Patch notes/Horizon/1.0

Focused Specializations are a new way for your character to focus on one particular area of combat training. This system is on top of everything else, so it's not forcing you to do anything. Each specialization unlocks based on what perks you have in the perk tree. Primarily it's the source of gaining damage for specific weapons from the weapon-based perks.

Dogmeat has received an overhaul to allow multiple ways to upgrade him. You can now turn your faithful little pup into a weapon if you choose.

A new settlement device called the "Command Mailbox" is finally here. This is basically a mailbox that you can receive items/messages from various people.

I'm introducing a new loot element called "Damaged Ammo." This ammo helps fill out some of the gaps in making NPCs feel like they're actually carrying more ammo, but don't always have good quality stuff. See more on this below for details.

Crops are reworked, and you can now manually harvest crops again. It is rebalanced differently, so that harvesting a crop does not always give you an edible item. You may get a rotten crop or a dried up one. This adds some depth to the crops, and also lets people once again harvest them from any source (friendly or otherwise) and have it more evenly balanced with the game.

(NEW) Focused Specializations - You can now focus on 1 specialization to gain increased damage bonuses - Most weapon specs are separated by base weapons, and not by semi-auto and automatic - Focused specs can be selected at level 15, and require at least 1 related unlock (more on this below) - Focused specs can be choosen from the "Training Desk" which can be built at any settlement - The Training Desk is located under "Resources/Misc" in the workshop, and is easy to construct - Specs can be untrained, but require 1000 caps (this price may change later)

Weapon Perk Overhaul - All weapon perks are redesigned around specializations - Some weapon perks are more versitile in terms of the weapon types usable by them - Energy weapons have their own category now - Most perks based on specializations, are now only 4 ranks total - All weapon perks are locked into tiers: Rank 1 = level 5, Rank 2 = level 10, Rank 3 = level 15, Rank 4 = level 20

Rifleman is now "Marksman" - Rank 1: Keep your distance long and your kill-count high. All ballistic firearms have a +20% increased effective range. - Rank 2: All ballistic rifles ignore 10% of the target's armor. Also increases the chance to hit in VATS by +5% for all weapons. - Rank 3: Unlocks the Sharpshooter Specialization. All ballistic firearms now have a +40% increased effective range. - Rank 4: All ballistic rifles now ignore 20% of the target's armor. Also now increases the chance to hit in VATS by +10% for all weapons. - Rank 5: [REMOVED]

Specialization: Sharpshooter - +25% damage to: Hunting Rifle, Combat Rifle, Pipe Rifles, Gauss Rifle, Railway Rifle

Gunslinger - Rank 1: Channel the spirit of the Old West! Semi-automatic ballistic firearms have improved hip fire accuracy. All weapons can now reload 10% faster. - Rank 2: Semi-automatic ballistic firearms have improved hip fire accuracy. Ballistic pistols and shotguns have an increased effective range of +20%. - Rank 3: Unlocks the Duelist Specialization. The effective range of ballistic pistols and shotguns is increased to +40%. - Rank 4: Ballistic pistols and shotguns cause +25% extra limb damage, and have a chance to disarm opponents. - Rank 5: [REMOVED]

Specialization: Duelist - +30% damage to: Any ballistic Pistols or the Double-barrel shotgun - Grants a chance to stagger the opponent with these weapons

Commando is now "Future Soldier" - Rank 1: Enlist today, and become the soldier of the future! Hip fire accuracy is improved for all energy weapons. - Rank 2: Energy Weapons deal +25% extra limb damage. - Rank 3: Unlocks the Cyborg Specialization. Hip fire accuracy is improved even more for energy weapons. - Rank 4: Energy Weapons deal +50% extra limb damage, and have +25% increased effective range. - Rank 5: [REMOVED]

Specialization: Cyborg - +25% damage to: Any energy weapon (does not include flamers or explosives)

Heavy Gunner is now "Commando" - Rank 1: A seasoned Commando can deal with any situation. Automatic ballistic weapons have improved hip fire accuracy. - Rank 2: Stick around. You can now craft Throwing Knives. Combat Knives and Throwing Knives have a +10% chance to critically hit at any time. Hip fire accuracy is increased for automatic ballistic weapons. - Rank 3: Unlocks the Master Commando Specialization. Ballistic firearms and Combat Knives now have a chance to stagger your opponent. - Rank 4: Ballistic firearms and Combat Knives have an increased chance to stagger your opponent. - Rank 5: [REMOVED]

