Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation v2.6 Includes Updated Tutorials, Quality of Life Changes, UI Improvements, and More!
View the full changelog below.

What's new in v2.6:

Get Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation today!
If you don't own Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, you can take advantage of the
Stardock Community Discount and save 10% when you buy direct.

v2.6 Changelog: 

Updated Tutorials

We are retiring our old tutorial and replacing it with a new set. These pack in more important information to new players, in a more concise and fun way. We are confident these new tutorials will provide a better experience and first impression to new players. 

• Old tutorial removed and replaced with Basic Tutorial and Advanced Tutorial.

UI Changes

• Unit panel condensed to remove wasted space and improve the usability and appearance of the Quantum Upgrade and Orbital Ability Panels.
• New Cursor sizes: Players can now choose 150% and 200% cursor size from the options menu to better scale with high resolutions
• Player Names now show up when hovering over an allied or enemy unit
• Replay and Observer interface has been changed to show the total income of Metal and Radioactives. It is now possible to rapidly compare economies on the player panel located on the top right corner. 

Quality of Life

• Increase Logistics prompt will now play when a player's in-progress production puts them over Logistics limit. For example, if a player has 120 Logistics with a limit of 200 and they start producing a dreadnought, they will receive the Logistics prompt.
• Prevented duplicate audio from playing simultaneously. Previously, producing multiple units or base defense upgrades simultaneously would cause a sound to play numerous times and potentially become unpleasantly loud.
• The announcer will no longer play two voice lines simultaneously. Announcer audio lines such as “Dreadnought launch initiated” and “We need more logistics” will now be staggered to play one after the other.
• Hovering over the Metal and Radioactives icon in the resource panel now displays a tooltip which explains the two resource types.
• Auto Levelling Dreadnought upgrades option menu now works in multiplayer. 
• “Targets Radar Contacts” removed from weapon tooltips as every weapon in the game now targets radar contacts.
• Lowered volume of Agamemnon weaponry.
• Shield bar color changed from green to blue to more easily identify how much shields a friendly unit has.
• Build progress bar is now the same length as the health bar.
• Default map terrain setting changed from hidden to revealed
• Extractors can now be built on enemy deposits, allowing for easier queuing of commands.
• Updated tooltips to reflect changes from 2.5 and 2.6.
• Nano-Mesh Barrier effect has been changed to only display for a brief duration when the ability is cast.

Unit Size Changes

We are adjusting the size of frigates compared to other units to make them feel bigger and less like tiny ants to the player. We are also addressing the size disparity between various types of cruisers; all non-heavy cruisers now share a consistent size.

• Increased size of all Frigates by 10%
• Reduced size of Factory by 10%
• Increased size of Zeus by 10%
• Increased size of Athena by 20%
• Increased size of Nemesis by 30%
• Increased size of Sapper by 30%
• Increased size of Avatar by 30%
• Increased size of Mauler by 10%

Modding Improvements

• Added a command for campaign and scenario scripting, allowing modders to toggle invulnerability on a unit or structure:

<SetNoDeath Target="Example_Name" NoDeath="0"/>

<SetNoDeath Target="Example_Name"  NoDeath="1"/>

AI Changes

• The AI will now cast Nanite Assassination on Juggernauts.
• The AI will no longer cast Nano-Mesh Barrier on allied units.
• AI will no longer build Instigators.
• Map Changes
• Improved consistency of resource layout on Nightshade.
• Increased Turinium requirements on Delta Serpentis, Gamma Draconis, Leporis, Merga, Mirach, NightShade, Rigel, Ross 128, Seginus, Talitha.

Gameplay

Emergency and Serpentine turrets were intended to be used as an improvised defensive measure, yet they were often used to snipe enemy builders or hold forward cutoffs which was quite frustrating against human and AI opponents alike. We are refining the role of these turrets to only work in friendly territory. 

• Emergency and Serpentine Turrets can now only be cast in connected owned and allied territory.

Production Changes

We are making a big change to the way production of units and structures scales into the late game. Previously, diminishing returns limited the viability of using multiple Engineers or Constructors to build a structure or assist a factory. This unintuitive system of diminishing returns is being removed, allowing large numbers of Engineers to reach very rapid build speeds; it's now possible for players to churn out a Juggernaut in seconds, so long as they have a colossal late game economy to support it. Refineries and Harvesters gave almost unlimited potential for economic growth, so we want production speed capable of scaling with that.

