Agility, [Holy] / [Dark] Resistance 24%, ALL Others 4% (1480 Volts)
    • Legion Helm
      • +35 Defense, +27 M. Defense, -2 Agility, +3% Evasion (2520 Volts)
    • Dusky Helm
      • +2 Attack, +2 M. Attack, +34 Defense, +26 M. Defense, -2 Agility, +1% Crit. Evasion, M. Attack +4% (2520 Volts)
    • Stone Helm
      • +2 Attack, +2 M. Attack, +46 Defense, +34 M. Defense, -6 Agility, +1% Crit. Evasion, Univ. Resistance 4% (3160 Volts)
    • Abyss Helm
      • +2 Attack, +2 M. Attack, +46 Defense, +34 M. Defense, -4 Agility, +1% Crit. Evasion, [Holy] / [Dark] Resistance 20% (3240 Volts)
    • Vision-RE
      • +30 Defense, +25 M. Defense, -1 Agility, Immune to Blind and Headache, All Other Neg. Status Resistance 20% (2700 Volts)
    • Nimbus of Light
      • +2 Attack, +2 M. Attack, +25 Defense, +20 M. Defense, -1 Agility, +1% Crit. Evasion, 25% Neg. Status Resistance, Grants wearer use of the “Wall” skill (Cannot be sold)
    • CF Helm
      • +2 Attack, +44 Defense, +24 M. Defense, -2 Agility, [Slash] / [Pierce] / [Crush] Resistance 25% (3400 Volts)
    • GE-Spectrum
      • +45 Defense, +35 M. Defense, -2 Agility, Univ. Resistance 5% (3900 Volts)
    • Hunter Helm
      • +60 Defense, +40 M. Defense, -4 Agility (4800 Volts)
    • Sp. Forces Helm
      • +50 Defense, +45 M. Defense, -4 Agility, [Fire] / [Wind] / [Machine] Resistance 25% (4550 Volts)
  • Generally, the effect of these changes has been to drastically improve the defensive value of most headwear while also slightly reducing their values across the board.
• The Corsair’s Wrist has been tweaked.
  • All weapon mods were changed previously to only offer a +20 M. Attack bonus, however this one slipped through and was still giving the “old” bonus of +10 M. Attack / +10 Luck.
  • Bonuses have been corrected to +20 M. Attack.
• The Millipede Bands can now be sold.
  • Base price is 2500 Volts (Can be sold for 1250 Volts).
• The Amethyst Crown is now treated as Tier 5 Headwear, rather than an Accessory. It is useable by all playable characters.
  • Old Stats: +10 Defense, +10 M. Defense, 25% Negative Stat Effect Resist, Grants wearer the “Healing Mist” skill.
  • New Stats: +2 Attack, +2 M. Attack, +25 Defense, +20 M. Defense, -1 Agility, +1% Crit. Evasion, 25% Negative Stat Effect Resist, Grants wearer the “Healing Mist” skill.
  • NOTE: The Amethyst Crown cannot be sold.
• The Nimbus of Light can now only be used by Stark.
  • NOTE: The Nimbus of Light cannot be sold.

-Changes to Shops + Items

• Shops have been adjusted to reflect new values for all headwear
• The Trailblazers’ Quartermaster no longer sells the Scrap Cutter.
  • Now begins selling the Millipede Bands once “Supply and Demand XXX” (gathering six Black Carapaces for Butler) has been completed.
  • Will begin to sell the Shellbeast Armor, Shellbeast Helm, and Shellbeast Shield once “Supply and Demand XXXII” has been completed.
• The Junk Merchant in FCP-Bravo now sells the Scrap Cutter.

-Changes to Skills

• New Skill “Deteriorate” – Increases the entropy in an area, causing <Neutral> damage over time to multiple targets. [AP Cost: 30]
  • This is a [Certain Hit] skill which causes all enemies to lose 5% of their Max HP each turn for 5 turns.
• New Skill “Chaos Surge” – Causes a sudden spike in entropy, harming all enemies. Deals <Neutral> damage based on user’s remaining AP. [AP Cost: 24]
  • This is a [Certain Hit] skill which ignores defense, causing damage equal to ~10x the user’s remaining AP.
• New Skill “Terrify” – Creates an aura of dread so powerful that it can cause foes to die instantly. Not effective against all foes. [AP Cost: 24]
  • Has a 20% chance to instantly defeat most common enemies.
• “Impale” has been tweaked.
  • Now deals ~25% less damage than before.
• “Cleave” has been heavily tweaked.
  • Previously dealt damage using the following calculation:
    • (User Level * 40) – (Target Max HP * 0.1)
  • Now deals damage using the following calculation:
    • (User Level * 25)
  • Is now treated as a [Certain Hit] skill, rather than a normal physical attack.
  • Description has been changed to indicate its higher than normal accuracy.
• “Blackout” has been tweaked
  • AP Cost increased from 5 AP to 12 AP
  • Instant K.O chance increased from 10% to 15%
• “Drown” has been tweaked
  • AP Cost decreased from 20 AP to 12 AP
  • Instant K.O chance increased from 10% to 15%
• “Icy Veil” has been fixed
  • Now correctly affects the user of the skill, rather than a single enemy
• The following skills now have a chance to apply status effects from weapons or passives:
  • Thrash
  • Flail
  • Focus Strike
  • Slice n’ Dice
  • Fillet
  • Cleave
  • Chainsaw
  • Slashing Fury
  • Impale
  • Shield Bash
  • Power Tackle
  • Anchor Punch
  • Karmic Strike
  • Shoot
  • Sweep
  • Barrage

-General Changes / Bug Fixes

• CRITICAL BUG FIXED – Fixed several issues which were occurring when the player entered the Pecasta Caverns sublevel (NOTE: After the 5.1.2 bugfix was released, an additional issue was found in the Pecasta Caverns sublevel which was creating movement issues).
• Fixed a bug which was causing the background music not to play in the FCP-Bravo Barracks when players loaded the game inside the area.
• Fixed yet another issue which was preventing Nyla from gaining her second passive ability upon completing “Profit Margins Pt. 3”.
  • Speaking to Nyla should now correctly unlock the skill “Scavver’s Luck” and apply its passive bonus
• Fixed a bug where Nyla (problem child that she is) would revert to her pre-Version 5 skillset when her final storyline quest was completed.
  • Affected players’ skill lists should be adjusted upon entering the overworld
• Fixed an error in Nathan’s comments when you “Ask about the bounty” during the “Supply and Demand XXVIII” quest.
• Fixed a coding issue which would cause Malcolm not to level properly when beginning the “Heroes and Thieves” bonus quest.
• Moved the text windows during the debriefing scene after “A Call to Arms” to the bottom of the screen.
• Added a fancy neon sign to the FCP-Bravo vendors’ table so it stands out more.
• More locations to use your tools have been added.