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Patch Notes - 3.3.0 - May 10thMay 10, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey there Prospectors! If you've been wondering if today is a patch day or if this week is patch week, the answer is yes! Patch 3.3.0 is coming in hot and in typical fashion, we're going to dive into the details of what awaits us in this new patch as well as tackle a few Known Issues that we're still currently working on. Did I mention the word patch yet? Let's talk about a big topic - AI Creatures. You've sent us videos, screenshots, we've talked about it directly with players, we've collected feedback on it, it looks like a lot of our Fortuna fauna have been fighting back and in a lot of strange ways. While we may poke fun about a potential Strider uprising happening, they're not working as intended and we would like to start by apologizing for any situations with this topic that have caused you trouble. We've been working quite a bit on peeling back the internal workings of them so that we can figure out what happened and make a sizeable dent in what has become a fairly complex bug. Additionally, you'll find our usual list of bugfixes that we've scooped up along the way, some impactful, some minor, all bugs that need squashed! With that out of the way, let's settle down the surface so that if I want to crawl on all fours like a new creature roaming the surface, I can do so with the confidence that the Striders will think I'm one of them. Onto the notes! Changes AI Creatures {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/6c096f5ce146c356ca0d8b22318eaec3cb857dca.jpg We should start by saying that a lot of our changes have gone into the senses of our not-so-friendly friends. They react to a variety of actions, such as sight, proximity, and sound. Some creatures even have what we call "Shared Senses", which means if you alert one of them, they can attract other nearby enemies and point their attention towards whatever they may be alerted by. In this case that would be you, the player! One important change we've made is that creatures will no longer be triggered by sound created while crouching. While you can technically be crouching and be spotted or crouch walk into their proximity range, their ability to detect you won't be caused by sounds made from crouch walking, this should allow you folks that have tried sneaking past an enemy as carefully as possible only to be targeted anyway to feel a much greater reward in approaching these situations cautiously. We've also added more on our end internally so that we can tune the proximity ranges of every creature and their variants individually with ease. These proximity changes have been tuned for all creatures except for the Howler, as we would like to avoid the Howler triggering purely because it flew too close to you while you were safely hidden. On the topic of shared senses, we've made some adjustments here and there to prevent an unending chain of monster aggro. Here's the short version: If a creature is alerted by a player, its Shared Senses will trigger and alert another creature nearby. A creature activated by ...Howlerbusters ResultsMay 2, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors! When there’s something strange, in the neighb- yeah okay, I’m not doing that again. You get it anyway, we’re gonna talk about our Howlerbusters event. After all, our challenge ended over the weekend, which means you could stop shooting those big nasties, but also probably shouldn’t, especially if they’ve caught your scent. More importantly, that means we have our final list of winners, our big pantheon of who will be crowned the best Howlerbusters on Prospect Station. Wanna know if you made the cut? Sure, I guess we can share that with you. And the winners aaaaaaaaaare {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/04fe58b468eaeb15f6a64e89a53311a401f17ba1.png Congratulations to all of you! Your names shall be etched forever on the timeless bastion that is Prospect Station - more news about where specifically in a future update. If you didn’t make it to the hall of fame, then despair not, for we have an additional surprise for the remaining hunters out there. Prospectors who have killed at least 10 Howlers during the challenge will each receive a special cosmetic reward as a participation prize. Expect to receive that in our next update! If you're unsure of your personal tally, you can still check out our full leaderboard on our official website. Full leaderboard: https://thecycle.game/howlerbuster Hope you enjoyed this little competition, Prospectors. Keep an eye out for what we have in stores for you! Until then, take care of yourselves, enjoy the surface, and... … oh why do I have this random tune stuck in my head right now? Na na na na na~Hotfix - 3.2.1 - April 25thApr 25, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors! We've had a quick hotfix today to take care of a few issues that arose with last week's update. Here's a short log of what we've looked into! Changes Increased the drop rate of Howler Syrinxes, after realizing even the most dedicated Howlerbusters were having trouble getting their hands on some. Drop rate during normal weather increased from 1% to 3%. Drop rate during storms increased from 5% to 10%. Toned down the loot table for Military Boxes found in the Osiris Research Center. They should now contain more balanced stuff overall. Bug Fixes Fixed part 18 for "Race to the Bottom". It can now be completed properly. Fixed Orbital Cannon Beacons, they can be crafted at crafting stations again. Changed how some data is recorded on our ends, to try and get a better look at our current performance and spawning issues. Thanks for your time and patience, as usual. Have a great day and enjoy the surface. Fortuna Favors the Bold!Patch Notes - 3.2.0 - April 19thApr 19, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHello Prospectors! Community Team here once again to drop a virtual pile of papers on that corner of the internet to make up a little something we call Patch Notes. Yes, this first sentence was unnecessarily complicated and we won't even apologize for it. This time, we'll be talking about Tharis Island, your feedback on MK II weapons, as well as some other changes that should push us in the right