Update #360: Cloaking Tech
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG where we've just released the new Gunslinger class and snag it on 34% off or wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Update #360 update centers around changing the limits in place in the ship cloaking system available to any captain today. The goal of these changes is to expand the options for your captain's ship builds and to make to make Cloaking more competitive with Skip Off the Void and high Escape bonus builds. To achieve this end, we've raised the limit on Cloaking up to 60% (which is a direct percentage of reduction on all ship encounters), from a 25% limit previously. To provide more build options on how to get your cloaking so high, we have reworked all of the Sig Dampeners and Signal Veil components to provide more Cloaking. Also, we have added 4 new Signal Void Field components that take a medium slot to give additional options to pile on the cloaking abilities. If you have completed the Goltha Development story vignette, then a new Redlance Goltha Veil is available in Rychart starports across the galaxy. While the Goltha tech isn't all about Cloaking, it is a side benefit so this was a good time to introduce an additional option. Ships with maximum Cloaking feel very different to operate now and we're excited to hear your feedback about these changes and make further adjustments over the coming weeks. Our goal is to position cloaking components such that they're viable for both early and late game builds.
Our last release added a new (ancient) ship design to Star Traders: Frontiers - the Degla Heavylift. our captains have had a chance to look it over and we've received some helpful messages and feedback on our Discord. Update #360 update pushes the best of those ideas into the game and revises the weapon and component loadout of the ship with a focus on making it a highly survival large cargo carrier.
In not-as-exciting-but-still-great news we did some optimization on the political simulator (Conflicts, Rumors, Contact actions, Contact Link Events, etc) and speeding it up means we can run it slightly more often without negatively impacting ship travel on the map. This will provide even more procedurally generated drama for players to exploit for profit.
We recently completed an analysis of Mutiny events in Star Traders games and noticed that a surprising percentage of mutiny events occur when the player is very close to the planet for a resupply. We have adjusted the chance of mutiny down by 10% in the crew simulator -- meaning they will tolerate low morale slightly longer before declaring an actual mutiny. Hopefully this patch lets you land in time to avoid any unpleasantness with your crew. Good luck!
- Improved effects of Cloaking, increased maximum Cloaking effect to 60% (from 25%) - Increased amount of Cloaking provided by Sig Dampeners and Signal Veil - New Component: Signal Void Field, Levels 1-4 now available - New Vignette Component, Redlance Goltha Veil - Replaced Degla Heavylift weapon loadout based on feedback - Increased ship sale price for Wolfpack Interceptor + Voracious Class - New optimization of political simulator allows it to run 25% more often - Chance of Mutiny during Low Morale events reduced by 10%
[ 2024-11-13 18:16:17 CET ] [ Original post ]
Star Traders! First let's send out a welcome to all the new captains who have joined during this 50% off sale and second let's celebrate with an awesome update. Here we are, hitting Update #360 on your favorite space trading and political simulation game, Star Traders: Frontiers. This update focuses on some big changes to the Cloaking system which allows you to reduce ship encounters, upgrades and adds new ship components related to cloaking and a new variation of the Goltha tech that can be unlocked through the Goltha Development story vignette. We've also tweaked some ship builds and prices from the startport and tweaked the chance of Mutiny when Morale is low.
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG where we've just released the new Gunslinger class and snag it on 34% off or wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Cloaking Tech
Update #360 update centers around changing the limits in place in the ship cloaking system available to any captain today. The goal of these changes is to expand the options for your captain's ship builds and to make to make Cloaking more competitive with Skip Off the Void and high Escape bonus builds. To achieve this end, we've raised the limit on Cloaking up to 60% (which is a direct percentage of reduction on all ship encounters), from a 25% limit previously. To provide more build options on how to get your cloaking so high, we have reworked all of the Sig Dampeners and Signal Veil components to provide more Cloaking. Also, we have added 4 new Signal Void Field components that take a medium slot to give additional options to pile on the cloaking abilities. If you have completed the Goltha Development story vignette, then a new Redlance Goltha Veil is available in Rychart starports across the galaxy. While the Goltha tech isn't all about Cloaking, it is a side benefit so this was a good time to introduce an additional option. Ships with maximum Cloaking feel very different to operate now and we're excited to hear your feedback about these changes and make further adjustments over the coming weeks. Our goal is to position cloaking components such that they're viable for both early and late game builds.
Venerable Heavylift
Our last release added a new (ancient) ship design to Star Traders: Frontiers - the Degla Heavylift. our captains have had a chance to look it over and we've received some helpful messages and feedback on our Discord. Update #360 update pushes the best of those ideas into the game and revises the weapon and component loadout of the ship with a focus on making it a highly survival large cargo carrier.
Political Simulator
In not-as-exciting-but-still-great news we did some optimization on the political simulator (Conflicts, Rumors, Contact actions, Contact Link Events, etc) and speeding it up means we can run it slightly more often without negatively impacting ship travel on the map. This will provide even more procedurally generated drama for players to exploit for profit.
Mutiny Chances
We recently completed an analysis of Mutiny events in Star Traders games and noticed that a surprising percentage of mutiny events occur when the player is very close to the planet for a resupply. We have adjusted the chance of mutiny down by 10% in the crew simulator -- meaning they will tolerate low morale slightly longer before declaring an actual mutiny. Hopefully this patch lets you land in time to avoid any unpleasantness with your crew. Good luck!
v3.4.13 - Cloaking Tech - 11/12/2024
- Improved effects of Cloaking, increased maximum Cloaking effect to 60% (from 25%) - Increased amount of Cloaking provided by Sig Dampeners and Signal Veil - New Component: Signal Void Field, Levels 1-4 now available - New Vignette Component, Redlance Goltha Veil - Replaced Degla Heavylift weapon loadout based on feedback - Increased ship sale price for Wolfpack Interceptor + Voracious Class - New optimization of political simulator allows it to run 25% more often - Chance of Mutiny during Low Morale events reduced by 10%
BIG Map November 2024 Community Challenge
Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post on the discord, post in the #big_map_challenge channel found in the STF category.
Good luck and have fun, Captains!
[ 2024-11-04 18:33:56 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello, Captains. Its time for another STF challenge. This is the Really BIG map challenge! Back in August, we asked how will you play on the smallest of maps with the least sectors? This time around we are offering up a 70 quadrant, standard density map for you to tackle. Some of the quadrants require many, many jumps to reach.
Just like the August challenge, this challenge only has one "rule:" that you play on the specific map seed for this challenge. Otherwise, you can play whatever professions, ships, rules, and styles you would like. Our Discord community suggested that this challenge could be good giving some of the newer fast ships a go!
The map seed for this challenge is: st-v02-70-6-94116976
Some ideas for what wed love to see:
- Screenshots of your ship, your crew
- Descriptions of your strategies approaching a huge map with significant distance between some quadrants and how they are different from your 'normal' strategies
- Tell us about the challenges your faced
- Any other creative ways you want to share to tell us about your adventures: memes, interpretive dance, gifs, etc
Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post on the discord, post in the #big_map_challenge channel found in the STF category.
Good luck and have fun, Captains!
Update #359: Venerable Heavylift
So many of our updates for Star Traders are based on feedback from you all. But there are limits to what we can do in a game 6 years after its release. Our new tactical heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is roaring along in the second half of its Early Access but we are using the same formula to listen, discuss and improve the game straight from community feedback. There is still plenty of room for content ideas and shifts in gameplay based on what early players are finding fun. For example, we're actively soliciting Talent ideas for the new Gunslinger class that is coming and some of the best are going straight into the game. We hope you'll join us to make this game another one youll be enjoying for years to come. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #359, we have word of a brand new super-massive hull that is being constructed in De Valtos starports across the galaxy. The Degla Megalift is the ship for all your cargo hauling needs. Equipped with a massive fuel tank and an even larger cargo hold the Degla Heavylift is a big brother of the Degla Megalift. Boasting 12 small, 11 medium and 7 large slots, the Degla is a new super-massive class ship to configure, trick out and see how it compares to your other super-massive hulls. We can't wait to see how you kit out your Heavylift. Both Degla architecture ships have a long and storied history, first appearing in Star Traders classic in 2014. Now both the Megalift and Heavylift have recurred in Star Traders: Frontiers in the years 2018 and 2024.
The new Armored Cargo Hoid 3 fills a gap in the progression and helps build out your heavily defended cargo transports.
Based on our stats, the Zendu Relic cards were not appearing often enough so we have further increased the weighting chance that they will appear in a hand of Explorer cards. Good luck, relic hunters - the way is dangerous and road is long, but if you survive the rewards are sweet. We've also increased the drop rate for Contact Network (which uncovered a Contact and all of their positive and negatively linked Contacts).
We've made some component and ship fixes based on your excellent feedback. We've improved Battle Prow 8 to add +3 Ship Weapon Initiative to help you get the first shots. We 've also adjusted the Armored Bulkheads 6 stats to ensure that they fit within the progression. We've corrected the loadouts on the Allistar Huntress (which had too many starting officer cabins). And we've also resolved a number of odd bugs with Large Hangers, including one that granted over 240 Medical Rating for some of these components (!??!).
- New Ship: "Degla Heavylift" (9000M Heavy Transport) - New Component: Armored Cargo Hold 3 - Further increased drop rate for "Zendu Relic" Explorer card - Increased drop rate for Uncover Contact Network (1 Contact + All Links) - Battle Prow 8 now adds +3 Ship Weapon Initiative - Further fixes for logging issues with ship component damage - Fixes for "Alistar Huntress" component loadouts - Fixes for Large Hanger and high Medical Ratings - Fixes for Large Hanger ship combat buffs - Fixes for Armored Bulkheads 6
[ 2024-10-26 19:48:22 CET ] [ Original post ]
Star Traders! What you say? Another update? No, impossible. Not from these lazy bones. We'll its true - your favorite 2D space trading RPG has done it again - Update #359 has arrived with new fun things for Captains of any vintage, old and new, to explore. Update #359 includes a new Mass 9000 ship, a new Armored Cargo Hold 3, boosts to some Explorer cards appearance rates, and a sweeping set of fixes on components from community reports.
Want to help shape our next game?
So many of our updates for Star Traders are based on feedback from you all. But there are limits to what we can do in a game 6 years after its release. Our new tactical heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is roaring along in the second half of its Early Access but we are using the same formula to listen, discuss and improve the game straight from community feedback. There is still plenty of room for content ideas and shifts in gameplay based on what early players are finding fun. For example, we're actively soliciting Talent ideas for the new Gunslinger class that is coming and some of the best are going straight into the game. We hope you'll join us to make this game another one youll be enjoying for years to come. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Degla Heavylift
With Update #359, we have word of a brand new super-massive hull that is being constructed in De Valtos starports across the galaxy. The Degla Megalift is the ship for all your cargo hauling needs. Equipped with a massive fuel tank and an even larger cargo hold the Degla Heavylift is a big brother of the Degla Megalift. Boasting 12 small, 11 medium and 7 large slots, the Degla is a new super-massive class ship to configure, trick out and see how it compares to your other super-massive hulls. We can't wait to see how you kit out your Heavylift. Both Degla architecture ships have a long and storied history, first appearing in Star Traders classic in 2014. Now both the Megalift and Heavylift have recurred in Star Traders: Frontiers in the years 2018 and 2024.
New Armored Cargo Hold 3
The new Armored Cargo Hoid 3 fills a gap in the progression and helps build out your heavily defended cargo transports.
Zendu Relic Boost
Based on our stats, the Zendu Relic cards were not appearing often enough so we have further increased the weighting chance that they will appear in a hand of Explorer cards. Good luck, relic hunters - the way is dangerous and road is long, but if you survive the rewards are sweet. We've also increased the drop rate for Contact Network (which uncovered a Contact and all of their positive and negatively linked Contacts).
Component Improvements and Rebalance
We've made some component and ship fixes based on your excellent feedback. We've improved Battle Prow 8 to add +3 Ship Weapon Initiative to help you get the first shots. We 've also adjusted the Armored Bulkheads 6 stats to ensure that they fit within the progression. We've corrected the loadouts on the Allistar Huntress (which had too many starting officer cabins). And we've also resolved a number of odd bugs with Large Hangers, including one that granted over 240 Medical Rating for some of these components (!??!).
v3.4.11 - #359: Venerable Heavylift - 10/26/2024
- New Ship: "Degla Heavylift" (9000M Heavy Transport) - New Component: Armored Cargo Hold 3 - Further increased drop rate for "Zendu Relic" Explorer card - Increased drop rate for Uncover Contact Network (1 Contact + All Links) - Battle Prow 8 now adds +3 Ship Weapon Initiative - Further fixes for logging issues with ship component damage - Fixes for "Alistar Huntress" component loadouts - Fixes for Large Hanger and high Medical Ratings - Fixes for Large Hanger ship combat buffs - Fixes for Armored Bulkheads 6
Update #358: Huntress Grand
Update #358 sees a new ultra carrier hull being constructed at Moklumnue starports around the quadrants, the Alistar Huntress. The Huntress joins the rare 9000 Mass category, bringing the number of these ships to 5. We are planning to release two more soon -- a 9000M heavy hauler transport, and a 9000M high durability battlecruiser to provide a foil for one of the all-time most popular ships, the Sword Battlecruiser. The Alistar Huntress stands out within the super heavy category with the best in class Armor, middle of the road base Shields, Hull Points second only to the Cautela Titan, matched for best in class Base Fuel, 7 officers, 42 crew, 6 max craft and a component allocation of 16 small, 9 medium and 7 large.
Update #358 also includes significant component expansions for ship components that can round out a defensive ship build, adding more options for Radiation and Void resistance as well as Armor and Shielding. These categories haven't seen expansions in some time, so these are considered prototypes and will likely see some balancing buffs or nerfs in the coming patches. For now, and until we complete the balance passes, the Enemy Ship Architect is prohibited from using these new components in hostile ship builds until they are verified.
We have added a new card to the Explorer game, and fixed some existing ones. The new card is a +5 draw that, if picked, provides a Reputation-positive introduction to a Contact -- and all of that Contact's Links. This card has proven to be pretty powerful, as it can establish an entire mission and RTG network in a single pull. In addition, we fixed some bugs with how Experience was allocated on the Zendu Revelations card and increased the drop rates on the Zendu Relic cards, which were not appearing in hands at the rate we intended due to some unexpected math oddities.
In ship combat, you all reported some issues where the wrong component could be listed in the log -- this applied to both damage and repair talents and some small craft combat log messages. The error was strictly in the display code, but still glad to see it fixed. It explains occasional reports that a component was listed as damaged during battle but then later would be found undamaged.
We also gave the enemy shpip builder 2 new ships. Big ones. With lots of guns. Enjoy! While rare the Bounty Hunter enemies may now come after you in the Alistar Huntress and the Military Office enemies may be at the helm of a Shizari Huntress.
- New Ship: "Alistar Huntress" (9000M Heavy Carrier) - New Component: Hull Plating 6 (Void + Rad) - New Component: Armored Bulkheads 6 (Armor + Void) - New Component: Reinforced Structures 6 (Shield + Rad) - Increased drop rate for "Zendu Relic" Explorer card - New Explorer Card: Uncover Contact Network (1 Contact + All Links) - Fixes for Ship Combat Buffs that Repair Components, Improved Logging - Fixed some issues with Ship Component sort in Starport - Fixed some logging issues for Victory Talents that damage Ship Components - Warning: Bounty Hunter AI can (rare) proc "Alistar Huntress" - Warning: Military AI can (rare) proc "Shizari Huntress" - Fixed Reported Bugs
[ 2024-10-17 13:28:27 CET ] [ Original post ]
Star Traders, captains and travelers of the void - we are back again with another Star Traders: Frontiers update. This one took a while to finish -- more complicated than it sounds fixing some of the weirder bugs that were reported this week. Ahhh, STF, the gift (that you paid for) that keeps on giving (us more and more bugs.)
