cosmonarchy-bw-release/patchnotes.md

2 March 2024

Designer's Notes

Welcome to the Scarscape update!

Now officially known as Cosmonarchy, this immense overhaul of Starcraft 1 is better than ever. The Scarscape update brings increased army scale to the picture, and refocuses balance around compositional supremacy, with ground units edging out air units more consistently than before, and a far richer diaspora of well-paced choices in the early-game.

The Scarscape update coincides with the return of competitive tournaments; two invitationals will be hosted in the month of March (on the 2nd and on the 16th), and the freshly-titled Acropolis tournament kicks off in the Gauntlet stage on the 30th.

Fixated on scale. Sworn to skill.

Be glorious, Cosmonarchs.

- Pr0nogo & Veeq7

Patch goals include:

• Revising early-game pacing to promote increased scale
• Adjusting mid-game options for more distinct combat roles
• Reducing the strength of early air in direct combat
• Improving tech pacing to encourage more time spent in each tier
• Deploying more audiovisual improvements

Latest content

• Casts return!
• Crow's Nests:
  • 010 - Planning for 2024!
  • 011 - The Fourth Race
• Pr0totypes:
  • #39 - Feathering This Nest
  • #40 - Mapcrap: The Revenge
  • #41 - Factitious
  • #42 - Finding a Voice...
  • #43 - The Reconstruction
  • #44 - Use Man Settings
  • #45 - Sworn to Scale

Patch summary

• Removed an internal order timer, making unit handling more responsive
• Reduced time costs of many rank-and-file units to promote increased army scale
• Adjusted resource costs and availabilities of many powerhouse units to allow for heavier early-game gas spending
• Revised Terran addons to no require tech, but now be more expensive on average (and have some orders still issuable while detached)
• Increased resource costs of tier 3 tech to incentivize more time spent on tier 2
• Adjusted resource costs of air units, anti-air units, and air unit production to sideline early air into harassment and support roles, while keeping mid and late air

General

• The title music has been replaced (c. Enozlliks)
• Resources:
  • Depleted Mineral Fields now provide 3 resources per return, from 2
  • Worker wandering has had its range expanded, but still respects discrete orders by not wandering if another worker is about to finish a harvest (c. Veeq7)
• Name changes:
  • Vornath Pond (formerly Nathrok Lake)
  • Kalkiir Lake (formerly Kalkiir Pond)
  • Skibact Scab (formerly Skithrok Scab)
  • Tethvith Swamp (formerly Bactith Swamp)
• Internals:
  • Removed implicit order timer, making order handling more responsive (c. Veeq7)
    • Small stops during harvest and return orders are no longer present, slightly improving harvest efficiency
    • Changing orders is now more responsive, improving stutter-stepping behaviors
    • Queued orders and patrol paths are now processed instantly
    • Lobotomy Mines now start moving twice as fast after unburrowing
    • Caveat: Doesn't currently apply to Diadems
  • Updated hotloading to fix some cases where file updates didn't prompt mpq regeneration (c. Veeq7)
  • Tilde and ESC are now always used as shortcuts for closing the console
  • Pings from witnesses now only show for other witnesses
  • Briefing screens are now skipped in multiplayer competitive matches (c. DF)
  • Quitting in singleplayer now always shows the score screen, even in scenarios (c. DF)
  • Custom trigger recolor accuracy has been improved (c. Veeq7)
  • Reinstated unit responses and other SFX for heroes/neutrals/critters
• Config:
  • Added a new grid-exclusive option for enabling extended control groups on R, F, V, T, G, and B (c. Veeq7)
  • Added an option to move console toggle to F12, freeing up tilde for another control group (c. Veeq7)
  • Added a config option to only show selection lines and circles while ALT is held
  • Added error handling to prevent option mismatches (c. Veeq7)
• Custom triggers:
  • New conditions:
    • "unit_color"
    • "exit_if", "exit_preserve_if", "wait_if", "wait_until" (control flow actions; c. Veeq7)
    • "wait" (c. Veeq7)
    • "print" (c. Veeq7)
  • New gameplay actions:
    • "kill"
    • "move_unit"
  • New game state actions:
    • "set_mineral_yields" (c. Veeq7)
    • "set_gas_yields" (c. Veeq7)
    • "set_unit_stat"
    • "set_unit_behavior"
  • New UI actions:
    • "set_player_team_ui"
• Advisors:
  • Added support for the following events:
    • Army under attack
    • Base under attack
    • Ally under attack
    • Failed to build / warp
    • Landing interrupted
  • Added the following custom advisors:
    • HADRAL
    • Artemis