Specialization: Master Commando (working title) - +25% damage to: Submachine Gun, Light Machine Gun, Minigun, Combat Rifle, Combat Shotgun - +20% critical chance to: Combat Knives and Throwing Knives

Big Leagues - Rank 1: Swing for the fences! Melee attacks can ignore 10% of the enemy's armor (including Punching weapons.) - Rank 2: You can now hit all targets in front of you with each swing from a Two-Handed Melee weapon. - Rank 3: Unlocks the Marauder Specialization. Melee attacks now ignore 20% of the enemy's armor. - Rank 4: Melee attacks gain +5% critical hit chance with all attacks.

Specialization: Marauder - +30% damage to: Any melee weapon - Power attacking with Blunt weapons have a 50% chance to knock down opponents. - Power attacking with Bladed weapons have a 50% chance to cause opponents to bleed.

Demolition Expert - Rank 1: The bigger the boom, the better! Your explosives effect a 20% larger radius. Each rank allows you to craft and disassemble different explosives at the Weapons Lab. - Rank 2: You've rigged your explosives to expel extra shrapnel, which now deals +25% extra limb damage. Additional recipes are unlocked. - Rank 3: Unlocks the Demolitionist Specialization. Additional recipes are unlocked. - Rank 4: Your explosives now deal +50% extra limb damage. Additional recipes are unlocked.

Specialization: Demolitionist - +30% damage to: Explosives, Missile Launcher, Flamer, Fat Man

Attack Dog - Rank 1: This little doggy has more bite than bark! Your faithful canine companions gain +3 base damage. You can now craft a device to call in a Guard Dog to assist you. - Rank 2: Your canine companions gain another +3 base damage. When your canine holds an enemy, there's a chance he'll cripple the limb he's biting. - Rank 3: Unlocks the Animal Handler Specialization. Your canine companions gain another +3 base damage. - Rank 4: Go for the throat! Your canine companions gain another +3 base damage. When your canine holds an enemy, there's a chance he'll cause them to bleed.

Specialization: Animal Handler - Your dogs gain +5 base damage - Your dogs take -75% Weapon Damage - Your dogs take -75% Explosive Damage

Robotics Expert - Rank 1: Unlocks the ablility to craft certain robotic devices, such as mini-turrets. As long as you're not in combat, you can hack a robot to gain a chance to power it on or off, or initiate a self-destruct. - Rank 2: You now gain +10% damage against Robots and Synths. When you successfully hack a robot, you can incite it to attack. Mini-turrets gain +1 base damage. - Rank 3: When you successfully hack a robot, you can give it specific commands. Mini-turrets gain +1 base damage. - Rank 4: Mini-turrets gain +1 base damage. - (more styles of turrets will be added to certain ranks later)

Specialization: Combat Engineer - Turrets gain +3 base damage - Turrets take -75% Weapon Damage - Turrets take -75% Explosive Damage

Iron Fist is now "Iron Defender" - Rank 1: Channel your chi to defend yourself against harm! Take 10% less damage from melee attacks. - Rank 2: Adrenaline now lasts twice as long. - Rank 3: While under 20% health, you take 15% reduced damage. - Rank 4: Intense focus allows you to withstand harsh elements. Gain +8 resistance to Cryo, Fire, and Poison damage. - Rank 5: [REMOVED] - (I may possibly add a specialization based on defense later)

Strength Rebalancing >> Because strength had no hard cap, it was a balancing nightmare, and needed to be fixed - The melee damage you gain from strength is rescaled to use a custom system now instead of the default - Strength now has diminishing returns above 10 Strength - 1-10 Strength = 10% melee damage per point - 11-20 Strength = 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 5%, 5%, 4%, 4%, 4% - 21-30 Strength = 3%, 3%, 3%, 3%, 3%, 2%, 2%, 2%, 2%, 2%