We're excited to keep this update train rolling and wanted to extend a hearty Thank you! to everyone who has posted a review or "badged up" to the Supporter Badge. You help us keep developing this lovely void simulation RPG ;)
Ultra Carrier 9000M
Update #358 sees a new ultra carrier hull being constructed at Moklumnue starports around the quadrants, the Alistar Huntress. The Huntress joins the rare 9000 Mass category, bringing the number of these ships to 5. We are planning to release two more soon -- a 9000M heavy hauler transport, and a 9000M high durability battlecruiser to provide a foil for one of the all-time most popular ships, the Sword Battlecruiser. The Alistar Huntress stands out within the super heavy category with the best in class Armor, middle of the road base Shields, Hull Points second only to the Cautela Titan, matched for best in class Base Fuel, 7 officers, 42 crew, 6 max craft and a component allocation of 16 small, 9 medium and 7 large.
3 New Defensive Components
Update #358 also includes significant component expansions for ship components that can round out a defensive ship build, adding more options for Radiation and Void resistance as well as Armor and Shielding. These categories haven't seen expansions in some time, so these are considered prototypes and will likely see some balancing buffs or nerfs in the coming patches. For now, and until we complete the balance passes, the Enemy Ship Architect is prohibited from using these new components in hostile ship builds until they are verified.
New Explorer Card: Contact Network
We have added a new card to the Explorer game, and fixed some existing ones. The new card is a +5 draw that, if picked, provides a Reputation-positive introduction to a Contact -- and all of that Contact's Links. This card has proven to be pretty powerful, as it can establish an entire mission and RTG network in a single pull. In addition, we fixed some bugs with how Experience was allocated on the Zendu Revelations card and increased the drop rates on the Zendu Relic cards, which were not appearing in hands at the rate we intended due to some unexpected math oddities.
Other Bug Fixes!
In ship combat, you all reported some issues where the wrong component could be listed in the log -- this applied to both damage and repair talents and some small craft combat log messages. The error was strictly in the display code, but still glad to see it fixed. It explains occasional reports that a component was listed as damaged during battle but then later would be found undamaged.
Enemy Ship Warning!
We also gave the enemy shpip builder 2 new ships. Big ones. With lots of guns. Enjoy! While rare the Bounty Hunter enemies may now come after you in the Alistar Huntress and the Military Office enemies may be at the helm of a Shizari Huntress.
v3.4.9 - #358: Huntress Grand - 10/11/2024
- New Ship: "Alistar Huntress" (9000M Heavy Carrier) - New Component: Hull Plating 6 (Void + Rad) - New Component: Armored Bulkheads 6 (Armor + Void) - New Component: Reinforced Structures 6 (Shield + Rad) - Increased drop rate for "Zendu Relic" Explorer card - New Explorer Card: Uncover Contact Network (1 Contact + All Links) - Fixes for Ship Combat Buffs that Repair Components, Improved Logging - Fixed some issues with Ship Component sort in Starport - Fixed some logging issues for Victory Talents that damage Ship Components - Warning: Bounty Hunter AI can (rare) proc "Alistar Huntress" - Warning: Military AI can (rare) proc "Shizari Huntress" - Fixed Reported Bugs
Update #357: Faces of the Void
We're excited to add 4 more Contact faces to the game, matching yesterday's +4 for a big +8 in variety. These interesting, odd, and fashionable gravs live their lives on the known worlds of the void. They are power players, criminals, princes and more. It is always exciting to come back to this catalog and add more depth!
We fixed a bug that could cause your Contact list to refuse to open (thanks Update #356!) and also an old bug that could cause some variations of the Plague Era storyline to hang.
The 3 new Battle Prows from #356 also had a minor issue of their price being the same regardless of level. This is now resolved with this patch. It is a short one, but we hope the artwork sweetened it!
- New Art! Added art for 4 new Contact characters - Fixed bug that could prevent contact list from opening - Fixed bug with dialog in Plague Era that could crash at end of Era mission - Fixed same price for Battle Prow 6, 7, 8
[ 2024-10-06 13:05:11 CET ] [ Original post ]
Star Traders - welcome all new captains to the void! We've been pushing new art updates in thanks for all the captains who jumped on the Supporter's Badge DLC recently. Unfortunately, one of the types of new artwork - Contact faces - is one we haven't done in a long time and we botched it just a little bit. In a small fraction of games, you could end up with a hung Contact list.We decided the only want to fix this was with more artwork!
Thanks to everyone who has joined us on this crazy journey, and enjoy this small, art-heavy update!
+4 Contact Faces
We're excited to add 4 more Contact faces to the game, matching yesterday's +4 for a big +8 in variety. These interesting, odd, and fashionable gravs live their lives on the known worlds of the void. They are power players, criminals, princes and more. It is always exciting to come back to this catalog and add more depth!
Fixed 2 Bugs
We fixed a bug that could cause your Contact list to refuse to open (thanks Update #356!) and also an old bug that could cause some variations of the Plague Era storyline to hang.
Battle Prow Prices
The 3 new Battle Prows from #356 also had a minor issue of their price being the same regardless of level. This is now resolved with this patch. It is a short one, but we hope the artwork sweetened it!
v3.4.7 - #357: Faces of the Void - 10/6/2024
- New Art! Added art for 4 new Contact characters - Fixed bug that could prevent contact list from opening - Fixed bug with dialog in Plague Era that could crash at end of Era mission - Fixed same price for Battle Prow 6, 7, 8
Update #356: Hall of Memories
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access with Update #150 recently going live. For Turn-based RPG Fest, we released a batch of stories that are filling out the Treaty '31 Era (you know Eras, Star Traders!!!) in which a new megacorporation joins the New Boston charter and "comes to town". All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
We wanted to send out special thanks to all of our amazing captains who have "badged up" and purchased the Supporter Badge DLC with some new and exciting artwork. We already released some new planetary environments in the last update, but this time we've come back to hit Zenrin Prime with a special city background as well as add a cool "underwater wreck" artboard for oceanic wild zones. Also, we've added 4 new classic looks for your grav Contacts. We're excited to come back to expanding this catalog a bit after such a long break - it is also fun to see such new and interesting faces as you land across the quadrants and meet its power players.
Rolling off the line in true beast mode, these Battle Prows boast major bonuses to boarding operations and craft defense as well as major Armor bonuses. These advanced versions of the less Battle Prows sell for a major penny, so they'll often be late career upgrades for boarding heavy, close range combat ships.
We've continued to adjust and buff the meta around Hangar bays as a useful part of your ship stats in addition to holding craft. Stronger hangar bays - of which you need a couple - make larger carriers more powerful and more viable. With this update we've improved the Large Hangar Bay as well as its Shielded and Reinforced variations to grant additional defense bonus, bonuses against attack enemy craft and heightened armor. The Alta Mesa Warhawk Hangar Bay joins in the boost with its own bonuses to Craft Defense and ship defense as well. The variations in hangar bays can help you puzzle together the right results you want out of the stats from these bays as you build out a ship that might have to dedicate 4+ component slots to them in order to support your fleet.
For all those players hitting issues where a xeno ship would be encountered and then the Fight button in the ship encounter screen would lead to a black screen or a crash, we've resolve the issue now! Apologies for the bug and you can fight xeno again.
The Terrox Deathspear has received some balance changes to ensure it is different and exciting enough of a combatant in ship. With Update #356, we have reduced its Ship Hull by 10% (300 pts) and increased its base Armor by +2. You can carve through the Deathspear a little faster now assuming you can reduce or work around the armor!
- New Art! New planetary image added -- new Zenrin Prime specific art, Hall of Memories - New Art! New planetary image added -- new Oceanic wild zone shows crashed ship - New Art! Added art for 4 new Contact characters - New Ship Components: Battle Prow 6-8; optimized for close range boarding and cover for craft - Buffs for Large Hangar Bay (Normal, Shielded, Reinforced) now grants Ship Defense, Craft Attack, Armor - Warhawk Hangar Bay now grants Craft Defense, Craft Offense and Ship Defense - Fixed issue with xeno ship fights ending in black screen or crash - Reduced Terrox Deathspear Xeno Ship Hull Points by 10% (-300) - Increased Terrox Deathspear Base Armor by +2
[ 2024-10-04 17:04:12 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome all new Turn-based RPG Fest captains! The void, the spice hall, and great adventure waits. Also the xeno are waiting. So let's get updating before they catch up to us. Update #56 includes new artwork, new Battle Prow ship components, improvements to Hangar Bays and an important fix for xeno ship encounters as well as balance changes to the Terrox Deathspear.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is in Turn-based RPG Fest too!
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access with Update #150 recently going live. For Turn-based RPG Fest, we released a batch of stories that are filling out the Treaty '31 Era (you know Eras, Star Traders!!!) in which a new megacorporation joins the New Boston charter and "comes to town". All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Contact and Planet Artwork!
We wanted to send out special thanks to all of our amazing captains who have "badged up" and purchased the Supporter Badge DLC with some new and exciting artwork. We already released some new planetary environments in the last update, but this time we've come back to hit Zenrin Prime with a special city background as well as add a cool "underwater wreck" artboard for oceanic wild zones. Also, we've added 4 new classic looks for your grav Contacts. We're excited to come back to expanding this catalog a bit after such a long break - it is also fun to see such new and interesting faces as you land across the quadrants and meet its power players.
Beastly Battle Prow 6, 7 and 8
Rolling off the line in true beast mode, these Battle Prows boast major bonuses to boarding operations and craft defense as well as major Armor bonuses. These advanced versions of the less Battle Prows sell for a major penny, so they'll often be late career upgrades for boarding heavy, close range combat ships.
Hangar Bay Improvements
We've continued to adjust and buff the meta around Hangar bays as a useful part of your ship stats in addition to holding craft. Stronger hangar bays - of which you need a couple - make larger carriers more powerful and more viable. With this update we've improved the Large Hangar Bay as well as its Shielded and Reinforced variations to grant additional defense bonus, bonuses against attack enemy craft and heightened armor. The Alta Mesa Warhawk Hangar Bay joins in the boost with its own bonuses to Craft Defense and ship defense as well. The variations in hangar bays can help you puzzle together the right results you want out of the stats from these bays as you build out a ship that might have to dedicate 4+ component slots to them in order to support your fleet.
Xeno Ship Crashes / Fails
For all those players hitting issues where a xeno ship would be encountered and then the Fight button in the ship encounter screen would lead to a black screen or a crash, we've resolve the issue now! Apologies for the bug and you can fight xeno again.
Deathspear Xeno Balance
The Terrox Deathspear has received some balance changes to ensure it is different and exciting enough of a combatant in ship. With Update #356, we have reduced its Ship Hull by 10% (300 pts) and increased its base Armor by +2. You can carve through the Deathspear a little faster now assuming you can reduce or work around the armor!
v3.4.5 - #356: Hall of Memories - 10/4/2024
- New Art! New planetary image added -- new Zenrin Prime specific art, Hall of Memories - New Art! New planetary image added -- new Oceanic wild zone shows crashed ship - New Art! Added art for 4 new Contact characters - New Ship Components: Battle Prow 6-8; optimized for close range boarding and cover for craft - Buffs for Large Hangar Bay (Normal, Shielded, Reinforced) now grants Ship Defense, Craft Attack, Armor - Warhawk Hangar Bay now grants Craft Defense, Craft Offense and Ship Defense - Fixed issue with xeno ship fights ending in black screen or crash - Reduced Terrox Deathspear Xeno Ship Hull Points by 10% (-300) - Increased Terrox Deathspear Base Armor by +2
Update #355: Jungle Moon, Zendu Relic
First up, let us extra a huge THANK YOU to all the captains who have "badged up" to the new Supporters Badge DLC. We knew you liked the updates, but wow! Let's keep it rolling. Since it is our first and only DLC for Star Traders: Frontiers, we're going to keep talking about it in the next few updates so that players who didn't see the original post can catch the news - we've added a $5 DLC to Star Traders: Frontiers. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3198060/Star_Traders_Frontiers_Supporter_Badge/ This DLC contains no additional game content, it only supports the many years of free content and features added to the base game since release. The Supporter DLC adds a small Supporter's Badge graphic to your main menu and ship status screen; no in-game effects, locked content or features, it's purely a way to support our studio and the future of Star Traders if you desire to do so. Since Star Traders: Frontiers full launch in 2018, weve been thrilled to keep the game growing with an ongoing stream of free content updates, more than 250 of them over 6 years (not counting the 90 updates in EA). Weve often been asked about expansions or paid DLC content, but we believed making content available for free to everyone who bought the game is the better way to do it. Now, with the game having more than twice (in some areas three times) as much content as it did at launch, some have suggested that we raise the price, but we dont think that makes sense for keeping the Star Traders community growing.
First, the exciting stuff -- thanks to everyone who is carrying a Supporter Badge -- this update includes new artwork for planetary landings. This update brings 3 new custom-made art boards to add variety to Jungle outposts, Molten Urban and Desert wilds. These art boards will show up for all players immediately when installing v3.4.3, no map regeneration is required. Trese Brothers -- always backwards compatible!
Second, a new rare card that drops unique (one per game) S-tier relic gear. This new card appears in the Explorer game deck, most often on high danger worlds. This card, if drawn, will grant Experience, Traits and of course, a piece of Relic Gear. There are two groups with 4 unique pieces of gear each. Each of the 8 gear pieces will ever only appear once per Captain. While we were adding these new pieces of gear, we discovered a rounding error that was causing a meaningful % of Relics to never drop in most saved games. While adding the new card we also fixed the existing Explorer card that grants Relics so that the entire range of intended rewards is available. This adds about 20 relics that were not dropping back into the catalogs. Enjoy!
This patch rolls up a number of balance adjustments we've been testing in ship combat for the past few weeks. All together they adjust Crippling Effects to increase their variation from each other and to make them each more impactful on ship combat. Be warned -- these more deadly effects can hit both your opponents and your own ship equally. Double check that your crew is ready with enough ship combat effect purging Talents to clear these if you get them. This is the first of several balance adjustments for ship combat aimed at adding more variety to some elements that were too similar to others. For example, Electrical Fires and Hull Venting are now substantially different when compared. Depending on if you're trying to cook crew or burn out weapons, one or the other will be a better choice. So get out there Captain and enjoy the last rays of this year's summer sun. Grab a cup of hot spice, take in some new planetary vistas and go relic hunting in the latest Star Traders: Frontiers update.
- New Art! 3 New planetary images added -- new Jungle Moon, Molten City and Desert Waste - New ultra-rare, ultra-powerful "Zendu Relic" Explorer card and 8 new pieces of unique gear - Revised Crippling Effects -- 'Bomb' can now cause Secondary Explosions, 'Rocket' can now trigger cause Engine Failure - Secondary Explosions (caused by Bomb and Missile) crippling effect received a damage boost - System Blackout (caused by Energy Weapons) crippling effect now reduces Reactor Points by -2 (-1 previously) - Crew Panic (caused by Mass Drivers) crippling effect now includes -10 Escape penalty - Electrical Fires now cause +25% more component damage over time, and -10% less crew damage - Venting Hull now causes +25% more crew damage over time, and -10% less component damage - Fixed issue preventing certain types of gear (about 20) from dropping as relics
[ 2024-09-19 16:50:46 CET ] [ Original post ]
The Summer of Star Traders is coming to a close but fear not - this begins the long, cold, dark of winter. Expect the worst -- freezing blasts of content, new ships flying like icy daggers, a veritable blizzard of new stuff for Star Traders. So, take the captains' chair, buckle up, get a warm space suit and let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Whatever Autumn, move over for the Winter of Star Traders!