• Removed diminishing returns for having multiple Engineers build a structure or boost a factory.
• Each assisting engineer increases base build speed by 50%, up from 50/25/12.5/6.25
• New Quantum Upgrade: Nexus Health

"Base Sniping" was very frustrating in the late game, where players instantly lose the game because their fragile Nexus was destroyed by an air raid and/or orbital attack. Rather than making the Nexus unkillable in the early game, or making the building health upgrade too powerful, we are adding a new a new Quantum Upgrade which allows players to heavily increase the durability of their Nexus. The Nexus is still affected by global building health upgrade.

• PHC and Substrate now have access to Nexus Health Quantum Upgrade.
• Increase Nexus health by 100% for 500 Quanta, (+0.25x Quanta cost per level)

Healing Changes

It was unfair for Substrate to lack any way to viably repair the health of their buildings and dreadnoughts, while PHC using Medics over Engineers to repair structures was unintuitive and could be quite exploitative in large numbers. Engineers and Constructors are being reworked to specialize in repairing structures, while Medics are losing their ability to repair buildings. The Caregiver is not being changed, as Constructors can not "repair" shields, and the Caregiver has a small single target effect in favor of area heals, so they are not effective for healing base defenses in the way the Medic was.

• Medics will no longer heal buildings.
• Engineers/Constructors can now only repair buildings. (Also effects Avatar & Sapper)
• Engineer/Constructor repair rate increased from 15 to 100.
• Substrate dreadnoughts & juggernauts have less health but more shields.
• Substrate dreadnoughts regenerate 1 health per second.

Base Defense Changes

Upgrading base defenses was often used as an exploit to cheat a turrets death, which was quite frustrating and unfair to players. If a basic defense takes damage, it will now be transferred over to the upgrading defense as a percentage. For example, if a Smarty takes 50% damage down to 750 health, and it upgrades to the Barrager, it will only increase health to 1500 which is 50% of the Barrager's total health pool. Players are encouraged to utilize the healing changes to use Engineers & Constructors to replenish base defense integrity.

• Upgrading a base defense will no longer heal the structure.
• Completing a structure (or upgrade) will no longer heal the structure.

Sapper & Avatar

We are reworking the Sapper and Avatar to give them a unique role where they act as means to streamline the production of advanced defenses. Investing in upgraded defenses in the late game could be a chore, due to needing first to build basic defenses and upgrade it once they are completed. This could not be done via queuing up orders, making it an annoying attention sink when income was so high in the game. The Sapper and Avatar can now directly build advanced defenses on the map, with the overall costs remaining the same compared to upgrading from basic defenses.

• Can now produce economy & production structures, basic defenses and advanced defenses.
• Advanced defenses have the build time and cost of the basic defenses added.

Substrate Air Rework

Substrate being able to produce air units from the Assembly as opposed to a specialist air structure created a number of problems:

• It was impossible to scout a big air transition.
• Less foresight was required for air transitions due to not needing to invest in air production preemptively.
• Substrate was able to easily outproduce PHC in air battles.
• Rushing an Air Rampager came too fast due to only requiring Aviary instead of Sky Factory and Advanced Sky Factory.
• As a result, we are changing the way Substrate produce air units. The Aviary now produces all air units, in the way the Assembly produces both frigates and cruisers.
• Light Aircraft moved from Assembly to Aviary.
• Aviary cost reduced.
• Rampager and Harbinger locked behind tech buildings.

Engineer Accessibility

Losing Engineers in the late game or on large maps could be quite frustrating as they were only buildable from the Nexus with a long build time. Engineers and Constructors will now be accessible in forward bases, without having to rely on Orbital Abilities which can rapidly ramp up in Quanta price.

• Orbital Fabricator and Gateway can now produce Engineers or Constructors.

Balance

Hermes

• The logistics cost of the Hermes did not reflect its value. We also want to make the Hermes more accessible by reducing its long build time.
• Logistics cost increased from 1 to 2
• Build time reduced from 22 to 18

Martyr

• The Martyr was overperforming, and we want to reduce the aggressive potential of early game Martyr spam.
• Damage reduced from 6 to 5.5

Nemesis

• Health increased from 420 to 500

Avatar

• Given the Avatar's additional utility in being able to directly build advanced defenses directly, we want to make the Avatar less of a combat unit. Players are encouraged to use the Saboteurs for direct harassment over the Avatar.
• Avatar damage reduced from 20 to 10

