The Twisted & The Hollow Is Now Available!

We are pleased to announce the release of ZEPHON's first DLC: The Twisted & The Hollow!

This DLC includes 2 new leaders, 7 new units, 3 new operations, 3 new items, 2 new outposts, 5 new quests, 4 new mutators and 4 new tracks.

Accompanying the DLC we're also releasing an extensive patch that adds 4 new technologies, new illustrations, ambient sounds and a plethora of gameplay, quality of life and balance improvements.

A few gameplay changes we'd like to highlight:

• Each leader now has a different set of starting units. If a unit is exclusive to a DLC and that DLC is disabled, the unit will be replaced by a cost-equivalent amount of default branch units (Militants, Abkluth Dragoons, Ishim Enforcers).

• Enemy units on city tiles now disable all buildings on the tile.

• Increased variety of neutral units: Human, Voice and Cyber units up to tier 2 now also spawn as neutrals.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3607430/ZEPHON__The_Twisted__The_Hollow/

Enjoy!

Version 1.1.0

New

• Added The Twisted & The Hollow DLC content.
• Added new researchable technology Shield Dome (tier 6, non-affinity): +17% city damage reduction for headquarters.
• Added new researchable technology Mobile Hardpoints (tier 7, Human): +8% ranged cover damage reduction for non-flying Human units if they have not moved.
• Added new researchable technology Railgun Roads (tier 8, non-affinity): Doubles road movement bonus.
• Added new researchable technology Market Defluctuation (tier 9, non-affinity): -50% Concordat buy prices.
• Added unique illustrations and ambient audio for the leader quests.
• Each leader now has a different set of starting units. If a unit is exclusive to a DLC and that DLC is disabled, the unit will be replaced by a cost-equivalent amount of default branch units (Militants, Abkluth Dragoons, Ishim Enforcers).
• Enemy units on city tiles now disable all buildings on the tile.
• Enemy units on outposts now disable all gains from that outpost.
• Increased variety of neutral units: Human, Voice and Cyber units up to tier 2 now also spawn as neutrals.
• Caches can now give operation rewards.
• Added a use-item animation for each hero.
• Allies and spectators can now see which technologies have been researched and are being researched by others in the research screen.
• Spectators can now access the communications screen to see the standing and treaties of all players.
• Added ability to easily select units with queued orders before executing their orders. The end turn button now becomes "Order Queued Units (X)" / "Execute Queued Order (1/X)" to select and execute orders one by one. Right-clicking the end turn button when it's in this state executes all queued orders.
• Added "Victory Requires Defeating NPCs" advanced setting (defaults to on).
• Number keys now scroll to the corresponding tier in the research screen.
• Added "Enemy In City", "Combat" and "Combat (Advanced)" tips.
• Added loading tips about mass-moving units and sight blocking features.
• Added more ambient audio to terrain features.

General

• Non-affinity branches are now hidden by default in the research screen.
• Improved unit voice line playback so it is less likely that they repeat. The likelihood of a line repeating depends on how long ago it was last played, and any lines played within a minute will not play again.
• Improved performance of the research screen.
• Default control bindings now better take into account non-QWERTY layouts by preserving the key letter (CTRL+Y for yield overlay) or preserving the key position (QWE for unit actions) where appropriate.
• Player abilities now trigger notifications (e.g. Words of the Prophet converting one of your units).
• Notifications of abilities that target enemies are now colored red.
• Notifications that affect custom-named units now show the custom name instead of the generic unit name.
• Attack area now only considers line of sight rather than attackability, so it also shows over allied units. This makes it clearer to see a unit's general attack range.
• Atramentous Aura can now target any tile.
• Renamed Combat Drone, EMP Drone and Repair Drone to Combat Melisai, EMP Melisai and Repair Melisai.
• Increased Vulkan R-5 size by 10% to closer match Plangent Orolos.
• Overcharged +1 armor penetration is now in the trait instead of the weapons for increased clarity.
• The Deep can now only be accessed once per game.
• New (not previously picked) The Deep options are now clearly marked.
• Nightmare, Acrin Bone Whistle and Tribunal Tether summons now appear more synchronized with casting animation instead of instantly.
• Resources granted every X turns (Acrin Crash Site, Hwedo's Brain, Neumanatic Cornucopia) now in the total resources display when they would trigger next turn.
• Features that block sight, now explicitly say it in their associated entries.
• Show button to open research screen from the start.

AI

• AI now treats Combat Medics as support units regarding usage and positioning.
• AI now produces less Combat Medics relative to other unit types.
• AI Untold Prophet will no longer use Word of the Prophet on summons.
• AI units under System Overload no longer attack with low hitpoints.
• Improved AI unit targeting, especially for units with Cone and Area weapons.

Balance

• Higher difficulties now have increased AI diplomatic aggressiveness.
• Hovering units now benefit from Roads.
• Increased Life Steal trait life steal from 10% to 20%.
• Increased Incendiary Grenade damage from 1 to 1.5.
• Rebalanced cache reward chances to be 4 : 2 : 1 : 1 for resource:item:operation:unit.
• Spirit of Mankind is now a tier 10 research and permanently increases loyalty by 10.
• Asymmetric Arbitrage is now a non-affinity technology.