Supporter's Badge DLC ($5)
First up, let us extra a huge THANK YOU to all the captains who have "badged up" to the new Supporters Badge DLC. We knew you liked the updates, but wow! Let's keep it rolling. Since it is our first and only DLC for Star Traders: Frontiers, we're going to keep talking about it in the next few updates so that players who didn't see the original post can catch the news - we've added a $5 DLC to Star Traders: Frontiers. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3198060/Star_Traders_Frontiers_Supporter_Badge/ This DLC contains no additional game content, it only supports the many years of free content and features added to the base game since release. The Supporter DLC adds a small Supporter's Badge graphic to your main menu and ship status screen; no in-game effects, locked content or features, it's purely a way to support our studio and the future of Star Traders if you desire to do so. Since Star Traders: Frontiers full launch in 2018, weve been thrilled to keep the game growing with an ongoing stream of free content updates, more than 250 of them over 6 years (not counting the 90 updates in EA). Weve often been asked about expansions or paid DLC content, but we believed making content available for free to everyone who bought the game is the better way to do it. Now, with the game having more than twice (in some areas three times) as much content as it did at launch, some have suggested that we raise the price, but we dont think that makes sense for keeping the Star Traders community growing.
New Planetary Artwork
First, the exciting stuff -- thanks to everyone who is carrying a Supporter Badge -- this update includes new artwork for planetary landings. This update brings 3 new custom-made art boards to add variety to Jungle outposts, Molten Urban and Desert wilds. These art boards will show up for all players immediately when installing v3.4.3, no map regeneration is required. Trese Brothers -- always backwards compatible!
Zendu Relics in Exploration
Second, a new rare card that drops unique (one per game) S-tier relic gear. This new card appears in the Explorer game deck, most often on high danger worlds. This card, if drawn, will grant Experience, Traits and of course, a piece of Relic Gear. There are two groups with 4 unique pieces of gear each. Each of the 8 gear pieces will ever only appear once per Captain. While we were adding these new pieces of gear, we discovered a rounding error that was causing a meaningful % of Relics to never drop in most saved games. While adding the new card we also fixed the existing Explorer card that grants Relics so that the entire range of intended rewards is available. This adds about 20 relics that were not dropping back into the catalogs. Enjoy!
Ship Crippling Effects
This patch rolls up a number of balance adjustments we've been testing in ship combat for the past few weeks. All together they adjust Crippling Effects to increase their variation from each other and to make them each more impactful on ship combat. Be warned -- these more deadly effects can hit both your opponents and your own ship equally. Double check that your crew is ready with enough ship combat effect purging Talents to clear these if you get them. This is the first of several balance adjustments for ship combat aimed at adding more variety to some elements that were too similar to others. For example, Electrical Fires and Hull Venting are now substantially different when compared. Depending on if you're trying to cook crew or burn out weapons, one or the other will be a better choice. So get out there Captain and enjoy the last rays of this year's summer sun. Grab a cup of hot spice, take in some new planetary vistas and go relic hunting in the latest Star Traders: Frontiers update.
v3.4.3 - #355: Jungle Moon, Zendu Relic - 9/19/2024
- New Art! 3 New planetary images added -- new Jungle Moon, Molten City and Desert Waste - New ultra-rare, ultra-powerful "Zendu Relic" Explorer card and 8 new pieces of unique gear - Revised Crippling Effects -- 'Bomb' can now cause Secondary Explosions, 'Rocket' can now trigger cause Engine Failure - Secondary Explosions (caused by Bomb and Missile) crippling effect received a damage boost - System Blackout (caused by Energy Weapons) crippling effect now reduces Reactor Points by -2 (-1 previously) - Crew Panic (caused by Mass Drivers) crippling effect now includes -10 Escape penalty - Electrical Fires now cause +25% more component damage over time, and -10% less crew damage - Venting Hull now causes +25% more crew damage over time, and -10% less component damage - Fixed issue preventing certain types of gear (about 20) from dropping as relics
Update #354: Exo-Scout Profession and Supporter's Badge DLC
This DLC contains no additional game content, it only supports the many years of free content and features added to the base game since release. The Supporter DLC adds a small Supporter's Badge graphic to your main menu and ship status screen; no in-game effects, locked content or features, it's purely a way to support our studio and the future of Star Traders if you desire to do so. Since Star Traders: Frontiers full launch in 2018, weve been thrilled to keep the game growing with an ongoing stream of free content updates, more than 250 of them over 6 years (not counting the 90 updates in EA). Weve often been asked about expansions or paid DLC content, but we believed making content available for free to everyone who bought the game is the better way to do it. Now, with the game having more than twice (in some areas three times) as much content as it did at launch, some have suggested that we raise the price, but we dont think that makes sense for keeping the Star Traders community growing. Instead, were launching this Supporters DLC to give those who want to support our studio a way to do so, if you find it worth it for all the extra content thats been added to the game since full launch:
^and this was last updated in January 2023; we've just kept adding since then lol. If you like the way we do things here at Trese Brothers, and want to support the future of the Star Traders series, this DLC offers a way to show that support. Whether you're a new captain or you've ridden out 300+ updates since Early Access with us on this crazy journey, thank you for your support in all of its many forms - hanging out with us in Discord, posting on reddit or in the Steam forums, sending in bug reports and new suggestions or leaving a review. We're looking forward to bringing you more Star Traders. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3198060/Star_Traders_Frontiers_Supporter_Badge/
We are thrilled to roll out a new profession - the Exo-Scout who boasts an ancient Star Traders charter, hailing from the days when the quadrants were yet to be founded and the Templar were signing charters themselves to bring more Star Traders into the space-faring fold. The Exo-Scout is a great profession for their focus and two-fold versatility: they can be kitted out to be a very adaptable crew combatant or a leader in Exploration-heavy career. Or both. Or stand toe-to-toe with xeno. Or die horribly standing on the toes of the xeno ... It all depends on how you do it, captain.
Adding new professions opens up totally new paths to play for both systems and role-playing purposes and we can't wait to see what you do with the Exo-Scout - tell us your stories!
Traits are generated for characters based on their homeworld, faction and job. We've improved the options that can be rolled up for Exo-Scouts and Blade Masters with Update #354, giving them a few more options to pull from which can make them more exciting recruits or additions to the crew.
Missions linked to Conflicts always have the risk that the Conflict expires. In some cases, the game has not been handling the expiration of the Conflict with the best grace, and instead of printing a message about "intel from ERROR" which wasn't very helpful. We've cleaned up a number of these misprints with a more helpful message.
We fixed one series of clicks or keystrokes you could make that would result in you getting hit (or maybe you think of it as a bonus?) with a double Landing on a planet. Once you've landed, you're counted as landed and do not get another landing event unless you move or play a round of an Orbital Op. This bug could cause a landing event without either of these circumstances being true.
- New Profession: Exo-Scout (Leads exploration and crew combat from the back line) - Updated starting Trait generators to support Blade Master & Exo Scout - Fixed several issues with Conflict-linked Missions after the Conflict expired - Fixed a UI issue that could cause a double landing - Fixed typos for the Blade Master profession's Traits
[ 2024-09-17 18:22:40 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, welcome back from the void. Come sit a while in the spice hall and listen to the stories we have today - of Exo-Scouts and explorers, salvagers and supporters of the grand factions.
With Update #354, we've added the all new Exo-Scout profession to the game. And after 6 years, we're releasing our first ever DLC - a totally-optional, no-content-gated $5 Supporter's Badge.
Supporter's Badge DLC ($5)
This DLC contains no additional game content, it only supports the many years of free content and features added to the base game since release. The Supporter DLC adds a small Supporter's Badge graphic to your main menu and ship status screen; no in-game effects, locked content or features, it's purely a way to support our studio and the future of Star Traders if you desire to do so. Since Star Traders: Frontiers full launch in 2018, weve been thrilled to keep the game growing with an ongoing stream of free content updates, more than 250 of them over 6 years (not counting the 90 updates in EA). Weve often been asked about expansions or paid DLC content, but we believed making content available for free to everyone who bought the game is the better way to do it. Now, with the game having more than twice (in some areas three times) as much content as it did at launch, some have suggested that we raise the price, but we dont think that makes sense for keeping the Star Traders community growing. Instead, were launching this Supporters DLC to give those who want to support our studio a way to do so, if you find it worth it for all the extra content thats been added to the game since full launch:
- RELIC Expansion - all new Orbital Salvage Op and the Scavenger Job and Profession
- TERROX Expansion - new xeno ships, components, and crew jobs
- INTERDICTION Expansion - added carrier ship types, 3 types of craft and matching Wing Jobs
- HIGHFALL Expansion - late game Era determines the direction of the coalition with Dissension or Consolidation story arcs
- BROOD Expansion - all new late game Era with new and terrifying Jyeeta alien species
- CATALYST Expansion - all new Scientific Intel system, Scientist Job and Profession
- TEMPLAR Expansion - crossover storyline with unique NPCs and weapons added
- CARTOGRAPHER Expansion - map seed v2 improving all map generation, allowing for larger and smaller maps, new default map
- MODS Expansion - added official mod support for the game, including all-unlocks mod version & Steam Workshop support
- Many more new ships, gear, crew jobs, cosmetics, professions, traits, ship components, story vignettes, planet art, modding support, and more across hundreds of other updates.
^and this was last updated in January 2023; we've just kept adding since then lol. If you like the way we do things here at Trese Brothers, and want to support the future of the Star Traders series, this DLC offers a way to show that support. Whether you're a new captain or you've ridden out 300+ updates since Early Access with us on this crazy journey, thank you for your support in all of its many forms - hanging out with us in Discord, posting on reddit or in the Steam forums, sending in bug reports and new suggestions or leaving a review. We're looking forward to bringing you more Star Traders. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3198060/Star_Traders_Frontiers_Supporter_Badge/
Exo-Scout Profession
We are thrilled to roll out a new profession - the Exo-Scout who boasts an ancient Star Traders charter, hailing from the days when the quadrants were yet to be founded and the Templar were signing charters themselves to bring more Star Traders into the space-faring fold. The Exo-Scout is a great profession for their focus and two-fold versatility: they can be kitted out to be a very adaptable crew combatant or a leader in Exploration-heavy career. Or both. Or stand toe-to-toe with xeno. Or die horribly standing on the toes of the xeno ... It all depends on how you do it, captain.
Adding new professions opens up totally new paths to play for both systems and role-playing purposes and we can't wait to see what you do with the Exo-Scout - tell us your stories!
Better Trait Generators
Traits are generated for characters based on their homeworld, faction and job. We've improved the options that can be rolled up for Exo-Scouts and Blade Masters with Update #354, giving them a few more options to pull from which can make them more exciting recruits or additions to the crew.
Conflict-Linked Mission Expirations
Missions linked to Conflicts always have the risk that the Conflict expires. In some cases, the game has not been handling the expiration of the Conflict with the best grace, and instead of printing a message about "intel from ERROR" which wasn't very helpful. We've cleaned up a number of these misprints with a more helpful message.
Double Landing UI Bug
We fixed one series of clicks or keystrokes you could make that would result in you getting hit (or maybe you think of it as a bonus?) with a double Landing on a planet. Once you've landed, you're counted as landed and do not get another landing event unless you move or play a round of an Orbital Op. This bug could cause a landing event without either of these circumstances being true.
v3.4.1 - 9/17/2024
- New Profession: Exo-Scout (Leads exploration and crew combat from the back line) - Updated starting Trait generators to support Blade Master & Exo Scout - Fixed several issues with Conflict-linked Missions after the Conflict expired - Fixed a UI issue that could cause a double landing - Fixed typos for the Blade Master profession's Traits
Update #353: Careening
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access in late 2023 and has received over 135 updates! Does that sound familiar to any other (space captain) game you love? Cyber Knight's features even more in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and a major evolution on the Star Trader's story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them in dynamic ways that we never achieved with STF. We hope you'll come check it out or wishlist it to give it another look when the game launches! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
We've rebalanced many of the ranges in Bomber damage, straightening out some odd bends and crooks in the progression. We've widened up the range of the damage dice rolled for bombs, pushing for more impact from buffing Talents in order to get the most optimal bombing runs. Some later game bombers have also had their Radiation Damage buffed.
A big thanks goes out to players continuing to report bugs here on Steam and through other channels. Star Traders: Frontiers continues to draw new captains to the void and with each new play through, we can still find little things that can improved or fixed.
This update fixes some ship combat logs that were sometimes showed giant negative numbers (-135810933181) instead of the actual dice rolls (22 Strong Dice) which could occur if the enemy captain or officers used Talents like Blood Game. We've fixed a possible crash in the defeat screen if the enemy Captain tried to use a Prize Ship talent to claim your ship in the case of your captain's death or defeat. We also fixed a few mixed up values and hovers in the craft screen - either purchasing or reviewing them - where the Radiation and Void Damage hovers could flip or where the minimum Rank shown for craft purchases could just end up being the wrong value in longer craft lists. Thanks to all of our players, we've got more coming in the Summer of Star Traders!
- Rebalanced Small Craft Bomber Damage, Damage Ranges, Radiation Damage Ratios (human+xeno) - Fixed Radiation and Void Dmg hovers showing incorrect rules in craft list - Fixed AI ship boarding messages and rolls when AI uses boarding Talents like Blood Game - Fixes defeat screen crash where the AI would attempt to seize a player's ship as a prize ship - Fixes issues with Minimum Rank and Small Craft Purchases (Display & Rules now match) - Fixed reported bugs and crashes
[ 2024-09-13 19:02:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
The Summer of Star Traders isn't over yet! This is our 9th update since we opened the doors for the Summer event and we're excited to say - it's been so much fun, we're going to keep on rolling into the Autumn of Star Traders. While Update #353 is a Bomber-focused rebalance and bug fix, we've got some exciting things coming up so stay tuned.
Our new game is more than halfway through Early Access!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access in late 2023 and has received over 135 updates! Does that sound familiar to any other (space captain) game you love? Cyber Knight's features even more in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and a major evolution on the Star Trader's story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them in dynamic ways that we never achieved with STF. We hope you'll come check it out or wishlist it to give it another look when the game launches! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Bomber Meta Rebalance
We've rebalanced many of the ranges in Bomber damage, straightening out some odd bends and crooks in the progression. We've widened up the range of the damage dice rolled for bombs, pushing for more impact from buffing Talents in order to get the most optimal bombing runs. Some later game bombers have also had their Radiation Damage buffed.
Scraping off the bugs
A big thanks goes out to players continuing to report bugs here on Steam and through other channels. Star Traders: Frontiers continues to draw new captains to the void and with each new play through, we can still find little things that can improved or fixed.
This update fixes some ship combat logs that were sometimes showed giant negative numbers (-135810933181) instead of the actual dice rolls (22 Strong Dice) which could occur if the enemy captain or officers used Talents like Blood Game. We've fixed a possible crash in the defeat screen if the enemy Captain tried to use a Prize Ship talent to claim your ship in the case of your captain's death or defeat. We also fixed a few mixed up values and hovers in the craft screen - either purchasing or reviewing them - where the Radiation and Void Damage hovers could flip or where the minimum Rank shown for craft purchases could just end up being the wrong value in longer craft lists. Thanks to all of our players, we've got more coming in the Summer of Star Traders!
v3.3.121 - 9/13/2024
- Rebalanced Small Craft Bomber Damage, Damage Ranges, Radiation Damage Ratios (human+xeno) - Fixed Radiation and Void Dmg hovers showing incorrect rules in craft list - Fixed AI ship boarding messages and rolls when AI uses boarding Talents like Blood Game - Fixes defeat screen crash where the AI would attempt to seize a player's ship as a prize ship - Fixes issues with Minimum Rank and Small Craft Purchases (Display & Rules now match) - Fixed reported bugs and crashes
Update #352: Daystar Reckoning
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #132 and a major milestone MAGNITUDE v2 today as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. In celebration of the big milestone hit, the entire Steam catalog including Star Traders: Frontiers and Cyber Knights: Flashpoint are on sale this week. If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #325, we've released a new Dragoon is small slot level 9 missile launcher. As the highest level small slot missile around, it has a solid 80 Radiation Damage and a big boost for regular ship damage that lets it beat out both the Valkri and Gargoyle missiles for sheer crushing power.
