Introducing the new Material system

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/27154671/356d839aed47a91f27c6ef044c9f5c90f7b0d157.png\"][/img]

We have completely redesigned the materials into something tangible and should be easily understood during gameplay. We have introduced 4 materials that the player can find and collect during gameplay. Semiconductors, Metals, Minerals, and Volatiles.

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/27154671/2c882e88e8c5321f4a6182281ec1ca6a4318f5d4.png\"][/img]Pilots can mine these materials in asteroid belts, collect them from destroyed ACE pods that have them onboard, or even trade for them. The stock ACE pod can carry up to 4 at a time, but more slots can be acquired at a Forge OASIS .

What do they do?

There are two main purposes of materials:

First and most important, they are still used for upgrades. You dont strictly need them to upgrade, but you wont have very much control over what upgrades you get without them. If you like a certain type of build, then you will want to be scavenging for these as much as possible.\n

Second, and new to Convicted Galaxy, is the ability to consume materials during gameplay to help out in a pinch. Out of fuel? A volatile material can optionally be used to replenish your fuel. In a battle and need to use an advanced ability? A semiconductor can generate power cores.

\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/27154671/62c72011dfc56bba8f89fed904e91881034e8251.png\"][/img]We are still balancing the exact effects of these materials, but they certainly make cruising through asteroid belts a lot more meaningful.

Theory behind the new design

The last build of Convicted Galaxy had an overly complex representation of rare materials. If you controlled a planet, you had access to the materials present on that planet. There were 16 materials categorized into 4 groups.

Some upgrades required a specific material, while others only needed a material from their group. We found that using the 4 material groups made upgrade interactions easier without reducing the overall mechanic functionality.

Additionally, we made the decision to make the materials a tangible pickup, rather than an abstract resource. This made it more exciting to seek out materials, and enabled new gameplay mechanics for us to experiment with. Overall, we were able to reduce complexity while improving gameplay.