Patch 0.9 is just around the corner folks. Bringing with it a bevy of new ships, upgrades, gadgets and environments, the next content patch should be touching down within the next couple of weeks. Here's a preview of what's in store.

Overview:

Each of the recent major patches has focused on adding new content for a single station and patch 0.9 is no exception. This time the bulk of the new content will be found in Station 6 (between levels 50 and 65) but you'll also find plenty of new stuff in the early game too.

3 New Hulls:

The FR2 Malefactor: With improved missile and shield cabilities over the FR1, this beast of a frigate deals out some serious punishment. If you've got your sights set on piloting one of these then keep your eyes on the armories as you approach level 30.
The C2 Assiduous: The corvette class has always been the jack of all trades and this new model offers even more versatility with additional upgrade slots and larger missile storage and regeneration speeds. You should be able to get your hands on one as you level into the high 20's.
The M3 Stalker: The final missile class hull makes it's debut in patch 0.9. The Stalker and it's variant The Bird of Prey are the definitive missile capable warships. You'll run into the Stalker in the fourth station but you'll need to push much deeper to grab a Bird of Prey which you'll be unlikely to loot or buy before level 50.

Four new arenas:

For those that prefer being pushed to their limit, Station 6 now has four brand new combat arenas. After the mayhem found in Station 5, the sixth set of arenas will start to push your flexibility.
Starting out with a swarm arena, things soon turn towards one vs. one combat against much more powerful ships where you'll need to think carefully about your upgrade loadout if you want to survive.

Two new gadgets

Black Hole: This has to be one of our favorite gadgets so far. You'll get to unleash the power of gravity to devastating effect. If you have the skills to take down the first arena in station 6 you should be dragging your enemies to their doom soon after breaking level 50.
You can see a 720p, extended gfycat of the above clip here:HERE Upgrade Anywhere: Tired of having to dock at a garage to install that spangly new upgrade you looted? Worry no more. Upgrade Anywhere will allow you to change your upgrades, gadgets and even your hull whenever you please. It will take up a miscellaneous upgrade slot but with the versatility to swap your loadout at a moments notice you'll find this gadget difficult to ignore. You'll also find it almost essential for completing some of the end game arenas. Don't expect to find this until the high level 50's.

Two new Miscellaneous Upgrades:

Retribution: Once installed, the Retribution upgrade will significantly increase your damage for nine seconds after picking up uranium loot. It's both stackable and overclockable, and unlocks new combat strategies for those that specialize in it's destructive power. You should find the first version of this upgrade around level 35 but you'll probably want to wait for the more powerful higher level versions before it really starts to shine. Code Analyser: This one does what it says on the tin. It refines your ships ability to squeeze every last bit of code out of your loot pickups for faster upgrade completion and leveling speed. Like the Retribution upgrade you'll get the most bang for your buck with this in the late game but you'll likely see it first in the early level 40's.

Squadrons:

The ships in NeonXSZ have always had the ability to form squadrons but in this update we've reworked and improved this system to have a much bigger impact on gameplay. Squadrons are now much more likely to form, especially at the lower levels, and squadron sizes can now grow much bigger. Be careful when you see them as they now work much better as a team and won't take kindly to you trying to pick off their members. They're also much more likely to invade enemy space so keep your eyes peeled for enemy raiding parties.

New Target Direction Indicator:

To help speed up tracking of your target we've added a new indicator around your crosshair that will point you in the direction of your current target.

Reworked leveling speed

In patch 0.9 you'll find that early game leveling speed has been increased significantly. Enemy kills will result in larger loot drops througout the game allowing you to collect new upgrade code much faster. Uranium drop sizes and task rewards have also been increased for the first half of the game. In the late game you'll be getting more code from your loot than you would previously but uranium will start to become more scarse. The overall effects of these changes mean that the loot grind has shifted into the late game rather than being more evenly spread throughout all level ranges. Our goal with this change was to allow you to see more of the game, and unlock more of the cool ships, gadgets and upgrades much sooner, without altering the overall length of the game.

New Arena Labels:

In patch 0.9 all arena entrances are marked with both the heighest Tech Level of enemies inside and the loot you'll be rewarded with if you complete them. This gives players increased confidence when first visiting arenas and a bigger incentive to complete them as soon as possible to get your hands on high level gadgets and loot early.

New Audio Options:

A new panel has been added to the audio menu to allow you to disable various message types said by your ship's computer. She was always meant to be monotone but never monotonous so you can now customize which types of feedback you want to hear.

..and more...

That about covers the major new additions coming in patch 0.9. There's been plenty of other tweaks and changes that we'll list in the patch notes upon release. ____________________________________________________________

When will this patch will be released?

If everything goes smoothly, it's possible that it could be available next week but that would be a bit of a squeeze. We'll have to see how things pan out but it's really close. For daily updates you can check in with the game's Dev Diary HERE.

[ 2015-03-06 19:20:18 CET ] [ Original post ]