direction as we continue to navigate throughout Season 3. We've also got a hefty list of bug fixes for visual issues, localization issues, and a whole lot more. Come check out all we have in store for this patch! Changes Tharis Island Grab your favorite space hammer and get ready for some space forging, 'cause the gates of Tharis Island are now open again! Notice how every word can sound more sci-fi when you just put "space" before them? This map can be accessed after progressing through faction quests, and contains a very powerful tool known as the Alien Forge, which allows players to apply perks to their gear to make them stronger. Think of it as a crafting station within the map, so make sure to keep a fresh pair of eyes on the back of your head, as you never know who or what may be lurking around the corner. As far as changes goes, we did some minor tuning to the creature spawning on Tharis - do take the time to share your thoughts with us after roaming the area to tell us how it feels now. Overall though, the bulk of the changes applied to Tharis are about the Alien Forge. We spent a lot of time reading our player feedback on this topic, and we do think we're ready to turn the forge back on and see what happens! With that in mind, let's dive into the highlights of our Forge changes. Alien Forge: The Forge will no longer upgrade the rarity of gear when forging, because of this:The outcome of forging will always give you the same quality gear that was used as a base for forging. The forge will only accept Epic, Exotic, and Legendary gear; Rare gear will no longer be accepted. Base ingots are used with Epic gear and give Epic results. Charged ingots are used for Exotic gear. Supercharged ingots are used with Legendary gear. You cannot turn Exotic gear into Legendary in the forge anymore, but using Abyss Alloy makes it possible to get Legendary gear with perks on it. This gear can then be used as a base with Supercharged ingots to roll a new set of perks. It is no longer possible to craft gear without perks on it. Therefore, when crafting gear, you will need to throw in at least one valid perk-bearing material in the required quantity. In situations where more than one of the same ingredients has been put into the forge (in required quantity), only the first material will be used to reroll perks. Other identical materials will be ignored. Faster Healing perk can now only appear on helmets, which means it is no longer stackable. The range of possible values for the perk have returned to its original state: Minimum +10% healing speed, Maximum +30% healing...HowlerbustersApr 13, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors! If there’s something strange on Fortuna III, if there’s something weird and it looks scary, who you gonna call? Howlerbusters! Wanna join the fight and be immortalized on Prospect Station as one of the best Howler hunters in the prospecting business? Then you’ll be happy to know we’ve brewed a special community challenge for the bravest trackers among you! Howlerbusters The authorities on the station are getting pretty wary of the new threat that’s known as the Howler. Too many reckless Prospectors have now fallen victim to their deadly antics, and they’ve called for a bit of population control as a response. The incentive? A shot at eternal glory among your peers. In other words, the 10 Prospectors who will have killed the most Howlers during the challenge will have their name on a special leaderboard on the station. You know what to do if you want to grab that fame boost! The challenge will be up from now on until Sunday, April 30 at 11:59 PM CEST / 5:59 PM EDT. The results will be shared on our channels in the week following the end of the event. We will also provide you with leaderboard updates every Monday & Friday! Leaderboard can be found here: https://thecycle.game/howlerbuster Hope you ain’t ‘fraid of no Howlers, ‘cause trust me, they won’t be afraid of you! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/25f98abef01b21de16a1f6afb47114bdee34871c.jpg Your best Howler memories On top of our community challenge, we will also be holding a cool TikTok giveaway and competition. The rules are simple: record a cool and funny moment related to the Howler and publish it on your timeline, tagging our official TikTok account in the process. Official TikTok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecycle_frontier Our teams will then look at the different videos and decide on their 2 favorites. Those winners will be announced in a special stream on our official Twitch channel and will be added to the special Howlerbusters leaderboard on Prospect Station. Renown’s not good enough for you and you’d rather have a more substantial reward? We hear you. That’s why every participant will be sent a surprise code as well, keep an eye on your TikTok DMs once the event is over! Entries to our TikTok giveaway will be accepted until Sunday, April 30 at 11:59 PM CEST / 5:59 PM EDT. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/f6fcc51d72417f8cb707e4e05cc2a2e286c763aa.jpg You now know what to do. Time to bust some Howlers everyone! Until then, take good care of yourselves, don’t cross the stream, and see you on Fortuna III. Fortuna Favors the Busters! One week of Season 3Apr 6, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors and welcome to yet another one of our articles! So you really know the drill by now: it’s Thursday, which means it’s time to talk about Season 3. Now I can already tell what you’re thinking right now. Season 3 is already out, for a full week even, and I’m sure you’ve already become full-fledged experts on the new season. And you know what? Fair enough. But we’re not done juuuuust yet. There’s still some stuff we haven’t talked about in our previous articles, plus it’s not like you’ve been everywhere so far, I’m sure there’s some places you’d be in-Tharis-ted in visiting, eh? Terrible puns aside (I regret nothing), let’s tackle the last few things related to Season 3. Our story so far First things first, a few words about this first week of Season 3. The launch of our new season was pretty smooth and, if what we’ve been hearing is to be believed, you’ve all been enjoying it a great deal. We’re so very glad to hear that and hope you will continue enjoying our game for a good while! Of course, no road is complete without a few bumps, and we did run into our own array of issues along the way. Fortunately, we were able to fix most of these problems rather quickly. Apologies for the inconvenience! We started with a quick hotfix soon after launch: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/6195304802943151049 And already had our first patch yesterday: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3727332756615993089 There’s more where that came from of course, so don’t worry and keep those reports coming! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/32e60fbebc30d394e7dfe204a2d6249dadb0b4b3.png A pass to great fortunes One thing we hadn’t mentioned before launch was our own version of the classic battle pass formula, what you all know by now as the Fortuna Pass. With Season 3 live and kicking, its full contents can be explored freely by our players, but let’s take a quick moment to check what it does contain! As usual, the Fortuna Pass boasts 100 levels of progression chock-full of prizes and goodies. The first path, completely free, is already pretty tasty. But the other path is even juicier, so make sure to check it out! Both paths can be completed at the same time and, together, allow you to get your hands on: 14 weapon skins 2 new Prospector archetypes 3 melee weapons 4 weapon charms 4 sprays 3 banners 2 emotes 1 drop pod skin And a grand total of 975 Aurum You know what to do. Go and complete that Pass! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/a3234f5d062ad98dca9aa1591aca8692f6b44a7b.png A cheap yet valuable welcome In case you’re hungry for even more goodies – and honestly, I can’t blame you there – we have some more stuff available for you. We have a sale going on to celebrate the launch of Season 3. It will last for one more week, during which our Welcome Packs are all 25% off. Quite the opportunity! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1947000/The_Cycle_Frontier__Initiate_Pack/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1947010/The_Cycle_Frontier__Profes...Patch Notes - 3.1.0 - April 5thApr 5, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHello Prospectors! We hope you've been enjoying Season 3 and that you're getting your fix of the early game grind. We've really enjoyed playing alongside all of you! (If anyone can find an extra Sample Container for me, I would greatly appreciate it - ty ty). More seriously, we know that for some unfortunate Prospectors, there's been issues with CPU usage, with vanity items not showing up, and some other visual/technical issues. That's why Patch 3.1.0 right here is dedicated to fixing some of these pesky bugs that made themselves known during our Season 3 launch. A huge thank you to all of our players who reported issues, helped us create tickets, and made us aware of these issues. The next Patch, 3.2.0 should have some more interesting details, but in the meantime, if you're in the mood for some technical chatter, let's dive in and get to work! Miscellaneous Fixed the "Rattler Crossing" spray vanity item that didn't match its icon. Fixed the "Trooper Boots" item that didn't match its icon. Some items in Windfall Shop's display area were distorted/moving on their own. We fixed these weird instances of sentient haunted items. Fixed the incorrect UI image for "Authority Operative - Gloves". Fixed the material on the Honeycomb charm. We want it to look sweet, (get it? 'cause honey?) but it was much "shinier" than intended. On the Fortuna News Network TVs, a Prospector archetype was incorrectly referred to as Unbound Synth. We sent FNN more accurate information about "The Tempest." A tree near Woodcutter Camp has been adjusted to be no longer climbable. Knocking on wood it remains as intended. An exploit near Southeast Uplink on Bright Sands has been fixed. Turned off flashlights that were staying on after death (while realistic, it was unintended). AI Fixes Last known position bug was fixed where AI would constantly get an update to your position Fixed AI seeing through bushes and some other Geo (This is linked to the last known position bug) Fixed sense time out so AI will get bored of looking for you quicker (linked to the Last known position bug). This will continue to get tuned in future patches Reduced hearing Sense and Shared Sense to reduce mobs being pulled in from very far away for unknown reasons to the player Increase aggro range slightly, this is so that the AI combat Roar/telegraph happens sooner and the player has a little more time to react Increased far sight slightly, so AI are still fairly inquisitive when they are looking directly at you Bugfixes The 100% CPU usage issue on Prospect Station has been fixed. Huge thank you to our players for making us aware that this was happening! Debugged the tutorial questline randomly locking up and preventing progression. Fixed an issue causing creatures to occasionally not spawn inside the Crusher Caverns. Back to no pain, no gain! Some archetypes did not have the global base suits they were supposed to have. Some items in a keyroom on Crescent Falls could be looted without using a key. We cal...Hotfix - 3.0.2 - March 31stMar 31, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors! We've just applied a quick hotfix to take care of the following issues: Took care of unruly monster aggression. Creatures shouldn't aggro you from the other side of the map anymore. Fixed some matchmaking issues. Fixed a problem with in-game stuttering. Made it so players who got the Authority Peacekeeper bundle actually got all the items from the pack, as it should be. We are still looking into some remaining known issues, including the freezes on launch, amongst others. Thanks for your patience. Have a great day and enjoy Season 3. Fortuna Favors the Bold!Free DLC – Get the Fresh Fortunes Pack now!Mar 30, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsSeason 3 just started for The Cycle: Frontier and the surface of Fortuna III never looked so inviting. Want to jump in? Then grab yourself a free pack first, before dropping to face the dangers of the planet! The Fresh Fortunes Pack comes with a weapon skin for the C-32 Bolt Action Rifle, a weapon charm made in a special alloy and a snazzy set of clothes for all your Prospectors. The perfect set to dazzle your opponents with your best looks! The Fresh Fortunes Pack requires the base game The Cycle: Frontier to be claimed. The pack is available for free until April 13, 2023. After acquiring the pack, log in to the game before April 30, 2023, to claim its full contents. Packs that have not been claimed by April 30, 2023 will expire. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313620/The_Cycle_Frontier__Fresh_Fortunes_Pack/ The Fresh Fortunes Pack includes the following: Kintsugi C-32 Bolt Action weapon skin that can be applied to any C-32 Bolt Action you own Abyss Alloy weapon charm Leather Thrill-Seeker chest piece Leather Thrill-Seeker gloves Tan Thrill-Seeker boots The pack is delivered to Delivery Station in your player quarters and needs to be claimed in the "Special Deliveries" section. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/c39b5b95495abeaa47afb3d6db0bbe8f58cfe21a.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/f13c3c0318d6fef7dca26f99f9d855b13d65b152.jpg Season 3 is the best of times to start your prospecting career or dive back into the game. Plus, you'll be looking as swank as ever with this stylish Thrill-Seeker set. Now that mandatory wipes are a thing of the past, new and returning players can expect to join existing players on an equal footing with a rebalanced economy and a lot of new content to discover, like the arrival of the monstrous Howler, the introduction of Mk.II weapons and the possibility to drop with a free loadout, graciously provided by the different factions. Want to know more? Check out our dedicated article with a full overview of Season 3: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3686799728494602258 Don’t forget the Fresh Fortunes Pack will remain available to grab for free until Thursday, April 13. After grabbing it on the platform, you have to log into the game before April 30 to activate its contents. What are you waiting for? Go get it, get it now! It's free after all! See you on the surface, thrill-seekers, and remember – Fortuna Favors the Bold!Welcome to Season 3!Mar 29, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsGreetings and salutations, Prospectors! What is there to say, apart from WELCOME TO SEASON 3? Actually, there’s still a few things to talk about, so how about we do just that eh? Season 3, full speed ahead This is it; servers are back online and filled with all the content from Season 3! The first thing you will have noticed with the start of Season 3 is that we went through a global wipe – our last mandatory server wipe in fact. From now on, everything you do and acquire is here to stay, until that gets lost on the surface after a brutal encounter with a Howler that is. Choices matter, but in the form of “don’t get killed, my friends”. Apart from that, we have a large array of new and updated content to offer you all: the aforementioned Howler, weapon variations, Free Loadout Runs, new campaign missions, an updated Prospect Station and a good pinch of rebalancing and bug fixing. If you want to know more, everything is available in the patch notes we’ve published earlier today. Go check’em out if you haven’t already! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3686799728492734436 But better yet, don’t hesitate to jump into the game right now and experience all these changes yourself. Fortuna III is your oyster, and there’ll be enough pearls for everyone! 48h stream, starting now We’re having a biiiig livestream to celebrate the release of Season 3! We’ve been live for a while now, technical difficulties aside, but now the pace is picking up and we have a lot to discuss with you all! We’ll also have a few dedicated slots for some of our partners. They’ll be running around Fortuna III causing general mayhem and having a good load of fun. You know where to go if you wanna see some surface action! The full schedule is available right here. Don’t be shy, we’ll be waiting for you! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/061d10bea9a95e6bdea41d97d9d6d8ba5eefcf4b.jpg New arrivals in the shop By the way, we currently have a sale going on for our packs, both old and new. Here’s a quick list of what good offers you can nab as soon as today: New packs – Offers available until Wednesday, April 5 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2357211/The_Cycle_Frontier__Howler_Tamer_Bundle/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2357212/The_Cycle_Frontier__Vivid_Style_Pack/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2357210/The_Cycle_Frontier__Authority_Peacekeeper_Pack/ Welcome Packs – offers available until Wednesday, April 12 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1947000/The_Cycle_Frontier__Initiate_Pack/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1947010/The_Cycle_Frontier__Professional_Pack/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1947011/The_Cycle_Frontier__Specialist_Pack/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1947012/The_Cycle_Frontier__Elite_Pack/ Lastly, we will also have a new pack available in the shop. And because we understand that you may not want to spend a dime on it and keep your money for the packs mentioned above (right?), this one will be completely free! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/319...Patch Notes - 3.0.0 - March 29thMar 29, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors! Here we go! Season 3 is here and we have some biiiiig patch notes to share with you all. But first, a word from our devs! Have a good read! NO MORE WIPES The final wipe is here! Players will start Season 3 completely fresh and on an even playing field. Season 3 will be taking you back to the start of the campaign where your prospecting journey began - except you now have all the knowledge of a seasoned, hardened Prospector to carry you. This, however, will be the last of these so-called mandatory wipes we have planned. Our game has been completely overhauled for a permanent progression system, and we will (after this wipe) no longer be forcing you to reset your progress within the game. You will of course keep any Aurum and earned cosmetics associated with your account. Welcome Packs that were previously purchased will also be regranted to you upon logging in for the first time after this last wipe. As a result of this new era, we've updated our