Game modes

• Faction Wars:
  • Protoss and Zerg faction selection has been made available
  • NEW: Protoss faction: Order of the Sacred Saber
  • NEW: Zerg faction: Zorthos Tendril

Maps

• A draft of the Terran tutorial, Further Notice, is now available in the campaigns directory
• HYDRA refurbished -> vz02 is now available in the co-op directory
• Mapcrap Returns #1 submissions are now available as a separate download

Bugfixes

• Stability:
  • Safeguarded against an AI-related nullsprite crash
  • Fixed a crash when Deconstruction procced on Phase Linked units (r. Pokill99)
  • Safeguarded against a rare nullsprite crash (r. lolrsk8s)
  • Prospectively achieved replay support in Massacre mode
• Gameplay:
  • Correctly set Larva spawn timer to 12 seconds, from 11.33 (c. Veeq7)
  • Fixed Mason slow-mo movement when its repair target died before the Mason arrived (c. DF)
  • Fixed Masons repairing targets for one frame regardless of distance (c. DF)
  • Reclaimed Ocsal units no longer regress (r. Neblime)
  • Fixed a rare case where Apostles could continue reclaiming after death (r. TheBeaver99)
  • Revised Vilgorokor Autophagy to spawn a Vilgoleth instead of transforming into one, allowing for corpse effects to impact it (r. The Shambler)
  • Fixed Lobotomy Mines not targeting units that had previously burrowed (c. DF)
  • Fixed logic for Stewards returning to Solarions upon taking any damage, instead of the intended 50% HP threshold
  • Fixed Cantavis Hallucination looping its cast order
  • Improved decollision behaviors for iscript units (c. DF)
  • Fixed Dilettante corpses not being consumable (r. GreenEggs'NSpam)
  • Lardfix: the fading of music no longer slows down navigation between certain menus (c. DF)
  • Prospectively resolved errant unit interactions when restarting maps (r. lolrsk8s, c. DF & Veeq7)
  • Carapace Swarm expiry no longer procs Mortothrokor Whetted Appetite (r. lolrsk8s)
• AI:
  • Fixed request handling for Artisan, Vornath Pond, and Skibact Scab
• Audiovisuals:
  • Fixed Matraleth Ensnaring Brood overlay showing while burrowed (r. Hamster)
  • Fixed Mortothrokor Whetted Appetite overlay showing while burrowed (r. Neblime)
  • Added missing Adrenal Frenzy (Nathrokor) armor tooltip
  • Fixed Wyvern overlays appearing beneath the unit (r. Neblime)
  • Lobotomy Mine tooltip no longer displays the Spider Mines tooltip (r. 3crow)
  • Corrected Star Sovereign Intervention tooltip (r. TheBeaver99)
  • Corrected Shaman Visionary Mode tooltip (r. Neblime)
  • Corrected production icons for Hotshot, Vornath Pond, Skibact Scab, Mortothrokor
  • Fixed addon construction overlay freezing during frame changes (c. DF)
  • Fixed colors on Pariah walk cycle (c. lolrsk8s)
  • Fixed Anchor shadow alignment (c. DF)
  • Fixed "set_player_unit_name" custom trigger action (c. DF)
  • Fixed Artisan harvest SFX not playing
  • Filled in missing unit responses for Protathalor (r. jakulangski)
  • Corrected Shaman Visionary Mode death SFX
  • Corrected Luminary Aural Assault tooltip (r. GreenEggs'NSpam)
  • Corrected Lanifect ability deactivation tooltip
  • Fixed an order limit error string (r. Pokill99)
  • Adjusted unit ranks to weed out unwanted unit sorting
  • Lardfix: Cagra tile variants are now synced between players (c. DF)