(NEW) Throwing Knives - (WARNING: This item is still experimental and needs some adjustments) - A throwable knife that is equiped in the grenade slot - Consumed on use, cannot be picked back up (for balance reasons) - Deals moderate damage - Staggers the enemy on hit - Is boosted by anything that effects the Combat Knife (crit, damage, strength, etc.) - Requires Commando Rank 2 to craft, and requires adhesive and other materials - Each craft makes 5 knives - Is located in the Weapon Lab under "Grenades" - These are somewhat difficult to use, so be aware of this - NOTE: Throwing grenade-style items in 3rd person mode doesn't aim well.. they only work well in 1st person - (I may alter how these knives work later)

(NEW) Deployable Pipe Mini-Turret - Deploy a mini-turret in front of you that can attack nearby targets - Can be crafted at the Robotics Lab, and requires Robotics Expert Rank 1 - The device is located in the AID tab, the same way Cargo Bots are called - The Turret's damage can be improved with both Robotics Expert and the Combat Engineer spec - The turret is a consumable and burns out when it's duration is up - The recipe requires smokeless powder and other parts - The turret currently has enough ammo for the duration of it's lifetime, but this may change in a future patch - The pipe mini-turret is supposed to be a low quality turret, so it's accuracy is very poor at range - (In the future, I'll be adding more turrets - higher rank turrets will have better accuracy too)

(NEW) Trained Guard Dog - Training in the Attack Dog perk will allow you to summon a Guard Dog to assist you in combat - Crafted devices use an electronic signal to call in a nearby trained Guard Dog - When summoned, the Guard Dog will appear where you activated it, after about 6 seconds* - The Guard Dog will remain in the area for 5 minutes (10 minute cooldown) - The Guard Dog does not follow you (I may or may not change this later) - The range that the Guard Dog will help you is fairly large - The Guard Dog's damage can be improved with both Attack Dog and the Animal Handler spec - Can be crafted at the Robotics Lab, and requires Attack Dog Rank 1 - The device is located in the AID tab, the same way Cargo Bots are called - The recipe requires energy cells, brahmin meat, and some misc ingredients - If the Guard Dog is taken down, it can get back up but only after combat has ended for awhile - Currently the Guard Dog cannot be healed with an injector (although I may try to add this in later)


 * As of right now, the dog appears where you when summoned it.. eventually I'll try to make it a little more immersive in how it is called in.

Dogmeat >> Dogmeat's damage has been rescaled to offer better ways to improve him if you choose to >> If you want Dogmeat to actually do damage, you'll need to train him. >> Without training he does much less than vanilla damage, with training he does more than vanilla - Dogmeat's base damage and level-based damage bonuses are completely designed to fixed values - Dogmeat still does very low damage at low levels, but his damage will naturally scale up better - Increase Dogmeat's damage with the Attack Dog perk - Increase Dogmeat's damage penetration with K9 Training Manuals - Increase Dogmeat's damage resistance with K9 Training Manuals

(NEW) K9 Dog Training Manuals - These items are like magazines, which grant you perks to increase your K9 Training knowledge - Each rank of K9 Dog Training improves Dogmeat - K9 Training manuals can be received through the Command Mailbox based on specific events or conditions - These manuals are tracked and processed through my new magazine system (NOTE: Not all ranks are available yet. I will hopefully fill this out with the next patch.)

(NEW) Ballistic Ammunition Guides - These books can increase ranks of your "Recipe: Ballistic Ammunition" perk - They can work in addition to Guns and Bullets magazines - Guides can be received through the Command Mailbox based on specific events or conditions - These guides are tracked and processed through my new magazine system

(NEW) Energy Ammunition Guides - These books can increase ranks of your "Recipe: Energy Ammunition" perk - They can work in addition to Tesla Science magazines - Guides can be received through the Command Mailbox based on specific events or conditions - These guides are tracked and processed through my new magazine system

Companions - (NEW) Moxie (Curie Only): Laser Gun - Does +4 rad damage - requires that "Emergent Behavior" is completed - (NEW) Winter's Edge (Nick Only): Submachine Gun - Does +2 cryo damage - requires the perk "Close to Metal" - All companions are now immune to poison (based on the way poison works now, it's best this way)

Caravan Travel - (NEW) Caravan Travel Radio: A new craftable Travel Hub console with an indoor theme - Outgoing Caravan Travel Radios are placed in: Goodneighbor, Railroad HQ, Prydwen - These non-settlement transport consoles automatically bypass the settler requirement to use it - The Goodneighbor Radio Console is located in the Memory Den - The Goodneighbor Radio Console only appears after you are allowed to normally Caravan travel to Goodneighbor* - The RR and BOS Caravan hubs are always enabled by default
 * For now, it only unlocks upon loading your save game. If you really want it open immediately after the quest completes: save your game, and then reload it.