With this update, we've completed a full review of travel and landing saves for Ship Ops, Electronics and other Skills that are used. We found a few places where the math - which is taking into account a lot of factors like crew size, component complexity, Rumors, etc - could get extremely spikey and produce unfairly large damage results for both health and Morale. These issues were especially caused by bad Rumors. Bad, bad Rumors :D We've smoothed these over to reduce sudden spikes. In other advice, be sure to have enough Saving Talents, ensure that you have highly skilled crew to work your specialized ships (keep your Skill Saves well above 100%!) and where possible keep all soft skills (Doctor, Command, Intimidate) above the head count of crew on board.
We've also finished testing the AI ship builder capabilities for a number of new hulls - including the Vengeance Class Mk3, Wolfpack Interceptor, Paladin Crusader and Voracious. While it is nice that you can now use Prize Ship to capture these ships as your own, it is important to be wary of enemy captains who are flying these recently released hulls as they are doing pretty interesting things with them. Finally, we've added a new AI variation for the Terrox Deathspear which can help the AI turn it into an even more deadly boat.
We tweaked the balance on the Seraphim Railgun and the Daystar Railgun to ensure that they fit into the mold of the weapon class and are appropriate in stats for the small and medium slots. Be sure to check them out as you consider your next ship build. v3.3.119 - 8/26/2024 - New Ship Weapon: Dragoon Missile Launcher (medium slot) - Improved rules for Crew Damage and Crew Morale Damage as a result of Rumor, Travel or Landing tests - New enemy AI for "Vengeance Class Mk3" + "Wolfpack Interceptor" + "Paladin Crusader" + "Voracious Class" + "Terrox Deathspear" - Reworked "Daystar Railgun" Ship Weapon (small slot) - Buffed Seraphim Railgun Array (medium slot) - Fixed reported bugs and crashes
[ 2024-08-26 21:11:09 CET ] [ Original post ]
From the wastes we have returned, Star Traders! Some late summer vacation put a pause on Star Traders: Frontiers updates for a minute but we're back in the spice hall and let's keep this ride going. Let's check out what we've got in Update #352!
Updates for All!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #132 and a major milestone MAGNITUDE v2 today as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. In celebration of the big milestone hit, the entire Steam catalog including Star Traders: Frontiers and Cyber Knights: Flashpoint are on sale this week. If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Dragoon Missile Launcher
With Update #325, we've released a new Dragoon is small slot level 9 missile launcher. As the highest level small slot missile around, it has a solid 80 Radiation Damage and a big boost for regular ship damage that lets it beat out both the Valkri and Gargoyle missiles for sheer crushing power.
Improved Crew Dmg / Morale Dmg during Travel & Landing
With this update, we've completed a full review of travel and landing saves for Ship Ops, Electronics and other Skills that are used. We found a few places where the math - which is taking into account a lot of factors like crew size, component complexity, Rumors, etc - could get extremely spikey and produce unfairly large damage results for both health and Morale. These issues were especially caused by bad Rumors. Bad, bad Rumors :D We've smoothed these over to reduce sudden spikes. In other advice, be sure to have enough Saving Talents, ensure that you have highly skilled crew to work your specialized ships (keep your Skill Saves well above 100%!) and where possible keep all soft skills (Doctor, Command, Intimidate) above the head count of crew on board.
New AI Ships in the Mix
We've also finished testing the AI ship builder capabilities for a number of new hulls - including the Vengeance Class Mk3, Wolfpack Interceptor, Paladin Crusader and Voracious. While it is nice that you can now use Prize Ship to capture these ships as your own, it is important to be wary of enemy captains who are flying these recently released hulls as they are doing pretty interesting things with them. Finally, we've added a new AI variation for the Terrox Deathspear which can help the AI turn it into an even more deadly boat.
Re-balanced 2 Railguns
We tweaked the balance on the Seraphim Railgun and the Daystar Railgun to ensure that they fit into the mold of the weapon class and are appropriate in stats for the small and medium slots. Be sure to check them out as you consider your next ship build. v3.3.119 - 8/26/2024 - New Ship Weapon: Dragoon Missile Launcher (medium slot) - Improved rules for Crew Damage and Crew Morale Damage as a result of Rumor, Travel or Landing tests - New enemy AI for "Vengeance Class Mk3" + "Wolfpack Interceptor" + "Paladin Crusader" + "Voracious Class" + "Terrox Deathspear" - Reworked "Daystar Railgun" Ship Weapon (small slot) - Buffed Seraphim Railgun Array (medium slot) - Fixed reported bugs and crashes
Update #351: Large Hangar Bay in Annex Style
In the last update we made a mistake with the Large Hangar bay. Sometimes when you work on a sprawling game for 6 years, you can forget the limits in certain subsystems. Currently, Hangar bays are limited to 1 craft only, and so our release of Large Hangar bay taking more than 1 craft was not supported under the game's current rules and UI.
Annexes are types of components that offer regular bonuses for that component type as well as an additional cabin for an officer. Now you have option to pack in an officer cabin into a large slot. The Shielded and Reinforced Hangar Bays offering these annexes are massive bulwarks, offering powerful Shield or Armor ratings as well as the living quarters for the Wing officer (we assume!) and their craft.
Not to be outdone when it comes to hangars, Alta Mesa's large slot Warhawk Hangar Bay offers the super-annex option, including space for 2 Officers and 1 Craft. If your carrier can spare 2 large slots to the Warhawk series, you're S-tier all the way with Alta Mesa.
Not to be outdone when it comes to craft, we've increased the bonuses across the board for the Alta Mesa Warhawk Launch Bay, ensuring that it is one of the best launch bay options you can find. We've also fixed reported typos and other text errors - thanks to everyone for their attention to detail when reporting bugs.
- Revised 'Large Hanger Bay' to hold 1 Officer, 1 Craft and Fuel - New Ship Component: Large Shielded Hangar Bay (1 Officer + 1 Craft + Armor) - New Ship Component: Large Reinforced Hangar Bay (1 Officer + 1 Craft + Shields) - New Ship Component: Warhawk Hangar Bay (2 Officers + 1 Craft, Alta Mesa Only) - Buffed Alta Mesa only Warhawk Launch Bay (Increased Bonuses) - Fixed typos and text errors
[ 2024-08-15 15:24:13 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, come sit at the spice hall and hear a tale of powerful carrier ships, highly trained wing crew and large hangar bays worth their weight in credits. It's another update in the Summer of Star Traders series which introduces 3 new Hangar Bays and fixes an issue with the recently released Large Hangar Bay and further improves Alta Mesa's position as the best-in-class when it comes to craft.
Thanks to everyone who has supported our efforts on Star Traders: Frontiers these six years! Yes, six years of updates, we launched in August of 2018 steamhappy
Large Hangars Redux
In the last update we made a mistake with the Large Hangar bay. Sometimes when you work on a sprawling game for 6 years, you can forget the limits in certain subsystems. Currently, Hangar bays are limited to 1 craft only, and so our release of Large Hangar bay taking more than 1 craft was not supported under the game's current rules and UI.
Hangar Bay Annexes
Annexes are types of components that offer regular bonuses for that component type as well as an additional cabin for an officer. Now you have option to pack in an officer cabin into a large slot. The Shielded and Reinforced Hangar Bays offering these annexes are massive bulwarks, offering powerful Shield or Armor ratings as well as the living quarters for the Wing officer (we assume!) and their craft.
Alta Mesa Warhawk Large Hangar
Not to be outdone when it comes to hangars, Alta Mesa's large slot Warhawk Hangar Bay offers the super-annex option, including space for 2 Officers and 1 Craft. If your carrier can spare 2 large slots to the Warhawk series, you're S-tier all the way with Alta Mesa.
Alta Mesa Improvement
Not to be outdone when it comes to craft, we've increased the bonuses across the board for the Alta Mesa Warhawk Launch Bay, ensuring that it is one of the best launch bay options you can find. We've also fixed reported typos and other text errors - thanks to everyone for their attention to detail when reporting bugs.
v3.3.117 - 8/12/2024
- Revised 'Large Hanger Bay' to hold 1 Officer, 1 Craft and Fuel - New Ship Component: Large Shielded Hangar Bay (1 Officer + 1 Craft + Armor) - New Ship Component: Large Reinforced Hangar Bay (1 Officer + 1 Craft + Shields) - New Ship Component: Warhawk Hangar Bay (2 Officers + 1 Craft, Alta Mesa Only) - Buffed Alta Mesa only Warhawk Launch Bay (Increased Bonuses) - Fixed typos and text errors
Update #350: Midsummer Updates
First up, we have two new components that were suggested by players. We're also working on a new starting ship, and in the process of getting it to work we've had to add a new new components. Some of those are going out for testing in this release, some will go out in the next release and the last set will go out in the release after that.
The Reinforced Micro Launch Bay provides a size 1 launching point for your small craft and some additional armor points. This component appears on the new small starting ship and is particularly useful for sub-carriers that are using Shuttles for boarding instead of a mix of craft types. The 'Large Hanger Bay' was suggested over email and provides a way to store craft in the largest components. Specifically intended for large carriers, the Large Hanger Bay can single handedly manage an entire fighter wing of small craft - 3 craft total.
Thanks to eagle-eyed Steam user 'Crim' we've got a bunch of balance adjustments to a number of small craft. Some buffs had been applied inconsistently during a previous balancing pass, and that put a few of the craft's stats pretty far outside the expected progression. For Faulker D5 and Frostburn VX6 we've increased their speed to match the progression for their type. To bring the Cresent Chaser, Gold Paentra and Feralight MX8 into balance with their level and cost, we've increased their accuracy and agility. This brings a number of craft that were underpowered for their level into alignment. Thanks, Crim!
To ensure the Armored Salvage Bay 5 is still worth the upgrade, we've increased both its cargo and fuel bonuses for the price it requires.
The Voracious Class was criminally underpriced due to an error in our ship designer which was pointed out on the Steam forum and we fixed that one today. The price tag has jumped up to $950K+ v3.3.115 - New Ship Component: 'Reinforced Micro Launch Bay' - New Ship Component: 'Large Hangar Bay' (Large Slot, holds 3 Craft as requested) - Increased Speed for 'Faulker D5' and 'Frostburn VX6' Craft - Increased Accuracy and Agility for Cresent Chaser, Gold Paentra Mk2, Feralight MX8 - Repriced Ship, "Voracious Class" now sold for between 950k and 1.045M - Increased Cargo and Fuel Bonus for 'Armored Salvage Bay 5' - Added three new components to enemy Ship builder - Fixed text issues and reported bugs
[ 2024-08-03 19:12:17 CET ] [ Original post ]
Many welcomes, Star Traders! Come in, come in, the spice hall awaits you.. Pull up a seat, grab a spice plate and recline a while as we share the latest and greatest news from the Frontiers. Today's update continues the Summer of Star Traders update series and is focused on carriers, small craft and ship components -- with the usual mix of fixes for your reported bugs and typos that have still, to this day, somehow evaded detection.
In additional to these changes, we've made a sweep with this release to push all the new ship components that have been added in previous updates into the hands of the enemy captain and ship builder, so keep an eye out for some adjusted or more powerful ship builds, especially at the high level.
Added New Carrier Components
First up, we have two new components that were suggested by players. We're also working on a new starting ship, and in the process of getting it to work we've had to add a new new components. Some of those are going out for testing in this release, some will go out in the next release and the last set will go out in the release after that.
The Reinforced Micro Launch Bay provides a size 1 launching point for your small craft and some additional armor points. This component appears on the new small starting ship and is particularly useful for sub-carriers that are using Shuttles for boarding instead of a mix of craft types. The 'Large Hanger Bay' was suggested over email and provides a way to store craft in the largest components. Specifically intended for large carriers, the Large Hanger Bay can single handedly manage an entire fighter wing of small craft - 3 craft total.
Small Craft Adjustments
Thanks to eagle-eyed Steam user 'Crim' we've got a bunch of balance adjustments to a number of small craft. Some buffs had been applied inconsistently during a previous balancing pass, and that put a few of the craft's stats pretty far outside the expected progression. For Faulker D5 and Frostburn VX6 we've increased their speed to match the progression for their type. To bring the Cresent Chaser, Gold Paentra and Feralight MX8 into balance with their level and cost, we've increased their accuracy and agility. This brings a number of craft that were underpowered for their level into alignment. Thanks, Crim!
Better Armored Salvage Bay 5
To ensure the Armored Salvage Bay 5 is still worth the upgrade, we've increased both its cargo and fuel bonuses for the price it requires.
Voracious Class for a Steal
The Voracious Class was criminally underpriced due to an error in our ship designer which was pointed out on the Steam forum and we fixed that one today. The price tag has jumped up to $950K+ v3.3.115 - New Ship Component: 'Reinforced Micro Launch Bay' - New Ship Component: 'Large Hangar Bay' (Large Slot, holds 3 Craft as requested) - Increased Speed for 'Faulker D5' and 'Frostburn VX6' Craft - Increased Accuracy and Agility for Cresent Chaser, Gold Paentra Mk2, Feralight MX8 - Repriced Ship, "Voracious Class" now sold for between 950k and 1.045M - Increased Cargo and Fuel Bonus for 'Armored Salvage Bay 5' - Added three new components to enemy Ship builder - Fixed text issues and reported bugs
Mini-map August 2024 Community Challenge
Good luck and have fun, Captains!
[ 2024-08-02 23:12:36 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello, Captains. Its time for another STF challenge. This is the mini-map challenge! How will you play on the smallest of maps with the least sectors? Is it very different from your standard style of play? What choices will you make and why?
This challenge really only has one "rule." That you play on the specific map seed for this challenge. Otherwise, you can play whatever professions, ships, rules, and styles you would like.
The map seed for this challenge is: st-v02-12-2-99475829
It is a 12 sector very small map. Chillbear who suggested it says that it has a very strong starting position for Steelsong.
Some ideas for what wed love to see:
- Screenshots of your ship, your crew
- Descriptions of your strategies approaching such a small map and how they are different from your 'normal' strategies
- Tell us about the challenges your faced, particularly those around it being a small map or interesting things that happened
- Any other creative ways you want to share to tell us about life in so few sectors: memes, interpretive dance, gifs, etc
Good luck and have fun, Captains!
Update #349: Priority Signal Incoming
So many of our updates for Star Traders are based on feedback from you all. But there are limits to what we can do in a game 5 years after its release. Our new tactical heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is evolving fast in Early Access, with plenty of room for content ideas and shifts in gameplay based on what early players are finding fun. Join us to make this game another one youll be enjoying for years to come. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Thanks to the community for the outpouring of excitement and feedback about the new Blade Master profession! We've included a set of adjustments the Blade Master's Traits to balance them out. With your help, they are in a much better spot now. The Blade Master's Blood Ritual Trait has been upgraded to be much more focused on combat engagements with bonus to Fortitude, Melee Damage and a very powerful Debuff Resist.
However, all this discussion of Profession balancing has highlighted the unfortunate fact that some of the first professions added to the game during the Early Access phase have been left behind a bit by the power curve. We'll be taking some time this month to make some adjustments and try to bring things back into balance. This patch includes some improvements to the Bounty Hunter profession.
Two terrifying new ship weapons are now available, the DSX Plasma Battery and the Vanguard Gravcannon. The new DSX Plasma Battery is a medium slot level 9 weapon and the Vanguard Gravcannon can punch a hole through anything at large slot, level 9. These are both based on requests from the community, so please keep your ideas and posts coming! They are fuel for the Star Traders reactor.
An awesome community member brought to our attention how easily confused the Defense Pattern Matrix and the Pilot Assist Module are when looking at ship status screenshots. To make this less confusing and make screenshots more readable, we've changed the icon for Defense Pattern Matrix from Pilot Booster to Defense Booster. This better matches what the component does and is visually more clear. Win-win!
With so many new captains taking the bridge of the Paladin Crusader and Wolfpack Interceptor, we've heard a lot of feedback about how to tune these ships up to be just right. A big thanks to everyone sending this in and helping us improve. We've done some component swaps and tweaks and these are flying off the starport launch pad better than ever.