Audiovisuals

• New sprites:
  • Quarry, Rotary (c. Solstice)
  • Vornath Pond, Skibact Scab (shadows / wireframes NYI)
• Visual adjustments:
  • Improved Mortothrokor selection circle, death animation timing
  • Improved Legionnaire shadow, walk and attack animations
  • Marginally increased Goliath scale; adjusted a few minor details
• Auditory adjustments:
  • Changed sound flags for Zealot death SFX to allow it to overlap
  • Improved under attack responses for Scribe, Cabalist, Mind Tyrant, Archon, Panoptus
  • Improved Goliath death SFX
  • Removed extra Eidolon revive SFX (r. GreenEggs'NSpam)
• New weapon SFX: (some c. lolrsk8s & IskatuMesk)
  • Weaponfire: Matador (Cinder), Scribe, Artisan, Analogue
  • Weaponhit: Penumbra, Dracadin
• New unit responses for:
  • Talos (c. Mynameislol)
  • Hadron, Prostration Stage, Ardent Authority, Argosy, Izirokor (c. IskatuMesk)
  • Hotshot, Dracadin, Optecton
  • Golem (c. lolrsk8s)
• New (placeholder) portraits for: (many c. jun3hong)
  • Savant, Madcap, Olympian, Dilettante, Sevenstep, Hypnagogue, Cyclops, Madrigal, Cataphract, Claymore, Gorgon, Wyvern, Salamander, Sundog, Phobos, Hippogriff
  • Legionnaire, Hierophant, Amaranth, Herald, Atreus, Vagrant, Pariah, Potentate, Sycophant, Optecton, Patriarch, Servitor, Positron, Empress, Aurora, Gladius, Exemplar, Epigraph, Empyrean, Star Sovereign, Anthelion
  • Cikralisk, Protathalor, Mortothrokor, Izirokor/Tethzorokor, Skithrokor, Kagralisk, Evigrilisk, Keskathalor, Zoryusthaleth, Rililisk

AI

• Terran:
  • Removed old tech checks delaying Commandment requests
  • Improved support for custom layouts which request Treasuries instead of Ministries
• Zerg:
  • Increased Hachirosk request count within most Zerg build orders

Terran

• Cornerstones:
  • Reclamation:
    • Reclaimed units no longer leave behind corpses
    • Units owned by the reclaimer no longer decay
    • Units not owned by the reclaimer now always decay
• Structures:
  • Liftoff is now delayed by 0.5 seconds
• Addons:
  • No longer become disabled when lifted off
  • Cannot train units or arm missiles when detached
• Morningstar:
  • Time cost now 40, from 30
• Talos:
  • Now requires Atlas
• Maverick:
  • Time cost now 11, from 12
  • Inject Stimpack:
    • Now grants 75% increased movespeed and 100% increased attack speed
    • Now grants the buff 1.5 seconds after activation
    • Still damages immediately on use
• Harakan:
  • Time cost now 16, from 18
• Cleric:
  • Time cost now 14, from 15
  • HP now 75, from 80
• Olympian:
  • Now moves 10% faster
• Autocrat:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 150/150, from 200/100
  • Weapon range now 6, from 7
• Vulture:
  • Time cost now 18, from 20
• Lobotomy Mine:
  • Now only collides with tiny units (itself and Rilirokors)
  • Can now be manually detonated (will still apply its slow effect to nearby units)
  • Effect range now 2, from ~1.6
• Cyclops:
  • Time cost now 18, from 20
• Goliath:
  • Mineral cost now 175, from 200
• Blackjack:
  • Time cost now 16, from 18
  • HP now 85, from 95
• Madrigal:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 100/125, from 125/100
  • Now moves ~16% faster
  • Weapon ranges now 7, from 8
  • Imperioso Missile:
    • Weapon damage now 14, from 20
    • Armor penetration now 2, from 4
    • No longer targets ground units or travels to max range
    • Now homes in on its target, dealing area damage
  • Now that the Madrigal is available far sooner, conceptualizing it as a mobile anti-air unit which transforms into an omnitarget machine gives it a more defined purpose alongside the powerhouse that is the Phalanx. Reducing its weapon range makes the unit more reliant on a frontline while deployed.
• Paladin:
  • Gas cost now 150, from 200
  • Weapon range now 13, from 12
• Cuirass:
  • Mineral cost now 350, from 300
• Aion:
  • HP now 325, from 400
  • Weapon cooldown now 1.33, from 1.17
  • Weapon range now 7, from 8
  • Sight range now 9, from 10
• Trojan:
  • Increased turn rate to improve responsivity of load/unload commands
• Valkyrie:
  • Mineral cost now 175, from 200
  • Now moves ~15% faster
• Pythean:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 350/125/40, from 400/150/45
• Hippogriff:
  • Now moves ~14% slower
• Ministry:
  • Time cost now 75, from 80
• Treasury:
  • Time cost now 45, from 50
• Quarry:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 125/100, from 75/75
  • No longer requires Atlas
• Anvil:
  • No longer requires Atlas
• Sentinel:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 200/50/35, from 250/0/25
• Daedala:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 1800/1800/120, from 1400/1400/150
• Diadem:
  • Time cost now 65, from 60
  • HP now 750, from 800
• Covenant:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 100/100/25, from 75/75/15
  • No longer requires Atlas
• Guildhall:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 200/200/30, from 150/150/25
  • No longer requires Daedala
• Apothecary:
  • HP now 900, from 1000
• Palladium:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 150/100/30, from 100/50/20
  • No longer requires Atlas
• Mantle:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 200/150, from 250/100
• Iron Foundry:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 500/200, from 450/150
• Starpad:
  • Mineral cost now 125, from 100
  • HP now 500, from 600
• Starport:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 150/225, from 200/150
  • HP now 1000, from 1100
• Nanite Assembly:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 650/650/70, from 600/400/75
• Hadron:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 250/500/45, from 300/300/60