Human

• Smoke Screen is now a free action.
• Interceptor Missile is now a free action.
• Reduced Shiraki Cruise Missile range from 12 to 9.
• Increased Argosy Targe invulnerable damage reduction from 50% to 67%.
• Reduced Antimatter Diffraction invulnerable damage reduction bypass from 33% to 17%.
• Increased Gauss Cannon damage from 8 to 12.
• Increased Gauss Cannon armor penetration from 6 to 7.
• Increased Power Fist damage from 12 to 16.
• Increased Power Fist armor penetration from 7 to 8.

Voice

• Precentor of Nihilus now increases the experience of all produced units by 2 for each Midnight Chorus in the city instead of the previous effect.
• Reduced Dark Vassael cost and upkeep by 25%.
• Reduced Fallen Orolos cost and upkeep by 25%.
• Reduced Surthodai's Embrace cost and upkeep by 33%.
• Reduced Plangent Orolos cost and upkeep by 33%.
• Nightmare dying no longer affects experience.
• Apotheosis dying unit no longer affects morale or experience.
• Increased Apotheosis damage from 4 to 6 and armor penetration from 3 to 4.
• Aegyllan Worm Tunneling now applies Stealth for 1 turn.
• Increased Aegyllan Worm cost by 33%.
• Pestilence is now a free action with cooldown 3.
• Increased Deathshriek damage and armor penetration from 2 to 3.
• Increased Essence Syphon from +1 to +2 armor.
• Surthodai's Kiss now only affects Voice units, and heals 1 hitpoint in Bleed (instead of 2 from Bleedwalker).
• Halved Choral Celerity cost.
• Vorodai Proselyte now has Indirect Fire.
• Withering Breath now has Corrosive.
• Shrieker now has Concussive.
• Increased Hymn of Decay morale loss on use from -1 to -2.
• Increased Dimensional Reverberations from +1 to +2 dimensional echoes per kill.
• Increased Pestilence attacks from 1 to 2.

Cyber

• Holopatter now affects all Cyber units instead of all non-large, non-flying units.
• Marked Target now also works for melee weapons.
• Antiparticle Purge now also removes Abkhan Drey and Sandpit.
• Fixed Singularity Blade having 6 range instead of 3.
• Increased Interpolated Production minerals cost reduction from -5% to -10%.
• Interference Protocols can no longer target titan units.

Emulated Mind

• Increased Mind Hack duration from 5 to 10.

Furtive Tribunal

• Scimystic Scismatics now gives influence instead of research.

Heartless Artificer

• Part Distribution now affects Antigrav Assembler instead of Synthetic Printer.
• Increased Transuranic Apathy production cost for Seraphim Archangel from -6 (-8.3%) to -25%.
• Default Immoral rank now shows as 0 and gives -0 loyalty.

Practical Romantic

• Hardening Hearts now gives +8% invulnerable damage reduction for a turn when the unit loses morale due to unit death instead of -10% morale loss.
• Memories E'er More now prevents units from being shaken instead of -10% morale loss.

Rogue Operative

• Increased Icarus Satellite attacks from 1 to 2.
• Decreased Icarus Satellite damage from 12 to 8.
• Decreased Icarus Satellite armor penetration from 7 to 6.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a potential crash when the only tile candidates for quests were too far away.
• Fixed a crash in Korean translation when selecting Destroy Shards in Under Observation.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when selecting hotseat save games.
• Fixed Antimatter Diffraction doing more damage than intended to targets without invulnerable damage reduction.
• Fixed taking passive damage canceling unit orders (e.g. Decaying cancelling a long movement order).
• Fixed adding multiple non-stacking items affecting heroes multiple times (e.g. Iok'la healing).
• Fixed Seed of Extinction affecting non-enemies.
• Fixed Atramentous Aura and Experimental Drugs (Success) not increasing movement.
• Fixed AI being able to build heroes above the hero limit.
• Fixed Abkhan respawning as non-neutral under some circumstances.
• Fixed units under Dream Prison by the Anchorite standing still.
• Fixed Hast not being usable saying "No actions remaining." instead of "No movement remaining.".
• Fixed control bindings showing the incorrect key on non-QWERTY layouts.
• Fixed ESC not closing lobby screen while in a game.
• Fixed Concordat screen fading to black when closing.
• Fixed spectators being asked to select research.
• Fixed Phoenix Interceptor death effects.
• Fixed Zephon Black Site portrait.
• Fixed Gauss Rifle icon.
• Fixed Life Steal trait icon being low resolution.
• Fixed Acrin Zealots unit name not being plural.
• Fixed Cr'la Disciples unit name not being plural.
• Fixed Titan Melee trait not mentioning that it can hit flying units and attack over cliffs.
• Fixed Schism of Regimina not mentioning that it cannot target headquarters.
• Fixed Pulling trait not mentioning that it cannot target titans or fortifications.
• Fixed Commander Take Cover and Never Surrender targeting text.
• Fixed Dark Caress not mentioning that it also affects the unit it is on.
• Fixed Dream Prison usage notification not showing.
• Fixed Can Love Be Moral? mutator.
• Fixed offering peace to Anchorite not showing unique per-leader text.
• Fixed some debug panel crashes.
• Fixed some typos.