in-game texts and descriptions to reflect this change. We could talk about what happened to the Storm Divers, why all of those flyers have mysteriously disappeared, or why the storm has suddenly gone back to normal. But the work of a Prospector is never done and that's a conversation for when you're older. Now get out there, veteran greenhorn, and earn your K-Marks! FREE LOADOUT RUNS Free Loadout Runs are coming! If you've found yourself low on K-Marks or maybe you're just starting out and learning the ways of Prospecting, consider grabbing a Free Loadout Run provided by the various factions. On the Deploy menu screens, players will now be met with an option to select your Prospector's Loadout of gear equipped from your stash or select a free randomized loadout put together by one of the factions. If a player has no gear equipped from their own stash, the free loadout option will be selected by default. If you have a loadout already selected from your stash, your prospector loadout will be selected by default. Note that if you choose to take the free gear, any previously equipped gear will be transferred to your stash, assuming there is room for everything. There is a cooldown on how often you can use a free loadout since it takes some time for the factions to put together what they're willing to give you. A timer will be visible on the loadout selection screen to let you know how long you'll have to wait before another loadout becomes up for grabs. Once selected, these loadouts will function the same as the normal loadouts you're used to. Take the gear down to Fortuna III and, if you survive, it's yours to keep. If you don't make it back without needing to be defoamed, that gear belongs to whomever is able to bring it back to the station. Each faction should provide Prospectors with at least a weapon, armor, backpack, ammo, and health consumables with a chance for extra goodies to be thrown in by way of a 2nd weapon, weapon attachments, additional consumables, crafting mats, keycards, or...Season 3 SummaryMar 23, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors! We’re getting there now; time is ticking, and the end of the month is here. Which means one important thing: Season 3 is launching as soon as next week! If you need a quick reminder of what to expect for the new season, we’ve prepared a small summary of all the information we’ve been dumping on you these past couple of months. Great way of refreshing your memory before the big day, or better yet, take a first look at all this info if you haven’t kept up with our updates. Have a good read! First info about Season 3 and the end of mandatory wipes Where we talked about the removal of mandatory server wipes and the economy changes that would accompany that decision. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/5252919611947036646 Free Loadout Runs™ and matchmaking updates Where we talked about dropping on the surface with free loadouts from the factions and how we keep finetuning our matchmaking settings. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3664276023008006263 The Howler, next big threat on the planet Where we talked about the arrival of the Howler, a new flying monstrosity that's ready to wreak havoc. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3650765858468171758 The War on Cheats and all our progress against them so far Where we talked about all our actions against cheating so far and how we'll keep fighting the good fight. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3650766491919086605 Upgrades to Prospect Station, the home of your dreams Where we talked about how the station will get a nice facelift to look grimier, seedier but mostly cooler. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3650767125370207806 The introduction of Mk.I and Mk.II weapons Where we talked about weapon variations that will be added to the game's arsenal. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3646264166720116302 Feedback from our recent Public Test Server Where we talked about player feedback received from our PTS days a couple of weeks ago. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3672161126002083217 Oh, and of course, don’t forget our end of season event will be running for a few more days, until Season 3 hits the shelves with our very last mandatory wipe. It’s a great way to revel in pure mayhem and try out some of the rarest weapons, so don’t hesitate to jump in for a bit of fun! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3711568253850136114 Short one, but that’s basically it for today. Next time we meet, it’s Season 3 all the way. We’ll sure have a lot to talk about. Until then, take good care of yourselves, enjoy the Storm Diving, and catch you all next time for Season 3. Fortuna Favors the Bold!Fancy outfits are on sale in The Cycle: FrontierMar 16, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsNow calling on all the thriftiest Fortuna folks who love bargains and great deals! The seasons are turning, which means it's time for the Steam Spring Sale. And we've sure got some sweet goodies on our shelves, ready to send you straight into Spring with style! Two of our awesome DLC packs are currently available at a discounted price through the end of the Steam Spring Sale on March 23. With a 35% discount on the Prime Time Bundle, which includes more than 70 different combinations of head gear and masks, and a 40% discount on the Fortuna Veteran pack, there is no time like the present to grab some special swag and give your favorite Prospectors a fresh look for Season 3! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2130810/The_Cycle_Frontier__Prime_Time_Bundle/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2089550/The_Cycle_Frontier__Fortuna_Veteran/ Oh, and don't forget to check out our end of season event that started on March 15. It will run for the remainder of Season 2, until maintenance for Season 3 and the final mandatory wipe kicks in. The new season starts on March 29, and we're excited to see all you Prime Time and Fortuna Veterans explore the bounds of Fortuna III very soon. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3711568253850136114 That's all for today, and until next time Prospectors. Fortuna favors the bold!Season 2 - End of Season EventMar 15, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsGreetings and salutations, Prospectors! We’ve just had an update today and, since the clock is slowly ticking towards the end of March, you all can guess that this will be the last update for Season 2. But this season isn’t over quite yet and that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today. And if you’ve seen our patch notes from earlier this week, you probably know what to expect in this announcement. Distinguished Prospectors, let me introduce you all to Storm Divers, our new end of season event! Storm Diving for Dummies An electrifying experience Okay, so what’s this all about? Storm Divers is the little name that’s given to Prospectors who bravely (and perhaps foolishly) decide to drop onto the surface at a time where the Cycle is at its apex. Because yeah, that’s what’s happening here: the storms are raging strong and more often than ever. For the duration of the event, Cycle storms will happen a lot more frequently, making the surface a lethal playground for those unwary of the elements’ fury. At the peak of each storm, lightning will strike strong, fast and, more importantly, often. Expect to up your dodging game as skies rain death if you want to come back from a dive alive. At least, each of these storms won’t last as long as they usually do. Bolts of the violent electric kind aren’t the only gift you can expect from the heavens though. Plenty of meteors will also join the party as they land on the beautiful Fortuna III one after another. And sure, this will make the surface even more dangerous, but think of all the loot and riches you can get from those. After all, Divers aren’t putting their lives on the line for nothing! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/2d6e9d68af477dd78d7ecd68c1da848be76a0605.jpg The Storm Diver Survival Guide Authorities are well aware that Storm Divers are taking considerable risks and are willing to support them in their endeavors. I mean, you’ll still pretty much do all the work, but at least they’re pitching in a little something for once. Divers can expect to find a little gift on arrival whenever they plunge, as a gear crate will be available right next to their drop pod. This crate will contain a couple of items that will help survive the tempest, like night-vision goggles and storm-resistant armor. These will be entirely free, so don’t be shy and nab them as soon as you land! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/3486d976785e2b8586bb60873143869fb621c6aa.jpg And of course, I guess the best way to survive the apocalypse is to just not participate in it. The event will only be active on Crescent Falls and Tharis Island. As a result, Prospectors who don’t want to dive will be able to experience the game as they usually do on Bright Sands. We hope you will all appreciate the option to opt out. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/5f18abffb425dade1d0a47a19585d59dc1f4a6b8.jpg A reaction from the station You know what happens whenever something out of the ordinary arises around the planet: the factions want a piece of it and they’re wi...Patch Notes - 2.8.0 - March 15thMar 13, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHello Prospectors! Welcome to our last planned patch for Season 2. This patch will include bugfixes, some weapon balancing, and a handful of miscellaneous changes/fixes. More importantly, this patch will contain the content for our end of Season event, which we will dive into all the details of with an additional Blogpost on Wednesday when the event kicks off. We heard that there are some permanent cosmetic rewards up for grabs! We've had a lot of fun this season, and we're super thankful to all of our players who have been with us reporting issues, bringing points of interest to our attention, and creating exciting conversations as we start to close the curtains on Season 2. Onto the Patch Notes! Changes We have adjusted some of the big meta weapons to feel less oppressive. We will of course check how this shifts the current usage % of the weapons and will also keep a close eye on the KBR, due to the Basilisk changes. Weapon Changes Melee Damage reduced from 45 to 40 This is to address the "one-shotting" of our fellow Striders, an unintentional result in 2.7 when we tuned their health. All SMGs Default spread increased from 3 to 4 Mid-air spread increased from 3 to 4 Fall off damage now begins and ends sooner, from 20-50m down to 10-40m Voltaic Brute Reduced damage from 9 to 8 Increased horizontal and vertical recoil Basilisk Fire Rate reduced from 0.5 to 0.6 Projectile speed reduced from 54000 to 45000 Miscellaneous Updated the description text of the Scanner tool (formerly knows as the Mineral Scanner) to reflect it's additional abilities e.g. showing Prospectors through smoke. This is something that has been talked about by our players a lot and we're very interested in how players have used the Scanner so far. We're all for cool ways to use the Scanner. However, we will be continuing to keep a close eye on this topic and will make adjustments to the usage of the Scanner where necessary. New player match parameters (beginner matchmaking) have been adjusted to lengthen the amount of time before players on new accounts are moved to the general matchmaking lobbies Healing speed forge perk values have been reduced from 10%-30% to 4%-20%. We will of course monitor the situation closely, to check if this adjustment keeps the time to regenerate in check. Our In-game news system received a bit of a visual overhaul Bugfixes Fixed an issue with the Alien Forge getting stuck in the 'Forging in Progress' status. Fixed a visual bug causing Forged items to appear to have no max payout when using Standard Insurance. Fixed an issue that caused players to mysteriously teleport against their will. An exploit near Skeleton Skull has been fixed. An out of bounds exploit near East Collection Point has been fixed. An out of bounds exploit in Woodcutter Camp has been fixed. An out of bounds exploit above the entrance to Korolev Quarry has been fixed. An exploit location near Lagoon Thermal Ponds/Geothermal Plant has been fixed. An unintended access point to the mou...Season 3 - Your PTS FeedbackMar 10, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsGood morrow Prospectors! We recently gave you all an