(NEW) Auto-Hack Devices - Works just like other lock breaching devices, except on computer terminals - Comes in 2 Tiers: Tier 1 = Novice/Advanced, Tier 2 = All levels - Tier 1 Auto-Hackers require Hacker Rank 1 -or- Recipe: Hack Attack Rank 1 - Tier 2 Auto-Hackers require Hacker Rank 3 -or- Recipe: Hack Attack Rank 4 - When you use the option on a terminal, it will takes some time to hack in, displaying messages - Will not work on terminals that cannot be hacked and require a password

(NEW) Command Mailbox >> The Command Mailbox is a mailbox that you can receive mail from various sources based on events or training - This settlement object can be constructed from "Resource/Misc" category - Interact with the Mailbox to open the menu - From the menu you can read your unread messages or open the mailbox inventory - Unread messages do not deposit their items into the inventory until you read them - When taking a wrapped package, the contents open into the mailbox, not your inventory (this is so you can see the items pop out more clearly) - Mail is processed once every 12 hours - You can only have a maximum of 2 unread mails at one time (you'll need to read them before you can receive any new mails next cycle) - Stats are tracked on the menu, including the total amount of mail you've ever received - You can choose to use the mailbox as a storage container, but it's not recommended as it makes it difficult to see your new items received - (If you want a shared storage container for settlements, use the "Shared Storage" or "Scrap Storage") - NOTE: Sometimes you have to click an item twice in the mailbox, but I'm not sure if that's fixable.

Command Mailbox Events - Mail events are sent based on unlocking certain perks, completing quests, or having affinity with companions - Most mail events will be undocumented, as they're supposed to be immersive content that you discover - The number of events right now is very small, but more events will be added over time - A few basic events that are included with 1.0: - Level 1: Anonymous Sender = Sends you something after completing the Concord quest - Level 2: Anonymous Sender = Sends you 1 Ammo Guide, if you have Gun Nut trained - Level 2: Anonymous Sender = Sends you a tracking note for finding the first 5 magazines, if you have Gun Nut trained - Level 2: Piper at 50 Affinity = Sends you 1 K9 Dog Training Manual (requires that you recruited Dogmeat too) - Level 2: Codsworth at 50 Affinity = Sends you 1 Hacking Guide - Level 3: Codsworth at 150 Affinity = Sends you 1 Energy Ammo Guide, if you have Science trained - 2 additional issues of K9 Training can be acquired from companions based on different levels/perks

(NEW) Crop Overhaul - The actual crop plants can now be harvested manually again - Harvesting crops has a chance to gain either: 1 crop, 1 rotten crop, or 1 dried up crop - Surplus food from crops now puts "Settler Rations" into the workbench, instead of crops - Settler Rations are specifically intended for settlers and supply lines, and not the player - Settler Rations are worth 0 value and are not used for any recipes - Settler Rations can be eaten by the player for hunger if you wish, but gives rads equal to eating most crops - Dirty water bottles produced into the workbench are mainly intended for settlers and supply lines - Dirty water will not produce as many bottles into the workbench - Homemaker Patch: Standard crop planters can now be harvested

Perks - (NEW) Adrenaline now decays at 1 stack per 30 game minutes (15 mins for timescale mod) - (NEW) Survivalist now has a chance to harvest an extra item from wild plants (increased each rank) - Perk bonuses from Bobbleheads will now display in the perk list, so you can see what they are doing - Well Rested no longer says it gives Endurance - Aqua Boy/Girl: Rank 1 now adds +15% faster swimming - Wasteland Survival 7: Reduced to +15% swim speed - Astoundingly Awesome 5: Poison resist reduced to 2 (from 5) since poison is rescaled in Horizon - Strong's perk now works with unarmed weapons - [DLC Nuka]: SCAV - Some damage numbers were reduced - [DLC Nuka]: SCAV Moneyless - Now gives Agility instead of endurance

