Patch 441 is available for PC and Mac now on the beta branch. Don’t know how to access beta? Read this.

Patch Notes

The Linux build of patch 441 will be updated later this week. Patch 441 includes updates to most major areas of the game. The team is gearing up to complete the Sector K72 patch cycle from a technical point of view and we expect the next few patches to introduce more content and fewer changes / additions as we bring the build ready for promotion to the main branch. A new Origin Options menu, galaxy regions and an updated Organization view round out the major visual changes of patch 441. Updates to asset management and improvement as well as changes to Contacts and the introduction of Free Trade Ports are in progress with examples available in patch 441 now.

Organization Types

Organizations are a concept unique to Terran, they effect how you interact with the galaxy and how it interacts with you. When you start a new game, you will select one of four origin options each will pre-configure your profile to a given organization type. The progression and development a player will experience will be unique to the players organization type. In later patches players will be able to convert from one type to another through various in game mechanisms. A summary of each type can be found in the Origin Options menu and more details will be available soon on Terran’s web site. Note that gameplay mechanics of each organization are a work in progress and subject to change as development continues. The following are respective to the current build however NPC organizations are not yet available limiting the Private and Syndicate options. Private Organization Type Private indicates a private individual or team. Direct reputation is the key factor for this type where in players build positive or negative reputation with local populations and the organizations that lead them as they play. As a private entity, you can rent facilities on stations and worlds granting access to research, manufacturing and other services such as expanding the capacity of your fleet via docks. The facilities made available to you will depend on the asset in question and your reputation with them, and their leadership. Private entities cannot own stellar assets and have no direct influence in the political or corporate landscape however they can join government or corporate fleets, undertake sectioned missions from other organizations and other activities that the leader of a government or corporation would be restricted form undertaking. Syndicate Organization Type Syndicates can establish headquarters (HQs) on any populated asset and can do so without any special permission. HQs enable the syndicate to grow and develop influence through special opportunities and tasks. Influence can be spent to access facilities and services or to effect the local population or the organization that leads them. As the leader of a syndicate you are largely perceived as a private individual by the rest of the galaxy. You may be viewed as a criminal and actively hunted or as a valued supporter that is given a say in important political and commercial matters depending on your syndicate’s reputation and influence. Corporation Organization Type As the owner of a registered corporation you will not be able join government fleets but your own fleet will be recognized as a military power. Corporations can own stellar assets, participate in many political relationships including war and have access to a wide array of trade and commercial options. Corporate populations are composed of paid employees and incur a cost on the corporation but are immune to unrest and cultural influences. Employees can be hired and released at any time with immediate effect allowing very tight management of your corporate empire. Government Organization Type The leader of a declared government cannot join the fleets of other organizations but of course can claim stellar assets as its own and build a population of loyal citizens by providing the appropriate conditions. Governments have fewer trade options than corporations but more political measures at there disposal. Government populations are composed of citizens which naturally grow and shrink based on the conditions of the local asset of overall organization. Citizens pay taxes to the government and larger populations produce more influence, strengthening political positions and expanding fleet capacity.

Technical

An engine error has been identified with the Vulken API and for patch 441 it has been disabled. This should have no major impact on players as the game will simply fall back the next best available API such as DirectX or OpenGL depending on your platform. A rendering error with the galaxy view has been identified on Mac and Linux platforms. Changes have been applied to resolve but may still present on some systems. This is typically seen as the stars of the galaxy appearing bright pink. Existing save files should adjust for recent changes however it is strongly recommended to create a new profile given changes to the galaxy structure and organization structure of the game.

Game

Welcome screen replaced with Origin Option menu From this menu you can select from four options which will adjust the initial configuration of your profile and the galaxy to suit. Galaxy map divided into regions for easier navigation, the regions are named for aspects of Terran’s back lore, additional in game information on the lore behind the names will be made available in later patches 70 Systems added to the Eastern Fields region of the galaxy. These systems will be available to the player from the start. As the technology that drives the generation of the systems is vetted it will be applied to the galaxy on mass. The final implementation is intended to see some systems as ‘common’ or known from the start and others as hidden requiring exploration or other events to unlock. AlphaOne relocated to Eastern Fields and made accessible from the map. AlphaOne will grow in importance as we approach the end of Phase 2’s patch cycle. AlphaOne and other Free Trade Ports serve as hubs where the player can meet new contacts, pick up special tasks and more. We will cover the Free Trade Port feature in more detail in a later announcement. Work is underway on the Ship Editor; several UI elements have been rearranged and several bugs with the TreeView and other UI elements have been resolved. This will be an ongoing process through the Phase 2 patch cycle. Organization View has been updated for Government and Corporation organization types. This is a work in progress and will be matured over the coming patches. Syndicate and Private organization types will receive a similar implementation geared to their unique play styles. Asset View and Asset Details have been updated, the asset improvements section is now divided into the major areas that can be improved. Additional work will be carried out on the Asset Improvement UI over the coming patches introducing Station upgrades and additional improvement options. Contacts View has been updated to filter contacts by type e.g. Personal, Facility and Organization contacts. In addition, changes to Rena and Saige tasks are underway with new tasks to be introduced over the coming patches.

[ 2017-06-06 01:57:43 CET ] [ Original post ]