opportunity to preview and test most of the content we have planned for Season 3 so today we are here to give you a summary of what we learned from that test. Though that build was in quite a good state, there were some issues that were to be expected and we appreciate all those who donned their lab coats to provide feedback with us. There were several changes from what you have come to know during your time on Fortuna III. While we believe these changes will help bring a healthy flow of new and some veteran players back to improve the overall experience, there was a lot to sort through so we are still reviewing the full scope of all of the feedback that was submitted, but let's jump into some of the changes and how they were perceived. Campaign overhaul The first thing you may have noticed is that the First Time User Experience (FTUE) was updated to give new players a better overall view of what they should expect to find on their journeys around Fortuna III. The new beginner tutorial missions are far more achievable for the rookie prospector before they can gain the trust of the factions to earn more responsibility. Having a better feel for the basics of prospecting will help players find their bearings as they adjust to a new life as a prospector of Fortuna III. Overall there wasn't as much feedback from this change compared to others, but it does seem that the updated tutorial more thoroughly covers a wider overview of the intricacies of life as a Prospector. More than just the FTUE received an overhaul as the general types of missions and goals of certain missions were adjusted with the goal of long term playability in mind. From what we gathered, we made decent progress towards making campaigns and missions more achievable and worthwhile, while refreshing them and prolonging the progression. The addition of Badum's new questline with unlockable cosmetic items will give those who have reached the end of the main faction questlines something to continue working for, we have seen that there may be more work to be done in this department. Although we don't want the entire game to feel super grindy, there are some aspects that will require more time commitment than others while keeping things from becoming too repetitive. The Howler Never knowing where or when you might run into this new addition to the hostile fauna of Fortuna III, which is meant to land somewhere between a Marauder and a Crusher in terms of difficulty, will give each drop to the planet a new layer of uncertainty and unique set of missions for Prospectors to tackle. While it is possible to encounter the Howler on Bright Sands, there should still be a short grace period without worry until a new player leaves the beginner protection lobbies. The Howler is also the only hostile fauna on Fortuna III which gives players the opportunity to obtain it's unique items without directly engaging in combat if you're sneaky enough. This a...Season 3 - Join the Public Test Server and get rewards!Mar 2, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey there Prospectors! We've reached that time of the week where we give a peek into what is planned for the upcoming Season 3 content. This time around we're talking about testing and how we'll be approaching gathering data or feedback about features that are planned for future releases beyond our smaller Focus Test Group testing sessions. So what is our plan? Short answer: Public Test Server How will this work? Don't worry, this isn't the kind of test you have to study for so put your prep guides away. Our public test server will be a separate server where an upcoming version of the game (in work in progress state) is available to all players for a limited period of time to test some new features and gather feedback. The PTS will be available to all players who have The Cycle: Frontier in their Library on Steam. To participate, just find the additional application "The Cycle Playtest". If you do not see it in your library, then please go to the shop page and request access to the playtest from there. You can then install the PTS version of the game and join the test with your normal platform account. You won't need a separate account and we encourage you to use the same account you use for the live game to receive the rewards afterward correctly. On the PTS you will start with fresh account progress, and this won't affect any progress on your live account. We have made several improvements to new user experience and tutorial simulation, and would like players to experience it on PTS so we can make sure everything is working as intended. Players on PTS will also receive a bunch of gear from Badum, same as new players do in the live game, which will help them with exploring new season content. Why a Public Test Server? We want to collect feedback early and make sure that the version of the game that we will be releasing is fun and meets the bar for quality we have set for ourselves. This is very similar to what our smaller Focus Test Group currently sees and will operate in coordination with our FTG tests to maximize the amount of insight we are able to gather from a wider audience. The more feedback we are able to gather, the better we are able to judge whether features hit or miss the intended mark and make sure that potential issues with balance, performance, and playability can be addressed appropriately. In addition to increased feedback, a public test server with a wider audience will also help improve the quality of updates and limit the amount of technical issues or stability problems upon release of planned features in the live game. Did someone say Rewards? You 100% heard that correctly. We will be rewarding all players who evacuate successfully at least 10 times during the Public Test Server with a special Banner on their live account with the release of Season 3. The rewards will be credited directly to the account used on the playtest server after the release of Season 3, but not later than 1 week after Season 3 has released. This is...Patch 2.7.2Feb 28, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors! Unfortunately, we have to disturb your time on Fortuna III with a small maintenance, starting at 2:35 PM CET / 8:35 AM EST. The maintenance will most likely last for an hour / 1,5 hours. Reason: Some anti-cheat