(NEW) Faction Perks and Perk Icons - Many perks now have icons to sort them better - All of the perks from the "perk tree" currently do not have icons (I need to figure out how to remove tags from the chart) - The main factions will now display a perk when you're allied or friendly with a particular faction - Faction perks are updated either: when you load your save game, or once every game hour or so - Perks sorted at the top are generally: temporary buffs (adrenaline, etc.) and your focused spec - Perks sorted at the bottom are generally: factions, recipes, magazine perks, misc

(NEW) Perk Chart File Update - I have a custom edited LevelUpMenu.swf file included with Horizon now - This updates the perk chart so that Hunter and Future Soldier have appropriate looking graphics

(NEW) Appliance Container Harvesting - Technologists can now harvest parts from certain appliance/machinery containers - Objects include: Refrigerators, Washers, Dryers, Milk Vending Machines, Ice Machines, News Stands, Cigarette Machines - Each type gives appropriate parts depending on the machine - Technologist gives +20% chance to salvage parts per rank (each part isn't guaranteed to drop though) - Depending on your random chances (and rank), you can harvest a full assortment of parts on 1 machine - There are 10 different new junk parts total

Horizon's Doctor Menu - Addictions are completely reworked, in order to fix problems and better scale it at the same time - Curing Addictions now have a cost based on the amount of total addiction you have, not how many different addictions - Curing 1 really bad addiction can actually be more expensive than curing 3-4 mild addictions - Curing Addictions can be cheaper at a minimum, but can be more expensive for curing 1 really bad addiction - Curing Addictions still maxes at 400 caps - To cleanly prevent problems with curing "wounds only" when having rads, that option is now "Cure Wounds and Rads" - Having a poison on you should now allow the "Cure Wounds" dialog option to appear (even if it does no damage) - Far Harbor doctors should now use Horizon's doctor menu (this should work on all 3 of them) - The institute doctor is no longer free, and brings up the doctor menu now - When you cancel out of the doctor menu, it should no longer give you a message about not needing treatment - Selecting the dialog option to Cure Addiction, should no longer tell you that you don't have enough caps

Vendors - Most weapons on vendors are now sold in packages (this prevents unwanted loose ammo)

Quest Rewards - The caps rewarded from quests are increased

(NEW) Damaged Ammo - Weapons that drop as damaged, now also drop damaged ammunition - Damage weapons can still drop normal usable ammo too, but the chances are lower - Damaged ammo comes in different types: "Damaged Rounds", "Damaged Cells", "Damaged Shells" - Damaged ammo is junk items that can automatically be scrapped for ammo crafting components - One of the benefits to damaged ammo is you can use the scrap for anything

Regular Ammo - NPCs who drop working weapons, now have a chance to drop more usable ammo

Legendaries - Pickman's Blade no longer comes with the Stealth Blade mod - Brandis' Gun no longer comes with Sharpshooter's grip

Weapons / Properties - The "Assault Rifle" is now called "Light Machine Gun" - Mutiny's legendary property is now: "20% chance to damage the target's legs." (this allows a more balanced way to eventually cripple the legs) - Kneecapper is now "10% chance to damage the target's legs." (this allows a more balanced way to eventually cripple the legs regardless of where you hit)

Crafting - Tier 2 lock breaching recipes won't show up until level 5 now - Explosive Charges I: Now can be crafted with either Recipe: Safecracker rank 1 -or- Demolitionist rank 1 - Explosive Charges II: Now can be crafted with either Recipe: Safecracker rank 4 -or- Demolitionist rank 3 - Locksmith Tools I: Now can be crafted with either Recipe: Safecracker rank 1 -or- Locksmith rank 1 - Locksmith Tools II: Now can be crafted with either Recipe: Safecracker rank 3 -or- Locksmith rank 3 - Autodialer I: Now can be crafted with either Recipe: Safecracker rank 2 -or- Technologist rank 2 - Autodialer II: Now can be crafted with either Recipe: Safecracker rank 5 -or- Technologist rank 4 - Memory Devices: Now can be crafted with either Recipe: Fact or Fiction rank 3 -or- Science rank 1

