a really fun version of WX

[fabin]

for the longest while now (probably over 8-9 years) i've been mainly playing wx-78, as i just really like their personality and platstyle. over 3 years now they got their refresh, and while i still really enjoy it to this day, i think i've finally reached a point where i feel their gameplay style has started turning a little stale, personally. (not that that will affect wx anyway, they love moldy stuff).

so i wanted to talk about what is basically a B-side to their playstyle, from a mod i've really enjoyed playing with for some time.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2995850584

it basically makes wx's perks less passive, and more active. i'll list some changes, but if you can give this mod a try, please do! words can never give an accurate for how this mod plays.

• instead of circuits removing energy and getting damaged when taken off, they take no damage and remove no energy. this alone would make you want to experiment way more with circuits;
  • the circuits' durability is treated as time-based, instead of use-based. they last by default 20 days.
• the circuit board gets expanded by 2 slots, letting you ACTUALLY get cool circuit combos, and experiment with whatever combination you feel. circuits also function as long as there's ANY energy in the meter, only turning off at 0 energy;
  • but now, circuits drain energy over time. the more you have plugged in, the faster it drains. with just 1 slot used, you lose 1 energy every 300 seconds. with a full board, that speeds up to every 30 seconds per slot.
• most circuits have been rewired to accommodate for more slots:
  • Spoiler

    • stat circuits have had their stats reduced, but also have extra effects to compensate;
      • hardy circuits add flat damage reduction (they reduce the damage taken BEFORE defense does. i.e.: you were going to take 100 damage. 8 hardy circuits decrease damage by 10. a football helmet then decreases that damage, meaning you would take 16 damage instead of 20.);
      • processing circuits give more sanity over time overall, and reduce sanity aura effects;
      • gastrogain circuits reduce hunger drain;
      • all of the above have their effects boosted a tiny bit with their super versions.
    • acceleration circuits now increase your speed over time over 2 seconds, but you can get way faster overall;
      • super-acceleration lets you reach up to +83% speed with circuits alone. and while you have more than one, you can ram into living things, dealing really high damage to them, but also putting yourself at risk.
    • illumination circuits have a brigther radius, turning you into a god damn beacon of light if you have two plugged;
    • temperature circuits no longer provide full immunity to seasons;
      • thermal circuits give you 120 winter insulation when plugged, and increase your temperature when working. it also increases work efficiency the hotter you are, letting you DESTROY forests and badlands with just a few swings. though it also increases durability loss proportionately;
      • refrigerant circuits generate ice over time, and make objects brittle when you hit them. embrittled objects become more brittle and take less work to break. it also decreases the "freezing point" of your wetness to 35, meaning you can turn wetness into ice more efficiently.
      • both still emit heat/cold to players nearby, but only if you're hot/cold enough!
    • and way more, so give the mod a try if you can if you wanna know the rest. >:]
• you can also restore charge by eating, recovering 1 energy per 50 hunger gained, while also buffing other ways of getting energy.
• circuits can be deconstructed back into bio-data by using a circuit extractor on them.
• and last, wx's stats are back to their original 100 health, hunger, and sanity. i dunno why they aren't that to being with.

i really can't describe how much more fun i've had with this version of wx. it makes you consider what circuits you WANT to have on, and what you kind of NEED to have on. no longer can you equip season immunity circuits with illumination, or super-acceleration with opto-electronic and call it a day (well, you can. but only if you're boring), without considering what you'll need to bring to keep yourself charged up. it also brings some circuits down a peg, while also giving them a leg up in some other areas.

having no penalty for unplugging circuits is really fun as well, since that lets you hot-swap circuits.

want to fill up your 400 health mid-fight but don't want to eat math.huge() pierogies? well, take off the super-hardy circuits, eat 2 pierogies/1 gear, and plug them back in! (survival not guaranteed).

want to fill up your 400 hunger to max but don't wanna eat your precious 300 meaty stews? just take off your circuits, eat, and plug them back in! back to hibernating. 

done tearing down a forest to build your fancy new bridge to the lunar island? just take off your thermal/refrigerant circuits, put on 4 super-acceleration circuits, your magiluminescence and cane, and zoom off back to your base! 

it also lets you bring your circuits along with you, so you can use them for whatever situations you find fit, instead of letting them get rusty and moldy inside some chest/on the floor of your base.

 

at the end of the day, i enjoy both types of playstyle. but i really hope when the time for wx to get their skilltree comes around, the devs take a little bit of an inspiration from this mod. it's really damn good and fun. :]