Update 1.18

Dear Others!

The last update of this year turned out to be truly massive. We decided to seriously overhaul the combat balance, and today we're excited to present changes that will make battles more tactical and diverse.

The Balance Problem Between Ranged and Melee Combat

We've been analyzing match statistics for a long time and came to an important conclusion: Others with ranged abilities have a significant advantage over those who specialize in melee combat. The reason is simple — there are no places on the battlefields where you could hide from ranged attacks. A character forced to close the distance to deal damage finds themselves under constant fire with no way to find cover.

This created an imbalance where choosing ranged abilities became obviously more beneficial, and Others with melee combat styles were forced to take significant losses while closing in.

🏛️ Buildings and Fog of War

Our solution — introducing three-dimensional buildings into matches. Now the maps feature volumetric structures that physically block the line of sight. This means the appearance of a full-fledged fog of war: you no longer see the entire battlefield, and an enemy can hide behind a building corner, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Buildings create natural cover, allowing Others with melee combat to safely close the distance by using the city's architecture to their advantage. Now tactical positioning and terrain usage will become an important part of combat strategy.

🌑 Twilight Projection of Buildings

It's important to understand the peculiarity of how buildings are displayed in the Twilight. Not all buildings that exist in the real world have their Twilight projection. Only buildings that carry sufficient "weight" in the collective consciousness manifest in this parallel dimension.

There's a pattern: the larger and more significant the building, the higher the probability that it has a Twilight projection. Majestic historical structures, large residential complexes, notable city landmarks — they all are more likely to cast their shadow into the Twilight. Smaller structures may simply be absent, leaving empty space in their place.

This mechanic adds an element of unpredictability: studying the real map of the area, you cannot be entirely sure which buildings will become your cover in battle.

🚶 Display of Pedestrian Paths

We've also added visual display of pedestrian paths on the map. Previously, players had to intuitively guess which route their character would take to a designated point. Now pedestrian paths are clearly marked, and you'll be able to more accurately predict the movement trajectory.

⚠️ New Debuff: "Out of Bounds"

We've received interesting feedback from players about cases when some Others found a way to leave the battlefield and remain completely invulnerable. Being outside the game zone, they were unreachable by any attacks, which created opportunities for abuse and match stalling.

We found an elegant solution to this problem — the new "Out of Bounds" debuff. This effect is automatically applied to a character when leaving the match boundaries and has the following consequences:

• Periodic damage — the character gradually loses health while outside the arena
• Energy drain — the character's energy reserve also depletes over time

Now you won't be able to hide outside the game zone for long. The debuff forces Others to return to the battlefield or suffer ever-increasing losses.

🏠 Interaction with Buildings

Currently, we've extended the "Out of Bounds" effect to being inside buildings. A character who enters a building becomes invisible to players outside, so they also receive this debuff with corresponding consequences.

When developing fog of war, we considered several options for interaction with buildings:

Option 1: Complete Ban on Entering Buildings The simplest approach — simply not allowing characters to enter buildings. However, this seemed like an artificial restriction that didn't match the spirit of the game.

Option 2: Debuff Without Blocking Vision (Current Implementation) A character can enter a building but receives the "Out of Bounds" debuff. The building itself blocks vision around the character — you don't see the surrounding area. If there are no allies nearby, map control is completely lost.

Option 3: Full Cover Inside Buildings The most ambitious option — allowing full entry into buildings with vision of the territory around the structure. This would turn buildings into tactical points for ambushes and sniper positions.

We settled on option two as the most straightforward to understand for now. Option three seemed the most interesting from a gameplay perspective — it opens rich tactical possibilities, turning buildings into potential cover for long-range attacks and organizing ambushes.

We decided to start with the most straightforward approach and gather player feedback before introducing more complex game mechanics. We're waiting for your feedback — how would you like to see buildings in battle: more as obstacles or as cover?

🎉 Buildings in Battles — Just the First Step

We're truly glad that this long-awaited feature has finally seen the light! As with other features, we first think about how to bring something new to the combat system, and then extend this mechanic to the game world outside of battles.

In future updates, we plan to add building display outside of battles, so you can see what residential buildings and organization headquarters look like when exploring the map. The game zone will become even more interactive and visually rich — the city will gain real volume and depth.

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This was the last major update of 2025. Thank you for staying with us, and we're looking forward to your feedback on the new mechanics!