Protoss

• Cornerstones:
  • Flash Shielding:
    • Shields no longer regenerate for disabled units and structures
• Envoy:
  • Increased turn rate to improve responsivity of load/unload commands
  • Transport capacity now 10, from 8
• Artisan:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 50/50/25, from 75/75/30
  • HP now 40, from 30
  • Shields now 40, from 50
  • Armor now 1, from 2
  • No longer warps in structures
  • New: Radiant Rifts:
    • Now channels for 2 seconds to return resources with no need for a town center
• Witness:
  • Time cost now 30, from 35
• Zealot:
  • Time cost now 22, from 25
• Dracadin:
  • Mineral and time costs now 125/28, from 150/30
• Ecclesiast:
  • Mineral and time costs now 50/22, from 75/25
  • HP now 75, from 70
  • Shields now 40, from 50
  • A net nerf to durability in line with the unit's mineral cost reduction.
• Legionnaire:
  • Time cost now 16, from 20
  • Shields now 45, from 50
  • Weapon damage now 1x10, from 2x6
  • Weapon cooldown now 0.79, from 0.83
  • Now better versus armor, while reducing its previous DPS ceiling.
• Amaranth:
  • Mineral and time costs now 150/22, from 200/25
  • HP now 140, from 120
  • Shields now 20, from 40
  • Armor now 2, from 3
• Herald:
  • Mineral and time costs now 125/25, from 150/30
  • Significantly sped up attack animation
• Atreus:
  • Mineral cost now 200, from 250
  • Shields now 60, from 70
  • Armor now 2, from 3
• Vagrant:
  • Time cost now 22, from 25
• Charlatan:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 75/150/28, from 100/125/30
  • Shields now 80, from 60
• Barghest:
  • Multi-Attack III removed
  • New: Repentant Chorus:
    • While decloaked, this combatant grants +1 armor penetration to all allies within 5 range.
• Archon:
  • Gas cost now 75, from 100
• Simulacrum:
  • Time cost now 16, from 18
• Manifold:
  • Time cost now 20, from 25
• Idol:
  • Mineral cost now 75, from 100
  • HP now 75, from 90
  • Shields now 40, from 45
  • Reducing durability in line with the unit's mineral cost reduction.
• Servitor:
  • Time cost now 18, from 20
• Architect:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 250/200, from 300/150
• Clarion:
  • Gas cost now 175, from 150
  • HP now 60, from 50
  • Shields now 60, from 50
  • Phase Link:
    • Range now 5, from 3
• Lanifect:
  • Mineral cost now 125, from 150
  • Armor penetration now 2, from 1
• Epigraph:
  • Now moves ~11% faster
• Empyrean:
  • Now moves 5% slower
• Solarion:
  • Now moves 5% slower
• Star Sovereign:
  • Now moves 10% slower
• Nexus:
  • Time cost now 75, from 80
• Embassy:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 125/125, from 200/75
• Crucible:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 200/350, from 450/450
  • Khaydarin Charge efficiency boost now 50%, from 100%
• Matrix:
  • Mineral cost now 150, from 200
• Grand Library:
  • Mineral cost now 350, from 400
• Prostration Stage:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 400/200, from 350/250
  • HP now 650, from 700
• Ancestral Archives:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 600/400, from 400/500
• Synthetic Synod:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 500/500, from 600/400
• Stargate:
  • HP now 450, from 500
• Argosy:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 450/550/65, from 500/400/60
• Monument of Sin:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 900/1100, from 1000/1000