Charon

• The Orbital Fabricator unlocks far too much compared to other tech buildings, especially given its new ability to produce Engineers. We are offloading the unlock for the Charon, Repair Bay and Drone Bay onto other tech buildings in order to encourage more strategic diversity in choice of tech buildings. 
• Requirements changed from Orbital Fabricator to Energy Projector

Hyperion

• Hyperion was overperforming. It is by far the most durable dreadnought with its regeneration upgrades, so we want to tone down its damage to make it more balanced and to make the offensive upgrade tree more appealing.
• Damage reduced from 70 to 65

Substrate Dreadnoughts

Substrate Dreadnoughts were generally weaker than their PHC counterparts and were countered too easily by Athena/Mauler. We want to incentivize players to invest in proper anti-dreadnought units with full armor-piercing such as the Nemesis and Eradicator.

• Armor increased from 50% to 55% damage reduction

Overmind & Nest of the Queen

The Overmind and Nest of the Queen were shut down too easily by splash damage air defenses. We are increasing the durability of their drones to make their performance more consistent. Given the armor and drone buff to the Overmind, it didn't need to have the additional health over other dreadnoughts.

• Drone health increased from 30 to 150
• Drone respawn time reduced
• Overmind total Health/Shields reduced from 15,000 to 14,000

Hades

• Hades were underperforming, and we want to make it more expendable. 
• Metal cost reduced from 300 to 250
• Radioactives cost reduced from 200 to 180
• Logistics cost reduced from 15 to 9
• Build time reduced from 55 to 45

Punisher

• As per Substrate air rework.
• No longer requires Gateway
• Logistics cost reduced from 15 to 10
• Build time reduced from 60 to 50

Rampager

• Requires Gateway

Air Harbinger

• Requires Subspace Streamer

Harvester

It was unfair that production of Harvesters was due to only being available on the Nexus. We are making Harvesters buildable from the Aviary so that Substrate players can more heavily invest in late game economy, as per PHC being able to build multiple Refineries simultaneously. 

• Can now be built from the Aviary

Instigator

The Instigator was unnecessary on the Nexus due to being such a large investment, making it not viable in the early or mid game compared to the cheaper pan. We are moving it from the Nexus to the Advanced the Sky Factory to suggest when players should invest in this heavy late game scout, while lowering its cost to make it more desirable compared to building multiple Pans.

• Moved from Nexus to Advanced Sky Factory
• Metal cost reduced from 500 to 400

Aviary

The Aviary is being made more accessible to compensate for the Air Harbinger and Air Rampager being locked behind tech.

• No longer Requires Quantum Archive
• Metal cost decreased from 350 to 280
• Radioactives cost removed
• Build time decreased from 60 to 50
• Total Health/Shields reduced from 3500 to 3000

Blossom Launcher

It was inconsistent for PHC to be able to build Constables without a Factory while Substrate couldn't do the equivalent. This could be frustrating when a player loses their Assemblies and can be completely locked out of anti-air production.

• No longer requires Assembly

Repair Bay

• We are devaluing the Orbital Fabricator over other tech buildings.
• Requirements changed from Orbital Fabricator to Power Regulator

Drone Bay

• Requirements changed from Orbital Fabricator to Energy Projector

Shredder Turret

• Metal cost increased from 300 to 400

Regenerate Orbital

Regenerate was not powerful enough to justify being locked behind the highest tier of tech buildings, especially when compared to the PHC intensive care.

• Requirements changed from Subspace Streamer to Energy Modulator

Antimatter Detonation & Orbital Strike

The late game "Nukes" provided far too much damage potential at only 400 Quanta. Given how much impact they can have, we want to make them more of a deliberate investment with more opportunity cost.

• Quanta cost increased from 400 to 600

Scenarios

Against All Odds

• Can now build Substrate Extractors and Energy Modulator

Eruption 

• Can now claim regions captured by the AI waves.

Bugfixes

• Fixed a bug where the wrong value was used for attack range displayed on the weapons tooltips
• Fixed an issue where reinforcements were causing leveled up juggernauts to take damage
• Fixed a bug where vacant start locations in a multiplayer lobby were not selectable.
• Fixed a bug where certain base defenses would not properly display through fog of war
• Fixed a bug where the Hyperion could spawn large numbers of repair drones.
• Fixed a bug where Antimatter Detonation countdown rings did not reflect its blast radius
• Increased hover height of both Avatar variants
• Fixed a bug where units would get stuck in the ground and become unkillable
• Fixed a bug where the AI would not control units spawned from Orbital Abilities
• Fixed an issue that prevented lobby invites from working when the invited player was not already in game