- Further revised Blade Master Profession Traits - Improved Bounty Hunter Profession Traits - New Ship Weapon: DSX Plasma Battery (Size 2, Level 9) - New Ship Weapon: Vanguard Gravcannon (Size 3, Level 9) - Components adjustments for "Paladin Crusader" and "Wolfpack Interceptor" - Changed ship component icon for "Defense Pattern Matrix" to increase clarity - Fixed bugs and reported crashes
[ 2024-07-27 16:36:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
A priority signal is beaming in from the void, captain. It's another update. They say it is update #349. There must be some mistake ... With this update we've improved the Blade Master Trait balance, circled back to improve the first Early Access profession, Bounty Hunter, added 2 new ship weapons and completed some minor improvements for the Paladin Crusader and Wolfpack Interceptor.
If you're enjoying your first-class, front-row seat on the update train here at Star Traders HQ, please be sure to leave a review, share the game and tell a friend!
Want to help shape our next game?
So many of our updates for Star Traders are based on feedback from you all. But there are limits to what we can do in a game 5 years after its release. Our new tactical heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is evolving fast in Early Access, with plenty of room for content ideas and shifts in gameplay based on what early players are finding fun. Join us to make this game another one youll be enjoying for years to come. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Blade Master Trait Updates
Thanks to the community for the outpouring of excitement and feedback about the new Blade Master profession! We've included a set of adjustments the Blade Master's Traits to balance them out. With your help, they are in a much better spot now. The Blade Master's Blood Ritual Trait has been upgraded to be much more focused on combat engagements with bonus to Fortitude, Melee Damage and a very powerful Debuff Resist.
Bounty Hunter Profession Buffs!
However, all this discussion of Profession balancing has highlighted the unfortunate fact that some of the first professions added to the game during the Early Access phase have been left behind a bit by the power curve. We'll be taking some time this month to make some adjustments and try to bring things back into balance. This patch includes some improvements to the Bounty Hunter profession.
New Ship Weapons!
Two terrifying new ship weapons are now available, the DSX Plasma Battery and the Vanguard Gravcannon. The new DSX Plasma Battery is a medium slot level 9 weapon and the Vanguard Gravcannon can punch a hole through anything at large slot, level 9. These are both based on requests from the community, so please keep your ideas and posts coming! They are fuel for the Star Traders reactor.
Improved Component Labeling
An awesome community member brought to our attention how easily confused the Defense Pattern Matrix and the Pilot Assist Module are when looking at ship status screenshots. To make this less confusing and make screenshots more readable, we've changed the icon for Defense Pattern Matrix from Pilot Booster to Defense Booster. This better matches what the component does and is visually more clear. Win-win!
On-Going Tweaks to Paladin Crusader and Wolfpack Interceptor
With so many new captains taking the bridge of the Paladin Crusader and Wolfpack Interceptor, we've heard a lot of feedback about how to tune these ships up to be just right. A big thanks to everyone sending this in and helping us improve. We've done some component swaps and tweaks and these are flying off the starport launch pad better than ever.
v3.3.113 - 7/27/2024
- Further revised Blade Master Profession Traits - Improved Bounty Hunter Profession Traits - New Ship Weapon: DSX Plasma Battery (Size 2, Level 9) - New Ship Weapon: Vanguard Gravcannon (Size 3, Level 9) - Components adjustments for "Paladin Crusader" and "Wolfpack Interceptor" - Changed ship component icon for "Defense Pattern Matrix" to increase clarity - Fixed bugs and reported crashes
Update #348: Fastest Blade in the Galaxy
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access. Just in the month of July we've added the NanoFab crafting system to create and customize your own weapons, armor, and equipment as well as the infamous Head Hunters system, the big bad bounty hunters are coming for you! We're excited to be a part of the on-going Tacticon festival with a great sale, so come join us in the New Boston zone. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Available immediately to all players this unlocked Captain Profession for Blade Master lets you start as a member of the ancient sect of melee warriors and entertainers. This new profession grants the Blade Dancer job and has 2 unique Traits. Blade Master captain is useful in both crew combat, boarding ship operations and during missions.
If you haven't tried a new career or run at the stars in a while, come join us again in the void with this exciting new profession!
This update also includes a new ship, the Voracious Class which is a hybrid battlecruiser-carrier using micro carrier components to provide a berth for a boarding shuttle. Popular with Steel Song (and Blade Master Captains haha) this ship is a modern redesign of one of the ships added to the game in 2017, the Raptor.
Based on player feedback we've redesigned the Paladin Crusader completely. If you purchased the old design on 3.3.107, congrats, you have a one-of-a-kind relic. The new v3.3.109 design is more expensive, but considerably more tuned to its role as an alternative to the Paladin Defender. We hope you like the changes!
Lastly we've added a new ship, the Terrox Deathspear and we're sorry to announce that it is hostile to all life in the galaxy. It is a medium size ship, with a good engine. We will be monitoring how well it does over the next few weeks. If you have any feedback after encountering a Deathspear, please let us know. This new Xeno ship isn't more powerful than other existing Xeno ships, but it is pretty different in how the AI tries to use it. Beware! We also fixed a bunch of bugs, performance issues. blah blah the usual stuff. Thanks for playing!
- New Profession: Blade Master (Blade Dancer Job) - New Ship, "Voracious Class" (Modern take on Raptor Class, 6000M) - New Xeno Ship, "Terrox Deathspear" (Good Luck!) - Complete redesign of Paladin Crusader based on player feedback - Fixed component category missing for Large Size Passenger and Prison Cell - Performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
[ 2024-07-22 03:42:56 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome back to the void, Captains, and let's say hello to another mid-summer update in our Summer of Star Traders event! You may have purchased this game 5 years ago, but we're still here making it better with Update #348. We've rolled out a brand-new Profession for Blade Master, Voracious Class ship design and a redesign of the Paladin Cruiser and finally a nasty new Terrox ship to battle.
Thanks to everyone for playing, posting a leaving a review!
Cyber Knights is getting lots of updates too!
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access. Just in the month of July we've added the NanoFab crafting system to create and customize your own weapons, armor, and equipment as well as the infamous Head Hunters system, the big bad bounty hunters are coming for you! We're excited to be a part of the on-going Tacticon festival with a great sale, so come join us in the New Boston zone. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Blade Master Profession
Available immediately to all players this unlocked Captain Profession for Blade Master lets you start as a member of the ancient sect of melee warriors and entertainers. This new profession grants the Blade Dancer job and has 2 unique Traits. Blade Master captain is useful in both crew combat, boarding ship operations and during missions.
If you haven't tried a new career or run at the stars in a while, come join us again in the void with this exciting new profession!
New Ship: Voracious Class
This update also includes a new ship, the Voracious Class which is a hybrid battlecruiser-carrier using micro carrier components to provide a berth for a boarding shuttle. Popular with Steel Song (and Blade Master Captains haha) this ship is a modern redesign of one of the ships added to the game in 2017, the Raptor.
Redesigned Paladin Crusader
Based on player feedback we've redesigned the Paladin Crusader completely. If you purchased the old design on 3.3.107, congrats, you have a one-of-a-kind relic. The new v3.3.109 design is more expensive, but considerably more tuned to its role as an alternative to the Paladin Defender. We hope you like the changes!
Terrox Deathspear
Lastly we've added a new ship, the Terrox Deathspear and we're sorry to announce that it is hostile to all life in the galaxy. It is a medium size ship, with a good engine. We will be monitoring how well it does over the next few weeks. If you have any feedback after encountering a Deathspear, please let us know. This new Xeno ship isn't more powerful than other existing Xeno ships, but it is pretty different in how the AI tries to use it. Beware! We also fixed a bunch of bugs, performance issues. blah blah the usual stuff. Thanks for playing!
v3.3.109 - 7/21/2024
- New Profession: Blade Master (Blade Dancer Job) - New Ship, "Voracious Class" (Modern take on Raptor Class, 6000M) - New Xeno Ship, "Terrox Deathspear" (Good Luck!) - Complete redesign of Paladin Crusader based on player feedback - Fixed component category missing for Large Size Passenger and Prison Cell - Performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
Update #347: Paladin to the Crusade
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, just launched into Steam Early Access! Featuring in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and an all-new story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them based on how youve played. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Update #347 adds a new ship design that was provided by a Captain with extremely high Reputation, Dr. Spendlove. We did our best to lovingly translate his design into the starports around the galaxy. The Paladin Crusader is an upgraded take on the Paladin Defender, a common ship for early game Star Trader Captains. The Paladin Crusader is unique among the 5000 Mass ships, featuring a 6th Officer slot and an additional small compartment tucked below the Void Reactor's cooling fin array. While the Crusader is more expensive than the Defender, it will offer more flexibility and a better path to a high Mass late game, if the Captain can afford the Crusader's premium price.
Update #347 adds 2 new cards which are the start of a series of additional Reward and Risk cards that have been designed and are scheduled to be added to the game throughout the Summer of Star Traders. The cards in this new series will be hybrids -- combining two previously distinct Reward cards into one blended and connected card. Hybrid cards, both Rewards and Risks, will be considerably more rare than normal cards but add fun variety. The "Stash of Secrets" card leads the Captain to sealed vault from the early days of the Founding. The card generates Intel Records based on the early days of the Quadrant's colonization, bonus Experience for the Crew and the chance of rolling a cool new Trait for one of your Crew. The "Uncover Rumors" Explorer card leads the Captain to a connected web of Rumors, spread across the Galaxy. Sniffing at the web of secrets and rumors that link Contacts and Factions, the Captain is able piece together clues and discover two or more Rumors. The Captain and Crew receive an Experience bonus based on the number of linked Rumors discovered. Rumors recently purchased by a Contact will be the most likely to discover with this card. The new "Influence Bust" Salvage card (a -5 Risk card) fuses two fun mechanics -- Influence loss and Rumor degradation -- into a single thematic event. A disaster of a card that can only appear in Orbital Construction Salvage decks, this one can get Contacts killed, end Conflicts, or send the Orbital Construction project to salvage and end the Rumor all together.
We received some helpful feedback that the list of Traits in Black Market's trait card was a little too similar to the ones granted by other game's Trait cards. After some analysis, we agree -- this could be better. The Traits granted from Black Market are now more thematically aligned with the Crew's intimidation of the local FDF and fearless flaunting of standard Faction protocols. We are in the process of making a set of updates to the Explorer game's card weight list that will help increase the variety of hands, provide more differentiation between high and low risk zones and respond to Rumors more dramatically. This update includes some early work on this project, and rebalances dozens of card weights in the Reward and Risk decks. Explorer already feels better!
We also gave the AI some new ships and are still testing our new Xeno Ship. It came out of the egg a wee bit too stronk, so we're trying to reign it in a little bit before it escapes into the Quadrants.
- New Ship, "Paladin Crusader" (6 officer, 30 Crew, 5000 Mass) - New "Stash of Secrets" Explorer Card - New "Uncover Rumors" Explorer Card - New "Influence Bust" Salvage Card (Orbital Construction) - Improved "New Trait" card in Black Market - Rebalanced card weights for Explorer decks - We gave the AI some new ships to play with (new Xeno ship next update, brace yourselves)
[ 2024-07-10 18:35:44 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome back to the spice hall again, captain. Come, sit a while and let me tell you a story of another update for everyone's favorite Star Traders game, Star Traders: Frontiers. Did you know its the Summer of Star Traders? This update brings a new ship, new Explorer and Salvage cards and some rebalancing of the Explorer's probability tables. The Black Market "New Trait" card has also been adjusted, so let's dig in!
If you're enjoying the summer of updates, please let us know, post up things you'd like to see included and be sure to tell a friend and leave a review!
Our new game has started Early Access!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, just launched into Steam Early Access! Featuring in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and an all-new story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them based on how youve played. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Ship: Paladin Crusader
Update #347 adds a new ship design that was provided by a Captain with extremely high Reputation, Dr. Spendlove. We did our best to lovingly translate his design into the starports around the galaxy. The Paladin Crusader is an upgraded take on the Paladin Defender, a common ship for early game Star Trader Captains. The Paladin Crusader is unique among the 5000 Mass ships, featuring a 6th Officer slot and an additional small compartment tucked below the Void Reactor's cooling fin array. While the Crusader is more expensive than the Defender, it will offer more flexibility and a better path to a high Mass late game, if the Captain can afford the Crusader's premium price.
New Explorer Cards
Update #347 adds 2 new cards which are the start of a series of additional Reward and Risk cards that have been designed and are scheduled to be added to the game throughout the Summer of Star Traders. The cards in this new series will be hybrids -- combining two previously distinct Reward cards into one blended and connected card. Hybrid cards, both Rewards and Risks, will be considerably more rare than normal cards but add fun variety. The "Stash of Secrets" card leads the Captain to sealed vault from the early days of the Founding. The card generates Intel Records based on the early days of the Quadrant's colonization, bonus Experience for the Crew and the chance of rolling a cool new Trait for one of your Crew. The "Uncover Rumors" Explorer card leads the Captain to a connected web of Rumors, spread across the Galaxy. Sniffing at the web of secrets and rumors that link Contacts and Factions, the Captain is able piece together clues and discover two or more Rumors. The Captain and Crew receive an Experience bonus based on the number of linked Rumors discovered. Rumors recently purchased by a Contact will be the most likely to discover with this card. The new "Influence Bust" Salvage card (a -5 Risk card) fuses two fun mechanics -- Influence loss and Rumor degradation -- into a single thematic event. A disaster of a card that can only appear in Orbital Construction Salvage decks, this one can get Contacts killed, end Conflicts, or send the Orbital Construction project to salvage and end the Rumor all together.
Trait Black Market Cards
We received some helpful feedback that the list of Traits in Black Market's trait card was a little too similar to the ones granted by other game's Trait cards. After some analysis, we agree -- this could be better. The Traits granted from Black Market are now more thematically aligned with the Crew's intimidation of the local FDF and fearless flaunting of standard Faction protocols. We are in the process of making a set of updates to the Explorer game's card weight list that will help increase the variety of hands, provide more differentiation between high and low risk zones and respond to Rumors more dramatically. This update includes some early work on this project, and rebalances dozens of card weights in the Reward and Risk decks. Explorer already feels better!
More AI Ship Types
We also gave the AI some new ships and are still testing our new Xeno Ship. It came out of the egg a wee bit too stronk, so we're trying to reign it in a little bit before it escapes into the Quadrants.
v3.3.107 - 7/10/2024
- New Ship, "Paladin Crusader" (6 officer, 30 Crew, 5000 Mass) - New "Stash of Secrets" Explorer Card - New "Uncover Rumors" Explorer Card - New "Influence Bust" Salvage Card (Orbital Construction) - Improved "New Trait" card in Black Market - Rebalanced card weights for Explorer decks - We gave the AI some new ships to play with (new Xeno ship next update, brace yourselves)
Update #346: Black Market Streets
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access. In June we smashed 5 major milestones - including the new Agent EX character class, a new character creation experience for new game, dynamic evolution among Contact Traits and Services (inspired by, yes, Star Traders: Frontiers). Now, in July we're motoring toward Crafting and Head Hunters to round out a very update-hot summer. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
This update brings a new ship that was specifically requested by some players. The new "Wolfpack Interceptor" (not yet used by the AI) is a bare bones 3400 mass ship modeled after its bigger, and much more expensive sibling, the Wolf Vector. The "Wolfpack Interceptor" is a ready-to-customize ship built at starports across the galaxy. At only 20% of the cost of a Wolf Vector, your Captain can fly around in a ship that looks almost as good.
Update #346 handed the AI a few new ships and recently added components. Look out for your opponents sporting upgraded weapons and new hull types. One thing that has been requested by several players who specialize in Xeno hunting is some additional variety among the worst opponents in the game. With that somewhat questionable goal in mind, we've been testing some new varieties of Xeno ships. They're not yet ready to release, but they're waiting in the wings.
Update #346 This update makes several substantial adjustments to the rules around Black Market and Rumor interactions making it much easier for the player to successfully trade under several rumor conditions. First, the Rumors Spice Festival, Civil Unrest and UCF Riots temporarily, but completely, block the Faction's capacity to confiscate illegal cargo from the Captain. The Jyeeta Xeno Rumors also received a substantial reduction in faction capacity to confiscate cargo (they will take 50% less units) but an increased risk of combat with the FDF. As all Quadrant, Planet and Zone Rumors can stack, these changes allow for more fun, exploitable conditions in the Black Market caused by a confluence of Rumor events.
