Heat

[Cory Trese]

Found a whole series of serious bugs with Heat. Fixing them, trying to improve the whole system with tonight's upgrade. Matrix Heat as well, see if we can't square it away.

I think we can make it work, I really do. Part of my challenge with CK is trusting that i'm right about some of this stuff ... with ST RPG it was easier because I had no expectations.

[moody]

Great work so far Cory! Looking forward to the next patch with any heat changes. Its a good system and I'd hate to see it go. Just needs a little tweaking. Or maybe if we understood it a little more, there'd be less confustion and OMG! moments.

[Cory Trese]

I think removing the serious mathematical errors from the equation tables will really do a lot to help. Watch those negative signs, people =)

[jeffjway]

So the Heat v2.0 is a math correction? Or a different algo to calculate it?

[HateSolstice]

The only issue I have with Heat, even after this update, is that I'm relatively liked with everyone except for Los Val(big surprise). They don't like much at all, and whenever I go into one of their territories I get flagged with nearly 1k heat. This heat follows me throughout the rest of New Boston. Suddenly, in zones where I normally don't get much attention, I get attacked every couple steps. Not really all that fun.

[Cory Trese]

that is exactly the summary of the bug i'm trying to deal with

working on it.... just haven't been able to reproduce it yet with my games.

[HateSolstice]

That's typical . It's like when you have a mechanic look at your car because you were hearing this nasty clunk, but the mechanic can't find it at all.

[monkeyrogue]

In IT we used to call it a "proximity wand".

"No ma'am, I can't find it. But then I have my proximity wand in my pocket. I'll try to leave that behind next time."

[HateSolstice]

If I might make a suggestion: How about having a system where heat will dissipate after so many in-game turns/steps/minutes/whatever, but only slowly. This way, you're not penalized forever for killing a couple guys that ambushed you when you stopped to help that old lady cross the street. You know, that little old lady that's likely one of the gang leaders?

Another thing to go with this would be diminishing returns on the heat. By this, I mean increasing the rate of heat naturally in an area that you've already built up a bunch of heat in. So let's say you slaughtered a couple dozen Yakuza. Well, they're pissed and out for blood, and you're still hanging around in their neighborhood, so obviously you should be on the top of their lists. Thus, the more you hang out there, the more wanted you are, whether you're walking and skipping down the road, or hanging out in their bars, sleeping with their women.

[moof]

@hate
That would be nice to see, since I do a lot of map running (literally took my first taxi ride ever yesterday, 25 cred to cross the map without spending excess ammo:?!?!) Because in my Los V territories, they seem to dislike me, where I was sitting at around 2k heat with them the other day, sitting at a base of -137 I think. lol.

[monkeyrogue]

Another idea to add to Hate's:

When you respond to the gang members harassing an "innocent" you step into a fight where it's a gang leader in the midst of a "hostile takeover". He joins you for the combat and if he survives (because he sucks as badly as they do) you actually get a heat reduction. Maybe a V-Chip for your troubles.

[HateSolstice]

I think your idea would work only in zones where you are on good terms with the gang/corp in question. If you're on hostile turf and try this, odds are the whole gang will jump in to whomp your silly brains out.

[monkeyrogue]

Ooo good idea!

[datdaddy]

But remember ur enemies enemy is ur friend, so he might help u in that fight or like heat said they might all just jump u..it all depends on ur heat in that zone or faction ur interfering with.

[rhardy]

I love the concept of this game. It reminds me of Neuromancer and I really hope it develops well.

I'm playing 0.1.37. There has to something broken with heat, reputation and combat. I've tried sticking to what seems like starter zones, as suggested in the forums. I'm armed to the teeth and can fight well when forced but everything just keeps snowballing, heat and reputation wise, until you die repeatedly. The game is acting as if no reputation/heat automatically means kill the chummer everywhere. I'm a hacker (if I can ever start hacking) and basically a delivery boy. Does it really make sense when you have positive rep to immediately get attacked by aggressive encounters from that faction? It's probably just a silly bug somewhere but it is kinda ruining the game for me at this point. A game where you are constantly dying isn't fun...

It seems now I can almost never get any kind of positive reputation. It also seems like there is no concept in many of the zones of not jumping on citizens or positive reps every ten feet. I'll stick to basic parcel delivery or messages and if I'm lucky get a tiny blip of positive reputation, then I'll return for another job and a mob will attack me like I just killed a boss or something, shooting both my heat and reputation.

At least in previous versions, I sometimes held some positive rep.

It seems now like almost everywhere reputation almost always goes negative and almost never positive. There also seems to be no way other than dying or time to lose heat/bad reputation. With the latest update hotels and bars seem to do nothing. I have bought several safehouses but they seem to do very little. Going to a safehouse seems to do something maybe once a game. You certainly can't stay in a safehouse until things cool down. Frequently I've found mobs of guards camped out in front of safehouses, which usually solves the heat problem again with death... Not what I had in mind...