Alpha Wrist Device >> The requirements and design for the wrist device are altered to be specifically based around having a stealthed Cargo Bot per slot >> Changing all the faction/settler slots to be based on Cargo Bots makes it feel a little more believable than the original way - Every transmitter module slot requires 1 Cargo Bot and 1 Stealth Boy, plus additional materials - Materials required have been simplified - Faction-based Cargo Bots, now only require that you're friendly with the faction, and doesn't require the companion's perk

Weapon Mods - Many melee mod requirements are shifted around to match the new perk changes - Flamer: Damage mods now properly add damage to the Flamer - Flamer: Most upgraded mods now require Demolition Expert as a requirement - Double-Barrel Shotgun: Rapid-Break Sawed-Off Barrel - Exceptional reload speed (requires Gunslinger rank 3)

Weapon Mods - Receivers - (NEW) Combat Rifle: 5.56 Rapid Auto Receiver: Replaces the old rapid receiver and uses 5.56 ammo - Most receivers now have a better progression (in terms of requirements) and purpose - All receivers on ranged weapons now require weapon parts to craft them - All Advanced receivers require rank 3 of their associated weapon perk - 10mm: Powerful Automatic: damage increased to be slightly under Powerful Semi-Auto - 10mm: 5mm Rapid Receiver: now requires Commando rank 2

Weapon Reload Speed Changes - Magazines >> Each magazine now offers a specific advantage, even if it's only a small difference - The following weapons are effected: 10mm, Deliverer, Combat Rifle, Combat Shotgun, Assault Rifle, Pipe Gun, - Standard Magazines: Are now slower by default to try and replicate are more realistic base speed - Quick Eject Mag is now "Rapid Eject Magazine", and are intended to always be the fastest reload speed now - Rapid Eject Magazine: Slightly slower than before, but still feels noticibly fast over standard - Drum Mags: Slightly slower than standard mags, but holds more ammo - Large Mags: Hold more ammo, but as no reload speed change - Quick Eject Large Mags: Slightly slower than rapid eject mags, but holds more ammo

NPCs - The lowest level Bloatflies are easier to kill now, and do less damage - The lowest level Molerats are harder to kill, but they do less damage - Deathclaws can no longer be knocked down or disintegrated - Protectron limb damage is rebalanced - Legendary Protectrons now give double xp, and have improved perception and damage

NPC Weapons - Miniguns now drop bonus ammo for 5mm - Damaged missile launchers drop damage missiles - The damaged weapons NPCs can roll do slightly less damage than normal weapons (this gives some variety and shows that maybe their weapon was already in poor condition to begin with) - Gatling Lasers can drop as damaged and their scrap gives both heavy and laser parts - Gauss Rifles can drop as damaged and their scrap gives both heavy and rifle parts - Gauss Rifles can roll bonus ammo now - The Gamma Gun now has the proper critical damage ranged weapons usually have - Submachine Guns have their own damaged weapon junk items - Most BOS NPCs can roll damaged weapons now - BUG FIX: Some NPCs were incorrectly rolling automatic weapons too often

Survival / Misc - Ultra RadAway no longer causes immunity suppression, but requires extra materials to craft - The "Rested" buff should now properly disappear when you are Tired, etc. - Dirty Water bottles are worth 0 caps now - The names of wild plants should now better match the wild fruits/herbs that get picked from it - Decontamination archs in the world no longer work (this should have been disabled a long time ago) - Decontamination archs in the world will grants +100 rad resists for 5 minutes - The Horizon loader message now displays a proper looking version number - [BUG FIX]: Fixed a bug that was preventing psycho from applying the property listed damage boosts

Installation - Some of the core addons are moved to the same page as the difficulties - A new addon called "Scavenger" will give increased ammo, but is only recommended for players who are absolutely having a hard time with the standard balance

Patches - Homemaker patch now supports version 1.53 - Crossbows can now be crafted, and are no longer sold on vendors - Raider overhaul: Chainsaw damaged is reduced