We appreciate everyone who alerted us to defects and issues this week while they were playing. Most of those are fixed in this update and we're pushing a new update to the Wiki to include all the new content and components.
- New Ship, "Wolfpack Interceptor" (bare bones 3400 early game ship) - Black Market: Spice Festival, Civil Unrest, UCF Riots block Faction capacity to confiscate cargo - Jyeeta Rumors now have substantial impact on Black Market odds - During Mercenaries Rumors, Black Market may proc high-level crew combats - We gave the AI some new ships to play with (and we're testing a new Xeno ship) - Fixed issues with "Vengeance Class Mk3" - Fixed issues with "Mortifor Carrier"
[ 2024-07-01 18:13:12 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome, Star Trader. Join us, pass the plate and share a tale of adventure among the stars. Or just pull up a seat, kick back and bask in the warm glow of the summer (of Star Traders). We were hard at work this week incorporating recent feedback, adjusting systems and planning for the months ahead. Lots to look forward to for fans of Star Traders: Frontiers. Tell a friend! We are looking forward to hearing your feedback, on Discord or Steam, about what you'd like to see next.
If you're liking the updates as we cruise up to #350, please do take a moment to leave a review.
Cyber Knights is getting lots of updates too!
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access. In June we smashed 5 major milestones - including the new Agent EX character class, a new character creation experience for new game, dynamic evolution among Contact Traits and Services (inspired by, yes, Star Traders: Frontiers). Now, in July we're motoring toward Crafting and Head Hunters to round out a very update-hot summer. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New LIght-Class Wolfpack Interceptor
This update brings a new ship that was specifically requested by some players. The new "Wolfpack Interceptor" (not yet used by the AI) is a bare bones 3400 mass ship modeled after its bigger, and much more expensive sibling, the Wolf Vector. The "Wolfpack Interceptor" is a ready-to-customize ship built at starports across the galaxy. At only 20% of the cost of a Wolf Vector, your Captain can fly around in a ship that looks almost as good.
AI Ship Access
Update #346 handed the AI a few new ships and recently added components. Look out for your opponents sporting upgraded weapons and new hull types. One thing that has been requested by several players who specialize in Xeno hunting is some additional variety among the worst opponents in the game. With that somewhat questionable goal in mind, we've been testing some new varieties of Xeno ships. They're not yet ready to release, but they're waiting in the wings.
Black Market and Rumors
Update #346 This update makes several substantial adjustments to the rules around Black Market and Rumor interactions making it much easier for the player to successfully trade under several rumor conditions. First, the Rumors Spice Festival, Civil Unrest and UCF Riots temporarily, but completely, block the Faction's capacity to confiscate illegal cargo from the Captain. The Jyeeta Xeno Rumors also received a substantial reduction in faction capacity to confiscate cargo (they will take 50% less units) but an increased risk of combat with the FDF. As all Quadrant, Planet and Zone Rumors can stack, these changes allow for more fun, exploitable conditions in the Black Market caused by a confluence of Rumor events.
Bug Fixes - thanks for your posts!
We appreciate everyone who alerted us to defects and issues this week while they were playing. Most of those are fixed in this update and we're pushing a new update to the Wiki to include all the new content and components.
v3.3.105 - 7/1/2024
- New Ship, "Wolfpack Interceptor" (bare bones 3400 early game ship) - Black Market: Spice Festival, Civil Unrest, UCF Riots block Faction capacity to confiscate cargo - Jyeeta Rumors now have substantial impact on Black Market odds - During Mercenaries Rumors, Black Market may proc high-level crew combats - We gave the AI some new ships to play with (and we're testing a new Xeno ship) - Fixed issues with "Vengeance Class Mk3" - Fixed issues with "Mortifor Carrier"
Update #345: Summer of Star Traders!
First, a new Ship design for players -- the Vengeance Class Mk3! A rearchitected version of the classic Mk1 hull, this 7000 Mass ship is an excellent platform for customization. Suitable for both combat and orbital operations, the Mk3 offers a high number of Small and Large components allowing for more weapons and more large utility. This ship is not yet in the hands of the AI. If you fly it, please let us know what you think.
We also made progress connecting even more types of Rumors to Exploration and Salvage -- this update brings some of those as well. In this update we're adding some risky reward type boosts. These Rumors already impact the nature and severity of the Risk deck, but now they also boost some pretty good Reward cards. Exploring Xeno infested planets is dangerous, but it can also lead to unexpected treasure. These new connections stack with other Rumor conditions -- so a Xeno Spores Rumor on the Planet and a Resource Rush Rumor on the Zone can both exist simultaneously and provide double benefits.
We also fixed some reported issues with the ships "Acheron Battlecarrier" and "Mortifor Carrier" and "Dreadnought Battlecarrier" which will apply to any of those ships purchased in games after v3.3.103 is deployed. For backwards compatibility reasons, the legacy versions of these ships will remain unchanged. Finally, we completed some ship component clean-up, notably fixing the "Flamebreak" Torpedo. Any ships with this weapon will be fixed by this update.
- New Ship, "Vengeance Class Mk3" ("Return of the Revengeance") - When exploring on planets plagued by Pirates, the chance of a valuable stash is doubled - When exploring on planets plagued by Xeno, the chance of XP rewards is doubled - Fixed Ship Weapon: "Flamebreak Torpedo" (Size 1, 2RP) - Fixed Ship Design bugs in "Acheron Battlecarrier" and "Mortifor Carrier" and "Dreadnought Battlecarrier"
[ 2024-06-28 15:26:26 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome back, Star Traders! We have not forgotten about our captains plying the void, tirelessly seeking their fame, riches or the glint of a xeno ship in the dark of space. Don't drink the Water-Fuel, we've got updates!
We're excited to announce "The Summer of Star Traders" which intends to return to form on updates and expansions over the upcoming summer months. The team here at Trese Brothers has been mighty busy with Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, where came up with a self-imposed challenge to complete 7 major roadmap milestones in the month of June. We just wrapped up #5 (steamhappysteamhappysteamhappy) so we'll count that as a win, and we thought why not doing it again? So the gauntlet is thrown - let's go for an awesome Summer of Star Traders updates.
We are looking forward to hearing your feedback, on Steam or on Discord, about what you'd like to see added to the game's arsenal of equipment, ships, missions and mini-games. The Summer of Star Traders won't have any specific focus besides "more Star Traders" because we plan to add a few exciting things to as many different systems as possible. Oh and some new artwork for both characters and ships will be coming!
To get things going, today we've got posted Update #345!
Vengeance Class Mk3
First, a new Ship design for players -- the Vengeance Class Mk3! A rearchitected version of the classic Mk1 hull, this 7000 Mass ship is an excellent platform for customization. Suitable for both combat and orbital operations, the Mk3 offers a high number of Small and Large components allowing for more weapons and more large utility. This ship is not yet in the hands of the AI. If you fly it, please let us know what you think.
Salvage and Exploration
We also made progress connecting even more types of Rumors to Exploration and Salvage -- this update brings some of those as well. In this update we're adding some risky reward type boosts. These Rumors already impact the nature and severity of the Risk deck, but now they also boost some pretty good Reward cards. Exploring Xeno infested planets is dangerous, but it can also lead to unexpected treasure. These new connections stack with other Rumor conditions -- so a Xeno Spores Rumor on the Planet and a Resource Rush Rumor on the Zone can both exist simultaneously and provide double benefits.
Issue Clean up
We also fixed some reported issues with the ships "Acheron Battlecarrier" and "Mortifor Carrier" and "Dreadnought Battlecarrier" which will apply to any of those ships purchased in games after v3.3.103 is deployed. For backwards compatibility reasons, the legacy versions of these ships will remain unchanged. Finally, we completed some ship component clean-up, notably fixing the "Flamebreak" Torpedo. Any ships with this weapon will be fixed by this update.
v3.3.103 - 6/28/2024
- New Ship, "Vengeance Class Mk3" ("Return of the Revengeance") - When exploring on planets plagued by Pirates, the chance of a valuable stash is doubled - When exploring on planets plagued by Xeno, the chance of XP rewards is doubled - Fixed Ship Weapon: "Flamebreak Torpedo" (Size 1, 2RP) - Fixed Ship Design bugs in "Acheron Battlecarrier" and "Mortifor Carrier" and "Dreadnought Battlecarrier"
Update #344: Life-Guard!
If you're a fan of games like XCOM 2, Shadowrun, or Invisible Inc., be sure to check out our new squad tactics heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Now halfway through Early Access, we just added the game's final core feature -- safehouse base building -- and have a huge pipeline of new content coming to an already sizeable mix of dynamic story and procedurally-generated missions. Cyber Knights uses a new custom-built story engine called the "Casting Director." As your playthrough progresses, it chooses from a pool of available storylines and selects which of your squad members and NPCs to feature in them based on their character traits and how you've engaged with them throughout the game. As we add more content, the result will be highly dynamic tabletop-RPG-like stories that feel responsive to your choices and fresh across multiple playthroughs. Take a look and see how far Cyber Knights has already come: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
You can never have enough TORP, and so the Flamebreak is a new small slot torpedo option once the UCF has ushered the higher tier weapons into the faction's arsenal. It is a big step up from the Firewave and able to pack a more significant punch from its Range 5 small slot.
We've continued to fill in new rank 15 Talents for each job, and Bodyguard has just received their addition. The Praetorian Guard Talent is superior to the lower level Honor Guard Talent in many ways, but with its higher Initiative cost to use, it may be worth keeping both on the Talent roster and using each at the right time.
We fixed the issue with the last update where the medium slot Prison Cells and Passenger Cabins required some special steps to make them visible. Now there are regular categories for each type visible in the list in the medium slot.
- New Rank 15 Bodyguard Talent: Praetorian Guard - New Ship Weapon: "Flamebreak Torpedo" (Size 1, 2RP) - Fixed component category missing for Medium Size Passenger and Prison Cell - Fixed issue with "Shizari Huntress" that could hide a Fighter inside a Sensor Array - Fixed issue where high level AI Captains sometimes spawned with no Talents
[ 2024-05-14 03:52:15 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #344, we're welcoming Endless Replay Fest to the void with what might be dubbed endless updates! We're excited to be adding a new high-end capital ship weapon, a new Bodyguard job Talent at rank 15, fixing a bug that made it hard to find medium slot Passenger Cabins and Prison cells and resolving other reported oddities with ship enemy AI rules and ship builds.
Thanks for your support captains! With a 50% off deal right now, help us share the game by telling a friend or leaving a review!
Our next endlessly replayable RPG just hit a big milestone!
If you're a fan of games like XCOM 2, Shadowrun, or Invisible Inc., be sure to check out our new squad tactics heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Now halfway through Early Access, we just added the game's final core feature -- safehouse base building -- and have a huge pipeline of new content coming to an already sizeable mix of dynamic story and procedurally-generated missions. Cyber Knights uses a new custom-built story engine called the "Casting Director." As your playthrough progresses, it chooses from a pool of available storylines and selects which of your squad members and NPCs to feature in them based on their character traits and how you've engaged with them throughout the game. As we add more content, the result will be highly dynamic tabletop-RPG-like stories that feel responsive to your choices and fresh across multiple playthroughs. Take a look and see how far Cyber Knights has already come: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Flamebreak Small Slot Torp
You can never have enough TORP, and so the Flamebreak is a new small slot torpedo option once the UCF has ushered the higher tier weapons into the faction's arsenal. It is a big step up from the Firewave and able to pack a more significant punch from its Range 5 small slot.
Rank 15: Praetorian Guard
We've continued to fill in new rank 15 Talents for each job, and Bodyguard has just received their addition. The Praetorian Guard Talent is superior to the lower level Honor Guard Talent in many ways, but with its higher Initiative cost to use, it may be worth keeping both on the Talent roster and using each at the right time.
Finding Prison Cells and Cabins
We fixed the issue with the last update where the medium slot Prison Cells and Passenger Cabins required some special steps to make them visible. Now there are regular categories for each type visible in the list in the medium slot.
v3.3.101 - 5/13/2024
- New Rank 15 Bodyguard Talent: Praetorian Guard - New Ship Weapon: "Flamebreak Torpedo" (Size 1, 2RP) - Fixed component category missing for Medium Size Passenger and Prison Cell - Fixed issue with "Shizari Huntress" that could hide a Fighter inside a Sensor Array - Fixed issue where high level AI Captains sometimes spawned with no Talents
Update #343: Esteemed Guests, Come Aboard
The community Bounty Hunter challenge has really heated up in the last weeks - get in now to sail the stars and mete our your justice and RP as your favorite famous hunter. https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/4114672134621189282?snr=2___
This update includes a new ship component suggested by a member of our Discord server. Designed specifically for small ships with mission-centric Captains, we are introducing the humorously named "Esteemed Guest Cabins" which provide a hybrid prison cell - passenger cabin that can hold one Prisoner and 1 Passenger simultaneously. Don't worry -- the quarters are separated by security and thick walls and feature completely different entrances so your high-valued passenger never needs to know they are housed next to some of the galaxy's most wanted.
During our Friday Star Traders: Frontiers dev chat on Twitch (join us this Friday, March 29th at 11 AM EST for more fun!) we worked on brainstorming and implementing new weapons based on community input. We added the new ship weapon, Chimera Missile Battery, which has moderate damage but a high chance to inflict devastating crippling effects on your enemy's ship. It is a terrific weapon for opening battles and gaining an advantage at long and medium range. Also suggested, and named by our captains on Twitch, the new ship weapon Seraphim Railgun Array brings the power of a Medium sized railgun array to Captains who prefer to use 3RP weapons. The design of the Seraphim trades base damage for an increased rate of critical hits. When it scores one, the Seraphim will deliver top-tier damage by stacking high damage dice and massive void damage.
And finally, we've added a new small slot railgun, the Daystar Railgun. The Daystar Railgun provides a high level damage source for small components and is very accurate against both ships and craft. Depending on your ship's build and size, this new railgun array might be perfect for your medium range engagements.
As new ship components are added to the game, we keep an eye on them and then release them out to the enemy ship builder. Update #343 includes a new batch of high powered ship components released to the enemy ship builder, so beware that your enemies can now use so of these higher end strategies and weapons that have appeared in the last run of updates. The viewers on Twitch were less excited about this development task, but Cory yelled something about "Crew Dog scum!" and kept Morale high by introducting the run of 3 new mighty ship weapons mentioned above.
While we were adding the Esteemed Guest Cabin, we noticed some balance issues and repriced some similar components, specifically the Reinforced Passenger Cabin and Shielded Passenger Cabin. We also fix some incorrect component levels for Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells to make the shipyard sorting better.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #65 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the sixth major roadmap milestone on the roadmap with the new Scourge class and the MAGNITUDE update adding 13 new proc-gen objective and map combinations to the the game in one massive swing. If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New Ship Component: Esteemed Guest Cabins (1 Prisoner, 1 Passenger) - New Ship Weapon: Chimera Missile Battery - New Ship Weapon: Daystar Railgun (Size Small) - New Ship Weapon: Seraphim Railgun Array (Size Medium) - Added some new components to enemy Ship builder - Repriced Reinforced Passenger Cabin and Shielded Passenger Cabin - Fixed Ship Component levels for Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells
[ 2024-03-28 16:29:38 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, welcome to the bridge. Please take the chair and get ready for Update #343. Not a typo, that's really 3-4-3. With this update we've got new 3 new high-level ship weapons, the amazing Esteemed Guest Cabin, upgraded enemy ship builder options and the on-going community challenge for Bounty Hunters.
If you're enjoying the years of support and updates, please take a moment to leave a review and check out our other games like Cyber Knights: Flashpoint.