adjustments. Sorry for the inconvenience.Season 3 - A Bigger ArsenalFeb 23, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors! A good day to you all and welcome to our usual meeting, the time and place for everything about our upcoming Season 3. Today’s announcement will be taking a deadlier spin than usual, as we’ll be focusing on your favorite tools of destruction, your valuable vectors of devastation, your beloved mayhem contraptions. You’ve guessed it (I hope you have at least), today is guns galore! New means to maim and murder The Reasoning Before we go into any details, we’d like to have a few words about why we felt a change was necessary. While the game currently boasts a decent array of weapons, we’ve realized there are still a few spots worth filling. For instance, we’re still lacking Uncommon snipers and Rare SMGs, while there’s a clear absence of Shotguns and Pistols of higher quality. We thought those spots were worth looking into. Meanwhile, we’ve also noticed through data analysis that a lot of players seem to be suffering from a good ol’ “too good to use” syndrome. What’s that? It’s when some items are deemed so valuable that players can never find a good situation that would justify their use. In more familiar terms perhaps, it’s when you finish a roleplaying game with 99 copies of the ultimate healing item that you could have used at any point but decided not to, just in case. The result of these observations is that players are mostly stuck with Rare quality equipment and that some weapons, like the KARMA or Zeus Beam, are so rare and valuable they end up seeing very little play on the surface. Which is a bit of shame, considering these are some of our coolest weapons. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/ae5ef013e3ec9a83433fea6218f612b82dbb4147.jpg The Solution So how do we fix this, or at least try to widen our weapon enthusiasts’ horizons? Our answer to this one is: MKII weapons! Basically, several of our currently existing weapons have been looked at and will receive a new variation, the so-called MKII version. MKII weapons will be generally stronger than their classic counterparts. This can translate into a different power level, more attachments slots or possibly a bigger magazine size. MKII weapons will be of a higher quality tier than the current versions. They will also have a specific caveat in that they can only be found on the surface, either looted from a hidden stash or grabbed from the clammy hands of a foamed Prospector. No crafting or purchasing also have the added benefit of increasing the chances a random crate will have you go “oh wow, jackpot!”, which is always a nice feeling. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/ddf0c899bb6e9c622d8ea9e4559187dfff1bdd01.jpg The... other solution Saying we’re adding those stronger versions would only be a partial answer to the problem established above. After all, you might think the mention of MKII weapons implies the existence of MKI weapons, right? Well, you would be right on the money there! The “too good to use” weapons we’ve mentioned definitely don’t need a power boost, as they’re already pre...Season 3 - Prospect Station UpgradesFeb 16, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHey Prospectors! If you were looking for our weekly update about Season 3, then look no further: today is Thursday and we have another batch of information to share with you all! Last week we left with a few words on architecture. It’s not necessarily a tough clue to decipher, but there’s definitely a few options out there. Let’s narrow them down a bit through a series of fun questions: Do you like space? Do you like stations? Do you like space stations? What is the average velocity of an unladen Leafling? Are any of these questions related to the subject at hand? The answer to that last question is yes – well, mostly yes. By now, our next topic should be obvious enough, but just in case, let’s just spell it out for you: today, we will talk about Prospect Station and what improvements we have planned for Season 3! Prospect Station, a haven, a vision First things first, let’s talk a bit about the station, what it currently represents, what feelings we want it to convey and our overall vision of this marvel of architecture. Today in Prospect Station Back in the days of yore, early in the old version of the game, everything not directly taking place on the surface was done through a series of menus. However, we thought those lacked personality and decided players deserved a place to call home. Thus did Prospect Station come to life. Today, the station is still our signature hub, the place where players get to do their shopping, chat with faction leaders and kick back in their private quarters. It’s neat, but the place does look more like a giant mall than an actual space station drifting at the edge of known space. And we’re looking into changing that. The future of space architecture To sum things up, the station currently looks neat, proper and shiny. This isn’t what we want. We want the place to look busy, dirty, a bit seedy even. We want players to feel like they’ve moored into a dangerous port, a place that’s focused on day-to-day survival and where Spring-cleaning isn’t quite a priority. But we don’t want the station to come out as openly hostile either. Prospecting careers open up many windows of opportunity and offer a chance to start anew. Prospectors are willing to stake everything on success and make the best out of their new life. The place sure looks rough, but at the end of the day, it’s still home. And of course, we want the place to look awesome. We can rebuild it, we’ve got the technology Now that context is out of the way, let’s dive straight into what changes to the station you can expect to see for Season 3 and beyond: Most buildings have been reworked and remodeled to make the station feel more claustrophobic yet barer, showing both a lack of space and resources. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33214930/368f90a9b2b87f2b4897e6157f0501fec441c281.png Added a building on top of the store that directly connects to the landing pad. Osiris HQ should feel a lot more, uh, “sciency”, holograms included. It’s also easier to access, for all of you field...
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