Zerg

• Cornerstones:
  • Infestation:
    • Can now apply to units
    • Now debuffs movement speed by 25% and vision range by 50%
    • Now grants HP regeneration and buffs armor by 1
    • Factories no longer spawn Larvae and now pass on the Infestation status
• Ovileth:
  • Time cost now 22, from 20
  • Armor now 2, from 1
• Iroleth:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 75/75/28, from 125/50/30
  • Increased turn rate to improve responsivity of load/unload commands
• Liiralisk:
  • Mineral cost now 75, from 100
  • Weapon range now 6, from 5
  • Now moves ~20% faster
• Kalkalisk:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 75/75, from 100/50
• Cikralisk:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 75/75/22, from 125/50/25
  • HP now 70, from 60
  • Armor now 1, from 0
• Protathalor:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 100/75, from 125/50
  • HP now 85, from 80
• Mutalisk:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 125/125, from 200/75
• Sovroleth:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 75/125, from 100/100
  • Corpse Cocoon incubation time now 4 seconds, from 2
• Tosgrilisk:
  • HP now 160, from 140
  • Now moves ~10% slower
• Axitrilisk:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 200/50, from 150/75
• Mortothrokor:
  • Gas cost now 75, from 50
  • HP now 180, from 150
  • Now moves ~7% faster
• Izirokor:
  • Mineral cost now 100, from 125
  • HP now 105, from 120
  • Weapon damage now 7, from 8
  • Weapon cooldown now 0.92, from 0.83
• Tethzorokor:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 150/50, from 200/0
• Vithrilisk:
  • Sight range now 8, from 9
  • Now moves ~15% faster
• Kagralisk:
  • Mineral cost now 100, from 125
  • Weapon range now 6, from 7
• Evigrilisk:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 175/75, from 200/50
  • HP now 280, from 250
  • Now moves ~10% slower
• Almaksalisk:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 150/125, from 200/75
  • Now moves ~5% slower
  • Weapon cooldown now 0.83, from 0.75
• Geszithalor:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 200/200/45, from 250/175/40
• Alkajelisk:
  • Armor penetration now 3, from 4
  • Now moves ~22% slower
• Zoryusthaleth:
  • Mineral cost now 175, from 200
  • HP now 200, from 220
  • Transport space cost now 4, from 2
• Gorgrokor:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 125/100, from 150/75
• Konvilisk:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 100/175, from 200/125
• Vilgorokor:
  • Mineral and gas costs now 200/75, from 250/50
  • NEW: Reconstitution:
    • 2 seconds after taking direct damage, the Vilgorokor emits a small Carapace Swarm field that lasts for 5 seconds and absorbs up to 100 damage.
  • Now mutates into the Isthrathaleth
• Vilgoleth:
  • Now takes 1 second before spawning its first pair of Rilirokors
• Matraleth:
  • Gas cost now 150, from 100
  • HP now 140, from 120
  • Now moves ~20% slower
  • NEW: Blissful Embrace:
    • Now also casts this ability
• Zarcavrokor:
  • Now moves ~7% slower
• Tetcaerokor:
  • Gas cost now 150, from 125
  • Now moves ~16% slower
• Isthrathaleth:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 50/200/30, from 75/150/25
  • HP now 140, from 120
  • Armor now 3, from 4
  • Now mutates from the Vilgorokor and Ocsal Larva
  • Now requires Almakis Antre, from Elthisth Mound
• Akistrokor:
  • Gas and time costs now 175/35, from 200/40
  • Blissful Embrace:
    • Channel time now 3 seconds, from 1 second
• Larvosk Cesiant:
  • Gas and time costs now 125/30, from 75/25
  • HP now 240, from 250
  • No longer requires Irol Iris
• Ocsal Cesiant:
  • Gas cost now 225, from 200
  • HP now 280, from 300
  • Now requires Irol Iris, from Othstol Oviform
• Skortrith Cesiant:
  • Mineral, gas, and time costs now 50/50/20, from 100/0/12
  • Weapon damage now 32, from 40
• Spirtith Cesiant:
  • Gas and time costs now 25/18, from 0/20
• Othstol Oviform:
  • Gas cost now 2100, from 1800

Factions

• Hotshot:
  • Time cost now 12, from 14
  • HP now 65, from 60
  • Now moves 10% faster
  • Weapon range now 4, from 3
• New: Qilin:
  • Hecaton (replaces Trojan at Starpad)
  • Nimble transport. Heals loaded units.
• New: Auriel:
  • Hecaton (replaces Apostle at Captaincy)
  • Mid-range infantry with a powerful damage over time effect. Incinerates corpses to create Apollyoid fields.
• New: Adherent:
  • Sacred (replaces Legionnaire at Gateway)
  • Durable melee brawler with increased movement speed
• New: Nathrelisk:
  • Zorthos (replaces Nathrokor)
  • Sustaining fighter strain that releases a short-lived healing field on attack