Calling the Bounty Hunters
The community Bounty Hunter challenge has really heated up in the last weeks - get in now to sail the stars and mete our your justice and RP as your favorite famous hunter. https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/4114672134621189282?snr=2___
Esteemed Guest Cabin
This update includes a new ship component suggested by a member of our Discord server. Designed specifically for small ships with mission-centric Captains, we are introducing the humorously named "Esteemed Guest Cabins" which provide a hybrid prison cell - passenger cabin that can hold one Prisoner and 1 Passenger simultaneously. Don't worry -- the quarters are separated by security and thick walls and feature completely different entrances so your high-valued passenger never needs to know they are housed next to some of the galaxy's most wanted.
New Weapons (thanks Twitch team!)
During our Friday Star Traders: Frontiers dev chat on Twitch (join us this Friday, March 29th at 11 AM EST for more fun!) we worked on brainstorming and implementing new weapons based on community input. We added the new ship weapon, Chimera Missile Battery, which has moderate damage but a high chance to inflict devastating crippling effects on your enemy's ship. It is a terrific weapon for opening battles and gaining an advantage at long and medium range. Also suggested, and named by our captains on Twitch, the new ship weapon Seraphim Railgun Array brings the power of a Medium sized railgun array to Captains who prefer to use 3RP weapons. The design of the Seraphim trades base damage for an increased rate of critical hits. When it scores one, the Seraphim will deliver top-tier damage by stacking high damage dice and massive void damage.
And finally, we've added a new small slot railgun, the Daystar Railgun. The Daystar Railgun provides a high level damage source for small components and is very accurate against both ships and craft. Depending on your ship's build and size, this new railgun array might be perfect for your medium range engagements.
Enemy Ship Builder Upgrades
As new ship components are added to the game, we keep an eye on them and then release them out to the enemy ship builder. Update #343 includes a new batch of high powered ship components released to the enemy ship builder, so beware that your enemies can now use so of these higher end strategies and weapons that have appeared in the last run of updates. The viewers on Twitch were less excited about this development task, but Cory yelled something about "Crew Dog scum!" and kept Morale high by introducting the run of 3 new mighty ship weapons mentioned above.
Repriced Cabins
While we were adding the Esteemed Guest Cabin, we noticed some balance issues and repriced some similar components, specifically the Reinforced Passenger Cabin and Shielded Passenger Cabin. We also fix some incorrect component levels for Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells to make the shipyard sorting better.
Our new turn-based tactics RPG!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #65 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the sixth major roadmap milestone on the roadmap with the new Scourge class and the MAGNITUDE update adding 13 new proc-gen objective and map combinations to the the game in one massive swing. If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.3.99 - 3/28/2024
- New Ship Component: Esteemed Guest Cabins (1 Prisoner, 1 Passenger) - New Ship Weapon: Chimera Missile Battery - New Ship Weapon: Daystar Railgun (Size Small) - New Ship Weapon: Seraphim Railgun Array (Size Medium) - Added some new components to enemy Ship builder - Repriced Reinforced Passenger Cabin and Shielded Passenger Cabin - Fixed Ship Component levels for Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells
Save 50% and Update #342: Large Hauler
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access. In February we added the all new Scourge class to the game, unleashing the power of th chem-hive to poison, distract or trick the enemy security forces. And now, at the start of the Spring Sale we just dropped the MAGNITUDE update which simply blows up the variety in proc-gen missions for the game with a total of 10 new mission objective and mission map combos. Come check it out! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
We've recently kicked off the latest Star Traders: Frontiers community challenge - the Bounty Hunter themed role-playing challenge. Base your to captain, officers, and playstyle around a famous bounty hunter from a movie, book or comic. Try to style your appearance, names and roles to match the famous character and their crew - and then take on the biggest bounties in the galaxy. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/4114672134621189281
By popular demand, we've added in the final 3 Large Fuel Tanks with levels 5 to 8. At the top end, this can grant a whopping 450 Fuel. If you're in a larger ship and want to install a few of these, you can now guzzle over 1000 Water-Fuel at the starports quite easily. Watch your price-per-unit now, as that can get expensive fast!
We've smoothed out some bumps and issues within the artifact loot tables for Salvage, including both weapons, armor and gear. This should help prevent certain types of results from being repeated too often and increase the chances to draw high-end salvage artifacts if the gear card has a high score.
If you are gaining new ships through your Prize Ship Talents, the now count toward your ships owend score in your captain's overall score. This path to ownership had been missed in the stats, so thanks to the captains who pointed it out for a quick fix. We've also fixed a bug that could result in $0 prize ships and another reported issue with prize ships ending up at indie zones which generally isn't right.
We had some reports that randomizing your crew from within the roster could lead to crashes. We clicked enough times to make it happen too :D and then fixed it! Now you can randomize to your hearts content. We're looking at adding new elements to the randomization so that you can get a hat or eyewear swapping too. The feature is oddly so fun, it deserves more.
- By popular demand, added Large Fuel Tank 5-8 (maxing out at 450 Water-Fuel) - During Radiation Storm Rumors, Crew Mutiny is more likely - Prize Ships now generate "Owned Ships" Score - Updated Salvage Artifacts loot tables for better distribution - Fixed crash that could happen when randomizing appearance in crew roster - Fixes issue with $0 Prize Ships - Fixes issue with Indie Prize Courts - Fixed weak Edgebane Tincture gear - Fixed weak Hogobloxin Balm gear
[ 2024-03-17 18:00:20 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to the Steam Spring Sale! Along with the 50% discount, we've got Update #342 with new ship components, fixes for prize ships scoring and pricing, improved distribution of the loot drops in Salvage Relic cards and a pile of fixes suggested by the community.
Thanks to everyone who has supported us on this epic journey to #342 updates and beyond! We hope you'll share the game with a friend and leave a review.
Cyber Knights is getting lots of updates too!
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access. In February we added the all new Scourge class to the game, unleashing the power of th chem-hive to poison, distract or trick the enemy security forces. And now, at the start of the Spring Sale we just dropped the MAGNITUDE update which simply blows up the variety in proc-gen missions for the game with a total of 10 new mission objective and mission map combos. Come check it out! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Bounty Hunter Community Challenge
We've recently kicked off the latest Star Traders: Frontiers community challenge - the Bounty Hunter themed role-playing challenge. Base your to captain, officers, and playstyle around a famous bounty hunter from a movie, book or comic. Try to style your appearance, names and roles to match the famous character and their crew - and then take on the biggest bounties in the galaxy. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/4114672134621189281
+3 New Large Fuel Tanks
By popular demand, we've added in the final 3 Large Fuel Tanks with levels 5 to 8. At the top end, this can grant a whopping 450 Fuel. If you're in a larger ship and want to install a few of these, you can now guzzle over 1000 Water-Fuel at the starports quite easily. Watch your price-per-unit now, as that can get expensive fast!
Better Salvage Artifact Distribution
We've smoothed out some bumps and issues within the artifact loot tables for Salvage, including both weapons, armor and gear. This should help prevent certain types of results from being repeated too often and increase the chances to draw high-end salvage artifacts if the gear card has a high score.
Tally Those Prize Ships!
If you are gaining new ships through your Prize Ship Talents, the now count toward your ships owend score in your captain's overall score. This path to ownership had been missed in the stats, so thanks to the captains who pointed it out for a quick fix. We've also fixed a bug that could result in $0 prize ships and another reported issue with prize ships ending up at indie zones which generally isn't right.
Randomize On!
We had some reports that randomizing your crew from within the roster could lead to crashes. We clicked enough times to make it happen too :D and then fixed it! Now you can randomize to your hearts content. We're looking at adding new elements to the randomization so that you can get a hat or eyewear swapping too. The feature is oddly so fun, it deserves more.
v3.3.97 - 3/17/2024
- By popular demand, added Large Fuel Tank 5-8 (maxing out at 450 Water-Fuel) - During Radiation Storm Rumors, Crew Mutiny is more likely - Prize Ships now generate "Owned Ships" Score - Updated Salvage Artifacts loot tables for better distribution - Fixed crash that could happen when randomizing appearance in crew roster - Fixes issue with $0 Prize Ships - Fixes issue with Indie Prize Courts - Fixed weak Edgebane Tincture gear - Fixed weak Hogobloxin Balm gear
Bounty Hunter March 2024 Community Challenge
Good luck and have fun, Captains!
[ 2024-03-01 19:09:08 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello, Captains. Its time for another STF challenge. This challenge is a bit different as it is more of an RP challenge - to theme your captain, officers, and playstyle around being a bounty hunter. Shout out to Fchsingeist for giving us the idea with their themed playthrough.
As always there are a few requirements for this challenge, although they are more guidelines and starting points, rather than hard requirements. For this challenge:
- Your captain must be a bounty hunter
- Feel free to theme your run around fictional bounty hunters (Spike and Jet, Han Solo, the Mandalorian, Boba Fett) if you want or create your own original bounty hunter and their team
- Screenshots of your bounty hunters and their officers
- Description of your theme
- Tell us about your highest bounty and the story behind it
- Any other creative ways you want to share to tell us about the bounty hunter life: memes, interpretive dance, gifs, etc
Good luck and have fun, Captains!
Save 50% on Update #341: Masters of Quarters and Spies
This update brings two new Rank 15 Talents, one for Spy and one for Quartermaster. The new Quartermaster "Combat Debrief" talent provides a catch-up mechanic for Crew Experience and provides a strong Morale heal following Crew Combat. Depending on how popular this Talent is, we might be releasing a twin brother Talent that provides the same result but for Ship Combat. The Spy gains "Asset Forfeiture" which is a Prize Ship talent capable of seizing ships during Conflicts, if the Captain holds and Edict and can pay the tithe. Chasing prize ships is a favorite activity for many late game Star Trader: Frontiers players and adding this talent to the Spy has been a popular request. Our hope is that this will open up more Officer builds for players hunting Prize Ships.
We love hearing your ideas for new Rank 15 Talents, even when they are a little bit OP. Keep 'em coming!
By popular request, we've added "Fuel Tank 8" and "Fuel Tank 9" to hold previously unheard of quantities of fuel. Useful for players building ships with the capacity for many hyperwarp jumps without refueling and available for installation on small and medium sized ships. They are expensive to install, but not particularly expensive to maintain. For an upcoming patch we are testing additional Large Fuel Tank upgrades for players who are building dreadnought-sized behemoths with a terrible thirst for fuel.
In an effort to provide even more variety and seekable scenarios, and make Salvage Rumors more valuable for more types of builds, we've added some new rules about how Salvage Ops and Explorer interact. The Explorer deck now includes additional reward, and some risks, when a Salvage Rumor is active overhead. During an Orbital Disaster there are increased risk of Ship Damage, but also the possibility of finding valuable components and cargo that was ferried down to the planet from the dying Orbital. Orbital Construction Rumors also modified the Explorer deck increasing the potential to strike it big when Exploring. We have reworked the very dangerous "Meteor Storm" -5 orbital Risk card to include Navigation or Command in the avoidance save. However, the rule that 25% of the time no save is permitted is still in place -- so watch out for this card. As this card was only included in the deck for a single Rumor, we've also expanded it to be present in all Salvage Operations, albeit at a very low percent. In keeping with the theme of running a rescue operation during Orbital Disasters, we've added an additional large Reputation Bonus reward card to that Salvage Operations deck. This should help balance out some of the additional risk cards that have been added during the v3.3.x series of updates.
The v3.3.x series of updates has included a large number of fixes, new components and price adjustments, both for install value and maintenance cost. As a result, some of the ship prices have started to drift outside of the expected bands. The accountants at the largest Rychart shipyard have teamed up with a Javat price to push for updated pricing, and here we are. Four ships got more expensive, one ship got a lot cheaper. Several ships received patches and adjustments to fix issues and replace some incorrect components.
Cyber Knights has just received a huge update with the new Scourge class, and we wanted to thank all of our players who have helped support all of our games through Early Access and beyond. It makes a big difference to the final quality of the game. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New Rank 15 Spy Talent: Asset Forfeiture (Prize Ship w/ Edict) - New Rank 15 Quartermaster Talent: Combat Debrief (Bonus XP, Morale Recovery) - New Ship Components: Fuel Tank 8, Fuel Tank 9 - "Meteor Storm" orbital card can now be reduced with Navigation or Command check - Salvage Ops can now draw "Meteor Storm" card (very low base chance) - Successful Salvage Ops can now generate Rep Bonus during Orbital Disasters - Explore operations have additional cards for Orbital Disasters and Orbital Construction Rumors - Increased the price of "Rim Exocruiser" by 200K credits - Increased the price of "Basalt Carrier" by 200K credits - Reduced price of updated "Vark Carrier" by 1M credits - Increased the price of "Horizon Highliner" by 175K credits - Increased the price of "Horizon Cruiser" by 175K credits - Components adjustments for "Obsidian Carrier" and "Larimar Battlecruiser"
[ 2024-02-22 18:37:26 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome Star Traders and exiled Cyber Knights to another exciting update post for your favorite Star Traders game, Star Traders: Frontiers. If you haven't already seen, all of the Trese Brothers games and bundles are 33% to 80%-off for the next several days!
This includes the Android and iOS versions of Star Traders and our other games, and we just released a new "Best of Trese Brothers" Steam bundle for a bonus discount on any games you don't already own -- top-down turn-based tactics RPG Templar Battleforce (set in the same universe as Star Traders!), our new squad tactics heist RPG Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, and old-school fantasy tactics in our party-based RPG Heroes of Steel.
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/37813/Best_of_Trese_Brothers/
On to the ST:F update! New Talents!
This update brings two new Rank 15 Talents, one for Spy and one for Quartermaster. The new Quartermaster "Combat Debrief" talent provides a catch-up mechanic for Crew Experience and provides a strong Morale heal following Crew Combat. Depending on how popular this Talent is, we might be releasing a twin brother Talent that provides the same result but for Ship Combat. The Spy gains "Asset Forfeiture" which is a Prize Ship talent capable of seizing ships during Conflicts, if the Captain holds and Edict and can pay the tithe. Chasing prize ships is a favorite activity for many late game Star Trader: Frontiers players and adding this talent to the Spy has been a popular request. Our hope is that this will open up more Officer builds for players hunting Prize Ships.
We love hearing your ideas for new Rank 15 Talents, even when they are a little bit OP. Keep 'em coming!
New Ship Components
By popular request, we've added "Fuel Tank 8" and "Fuel Tank 9" to hold previously unheard of quantities of fuel. Useful for players building ships with the capacity for many hyperwarp jumps without refueling and available for installation on small and medium sized ships. They are expensive to install, but not particularly expensive to maintain. For an upcoming patch we are testing additional Large Fuel Tank upgrades for players who are building dreadnought-sized behemoths with a terrible thirst for fuel.
Exploration & Salvage Linked
In an effort to provide even more variety and seekable scenarios, and make Salvage Rumors more valuable for more types of builds, we've added some new rules about how Salvage Ops and Explorer interact. The Explorer deck now includes additional reward, and some risks, when a Salvage Rumor is active overhead. During an Orbital Disaster there are increased risk of Ship Damage, but also the possibility of finding valuable components and cargo that was ferried down to the planet from the dying Orbital. Orbital Construction Rumors also modified the Explorer deck increasing the potential to strike it big when Exploring. We have reworked the very dangerous "Meteor Storm" -5 orbital Risk card to include Navigation or Command in the avoidance save. However, the rule that 25% of the time no save is permitted is still in place -- so watch out for this card. As this card was only included in the deck for a single Rumor, we've also expanded it to be present in all Salvage Operations, albeit at a very low percent. In keeping with the theme of running a rescue operation during Orbital Disasters, we've added an additional large Reputation Bonus reward card to that Salvage Operations deck. This should help balance out some of the additional risk cards that have been added during the v3.3.x series of updates.
Shipyard Accountants Strike Back
The v3.3.x series of updates has included a large number of fixes, new components and price adjustments, both for install value and maintenance cost. As a result, some of the ship prices have started to drift outside of the expected bands. The accountants at the largest Rychart shipyard have teamed up with a Javat price to push for updated pricing, and here we are. Four ships got more expensive, one ship got a lot cheaper. Several ships received patches and adjustments to fix issues and replace some incorrect components.
First new class added to our new RPG!
Cyber Knights has just received a huge update with the new Scourge class, and we wanted to thank all of our players who have helped support all of our games through Early Access and beyond. It makes a big difference to the final quality of the game. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.3.95 - 2/22/2024
- New Rank 15 Spy Talent: Asset Forfeiture (Prize Ship w/ Edict) - New Rank 15 Quartermaster Talent: Combat Debrief (Bonus XP, Morale Recovery) - New Ship Components: Fuel Tank 8, Fuel Tank 9 - "Meteor Storm" orbital card can now be reduced with Navigation or Command check - Salvage Ops can now draw "Meteor Storm" card (very low base chance) - Successful Salvage Ops can now generate Rep Bonus during Orbital Disasters - Explore operations have additional cards for Orbital Disasters and Orbital Construction Rumors - Increased the price of "Rim Exocruiser" by 200K credits - Increased the price of "Basalt Carrier" by 200K credits - Reduced price of updated "Vark Carrier" by 1M credits - Increased the price of "Horizon Highliner" by 175K credits - Increased the price of "Horizon Cruiser" by 175K credits - Components adjustments for "Obsidian Carrier" and "Larimar Battlecruiser"
Update #340: Many Among the Spice Plate
First, by popular request we've ported the outfit and name randomizer out of the appearance screen and promoted them to the Crew details screen of the Roster. This intends to increase the number of players who can see and use this feature, as well as making it easier to re-randomize large parts of your Crew by using Next + Randomize. Be aware, Captain, that changing the appearance and name of your Crew will do nothing to dissuade or confuse Legendry Bounty Hunters, like "Draiv Solregard" who also get a sneaky little buff in v3.3.91
This update also expands the ship component catalog with new components and integrates previously released components into the AI ship architect. With each update, as we release new ship components first they head out to the player base where we can get feedback and observe their balance. Then, after a period of testing, they are released to the AI ship builder.
New for players this time around are two structural components and a new type of Plasma Cannon. First, the new Water-Fuel Reclamation 6 component will help Captains with smaller fuel tanks maintain longer operational cycles by reducing fuel use and offering a rebate on used fuel. This component can also serve a powerful function in ship combat, as attacks that normally would hit the Ship's Engine can be soaked by a Reclamation plant.
The Armored Salvage Bay 6 provides another upgrade for ships built to Salvage and Explore. The Armored Salvage Bay 6 provides substantially advantages in Salvage while also increasing ship survivability by providing a large amount of Ship's armor. The originally armored salvage bay upgrades were added due to player requests for more Salvage-Combat hybrid components. Salvage operations are always dangerous -- the richest prizes bring all the predators out -- and as a result Ships engaged in Salvage operations are far more likely than Patrol or Spy operators to encounter hostile forces. The Armored Salvage Bay provides enhanced survivability and other minor combat benefits.
Ok and now for the good stuff -- new weapons! The new Obliterator PKX-5 Plasma Cannon will absolutely obliterate your opponents if you can fit it on your ship. Do not attempt to install two of these monsters, that just wouldn't be fair. As a size 3 Plasma Cannon, the Obliterator PKX-5 is now the most devastating mid-range weapon in the game. Previous iterations of the Obliterator line, such as the PKX-3 and Obliterator PKX-1 are size 3 but require a full 4RP to fire, making them difficult to field on all but the largest battleships. The advanced PKX-5 design allows for increased efficiency and plasma coil cooling which means it can be fired for 25% less overall energy while still packing the same devastating punch.
We also fixed some small issues players found and reported. We fixed a rare and specific path through the UI that would allow players to pay landing costs twice for the same zone. We changed the rate of Mutiny generation during Xeno Fleet Rumors, without reducing the Morale loss from the Rumor. Crew are less likely to start internal fights when surrounded by Xeno ships. While less common, Mutiny during Xeno Fleet is far from impossible given the difficulty of passing through such sectors.
- Added randomize name and outfit to crew screen from roster - New Ship Component: Water-Fuel Reclamation 6 - New Ship Component: Armored Salvage Bay 6 - New Ship Weapon: Obliterator PKX-5 (RP3 Plasma Cannon) - Fixed re-landing issue where hitting space or clicking would count as a new landing - Added components from the v3.3.x updates to the AI ship designer - During Xeno Fleet Rumors, Crew Mutiny is less likely
[ 2024-02-05 19:22:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome Captains, to the next episode of This Old Star Traders Update. We sincerely hope that you enjoy the twists and turns of 3.3.91. Let's dig into what's changed!
If you're enjoying the continued support and updates for Star Trader: Frontiers, we hope you'll take a moment to review the game, check out Cyber Knights: Flashpoint or tell a friend about our work.
Outfit / Name Randomization
First, by popular request we've ported the outfit and name randomizer out of the appearance screen and promoted them to the Crew details screen of the Roster. This intends to increase the number of players who can see and use this feature, as well as making it easier to re-randomize large parts of your Crew by using Next + Randomize. Be aware, Captain, that changing the appearance and name of your Crew will do nothing to dissuade or confuse Legendry Bounty Hunters, like "Draiv Solregard" who also get a sneaky little buff in v3.3.91
Improved AI Ship Builder
This update also expands the ship component catalog with new components and integrates previously released components into the AI ship architect. With each update, as we release new ship components first they head out to the player base where we can get feedback and observe their balance. Then, after a period of testing, they are released to the AI ship builder.
Water-Fuel Reclamation 6
New for players this time around are two structural components and a new type of Plasma Cannon. First, the new Water-Fuel Reclamation 6 component will help Captains with smaller fuel tanks maintain longer operational cycles by reducing fuel use and offering a rebate on used fuel. This component can also serve a powerful function in ship combat, as attacks that normally would hit the Ship's Engine can be soaked by a Reclamation plant.
Armored Salvage Bay 6
The Armored Salvage Bay 6 provides another upgrade for ships built to Salvage and Explore. The Armored Salvage Bay 6 provides substantially advantages in Salvage while also increasing ship survivability by providing a large amount of Ship's armor. The originally armored salvage bay upgrades were added due to player requests for more Salvage-Combat hybrid components. Salvage operations are always dangerous -- the richest prizes bring all the predators out -- and as a result Ships engaged in Salvage operations are far more likely than Patrol or Spy operators to encounter hostile forces. The Armored Salvage Bay provides enhanced survivability and other minor combat benefits.
New Obliterator Plasma Cannon
Ok and now for the good stuff -- new weapons! The new Obliterator PKX-5 Plasma Cannon will absolutely obliterate your opponents if you can fit it on your ship. Do not attempt to install two of these monsters, that just wouldn't be fair. As a size 3 Plasma Cannon, the Obliterator PKX-5 is now the most devastating mid-range weapon in the game. Previous iterations of the Obliterator line, such as the PKX-3 and Obliterator PKX-1 are size 3 but require a full 4RP to fire, making them difficult to field on all but the largest battleships. The advanced PKX-5 design allows for increased efficiency and plasma coil cooling which means it can be fired for 25% less overall energy while still packing the same devastating punch.
And Your Fixes!
We also fixed some small issues players found and reported. We fixed a rare and specific path through the UI that would allow players to pay landing costs twice for the same zone. We changed the rate of Mutiny generation during Xeno Fleet Rumors, without reducing the Morale loss from the Rumor. Crew are less likely to start internal fights when surrounded by Xeno ships. While less common, Mutiny during Xeno Fleet is far from impossible given the difficulty of passing through such sectors.
v3.3.91 - 2/5/2024
- Added randomize name and outfit to crew screen from roster - New Ship Component: Water-Fuel Reclamation 6 - New Ship Component: Armored Salvage Bay 6 - New Ship Weapon: Obliterator PKX-5 (RP3 Plasma Cannon) - Fixed re-landing issue where hitting space or clicking would count as a new landing - Added components from the v3.3.x updates to the AI ship designer - During Xeno Fleet Rumors, Crew Mutiny is less likely
Update #339: Void-Scouts
Two new Scout Bridges have rolled out with Update #339. Available only to ships that have small slot bridges, these improved Scout Bridges are powerful additions to the small ship meta. Each is faction and era locked, so they aren't always available or available immediately in the game. Scout Bridge 6 is developed by Cadar at the time of the start of the Second Founding Era while Scout Bridge 7 is developed by Thulun at the start of the Plague Era. While they offer a host of advantages, these Scout Bridges are also well suited for light carrier builds that utilize Shuttles for boarding. In addition to the new Scout Bridges, we're introducing the new Level 6 gear: Trifax Interlink, designed to boost craft defense for piloting a shuttle and provide combat buffs for boarding combat.
Both of the new Cargo Hold options -- Cargo Hold 8 for maximum storage and fuel capacity and Armored Cargo Hold 6 for a hybrid of Armor and cargo space -- are developed near the start of the Plague Era. While they are not faction-locked, both are expensive top tier components to consider installing into your high-end ship to squeeze out a few more points, fuel and cargo capacity.
With Update #339, we've improved the variety of possible Trait mutations that can come from Exploring with 5 new positive and negative routes. As you do any activity - from sailing, to spicing to Exploring - you have a constant low percentage chance that your crew will gain Trait mutations. Over time, the types of activities you repeat and repeat shape your crew. Exploration has new Trait options that will bake in over your career. We've also updated the way in which Trait mutations are displayed during Exploration to be sure that they are always displayed clearly.
With this update, we've retrained the enemy ship builder on the Skylift Carrier to help it provide more threatening and efficient builds. This will result in some new and exciting directions that the enemy ship builder can take the Skylift. It is a big and powerful ship, so it's exciting to see it be more threatening when it appears in your ship encounter.
Carriers are especially important to get right, as the enemy ship builder needs to consider a few extra things. Perhaps the most important is the ratio of Bomber, Interdictor and Shuttles, but to be effective this needs to closely align with the ship's capital weapon strategy as well as their crew and combat crew. For Update #339, we've improved the decision tree for the enemy ship builder to approach the rules and order of decisions that the enemy ship builder will make when putting together an enemy carrier. This update focuses specifically on human carrier enemies, so let us know what you think if you're facing off with these captains in the void. Think deep thoughts, enemy ship builder!
Thanks for all the typos and reported crashes! We're constantly tuning and tweaking to improve performance, stability and to stamp out the remaining typos in the game. We appreciate your attention to detail - every bit helps! We're hanging out on the Trese Brothers community Discord, waiting to hear your thoughts on these updates, so join us there or on the forums!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #30 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the three major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest, Proc-Gen Missions for endless play, and Custom Difficulty (and the ability to change difficulty during play). If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New Ship Component: Cargo Hold 8 - New Ship Component: Armored Cargo Hold 6 - New Ship Component: Scout Bridge 6 and 7 - New Level 6 Wing Specialist Gear: Trifax Interlink - Improved the way Trait mutation reports during Explorer - Added 5 new positive and 5 new negative Trait events for Explorer - Updated AI for the Skylift Carrier - Retrained non-Xeno AI small craft strategy with new improvements - Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
[ 2024-01-26 18:05:44 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #339 continues the additions to small ships with new Scout Bridges, adds new Cargo Hold options for ships with large slots dedicated to cargo, as well as new and improved Trait mutation paths for Explorer crews, and a big retraining of the enemy human AI on How to Effectively Use Carriers (TM).
If you're loving the updates, improvements and new content please share the game with a friend and leave a review!
New Scout Bridge 6 and 7
Two new Scout Bridges have rolled out with Update #339. Available only to ships that have small slot bridges, these improved Scout Bridges are powerful additions to the small ship meta. Each is faction and era locked, so they aren't always available or available immediately in the game. Scout Bridge 6 is developed by Cadar at the time of the start of the Second Founding Era while Scout Bridge 7 is developed by Thulun at the start of the Plague Era. While they offer a host of advantages, these Scout Bridges are also well suited for light carrier builds that utilize Shuttles for boarding. In addition to the new Scout Bridges, we're introducing the new Level 6 gear: Trifax Interlink, designed to boost craft defense for piloting a shuttle and provide combat buffs for boarding combat.
New Cargo Holds
Both of the new Cargo Hold options -- Cargo Hold 8 for maximum storage and fuel capacity and Armored Cargo Hold 6 for a hybrid of Armor and cargo space -- are developed near the start of the Plague Era. While they are not faction-locked, both are expensive top tier components to consider installing into your high-end ship to squeeze out a few more points, fuel and cargo capacity.
Exploration Trait Mutation
With Update #339, we've improved the variety of possible Trait mutations that can come from Exploring with 5 new positive and negative routes. As you do any activity - from sailing, to spicing to Exploring - you have a constant low percentage chance that your crew will gain Trait mutations. Over time, the types of activities you repeat and repeat shape your crew. Exploration has new Trait options that will bake in over your career. We've also updated the way in which Trait mutations are displayed during Exploration to be sure that they are always displayed clearly.
Enemy and the Skylift Carrier
With this update, we've retrained the enemy ship builder on the Skylift Carrier to help it provide more threatening and efficient builds. This will result in some new and exciting directions that the enemy ship builder can take the Skylift. It is a big and powerful ship, so it's exciting to see it be more threatening when it appears in your ship encounter.
Enemy (Human) Carriers Rebalance
Carriers are especially important to get right, as the enemy ship builder needs to consider a few extra things. Perhaps the most important is the ratio of Bomber, Interdictor and Shuttles, but to be effective this needs to closely align with the ship's capital weapon strategy as well as their crew and combat crew. For Update #339, we've improved the decision tree for the enemy ship builder to approach the rules and order of decisions that the enemy ship builder will make when putting together an enemy carrier. This update focuses specifically on human carrier enemies, so let us know what you think if you're facing off with these captains in the void. Think deep thoughts, enemy ship builder!
Reported Crashes
Thanks for all the typos and reported crashes! We're constantly tuning and tweaking to improve performance, stability and to stamp out the remaining typos in the game. We appreciate your attention to detail - every bit helps! We're hanging out on the Trese Brothers community Discord, waiting to hear your thoughts on these updates, so join us there or on the forums!
Our new turn-based tactics RPG!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #30 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the three major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest, Proc-Gen Missions for endless play, and Custom Difficulty (and the ability to change difficulty during play). If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.3.89 - 1/26/2024
- New Ship Component: Cargo Hold 8 - New Ship Component: Armored Cargo Hold 6 - New Ship Component: Scout Bridge 6 and 7 - New Level 6 Wing Specialist Gear: Trifax Interlink - Improved the way Trait mutation reports during Explorer - Added 5 new positive and 5 new negative Trait events for Explorer - Updated AI for the Skylift Carrier - Retrained non-Xeno AI small craft strategy with new improvements - Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
Update #338: Small-Ship Travelers
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, just launched into Steam Early Access! Featuring in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and an all-new story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them based on how youve played. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
We've upgraded the ship blueprint used by the adversary "Draiv Solregard", a Legendary Bounty Hunter. His ship's components now upgrade more effectively for combat and make him a more unique encounter compared to other normal Bounty Hunters. He is one of the oldest and most feared hunters in the void, so beware this near-ghost of an earlier era.
We've added a unique new component for small and medium sized ships, the "Traveler" class of Hyperwarp Drive. These upgrades are expensive for a Hyperwarp drive but include a critically useful +1 Officer Cabin and are available for the 2400, 3400, 5000 Mass hulls. With the addition of the Traveler drive and the use of Annex components, many ship builds can completely eliminate dedicated officer cabins completely at 3400 mass and below. Our testing showed that these opened up new options for early game ship builds and so we've made them available immediately at the start of the game.
We are also releasing several new, late game ship components as the story Era's advance. First, providing state of the art targeting data for ship weapons is the Interlocking Sensor Matrix 7. Additionally we've added Ferrochromium Plating II to increase ship survivability in extreme survey and patrol conditions. Both of these powerful new components are sold in starports only after Second Founding Era starts.
The current barrage of updates, called the v3.3.x series, has included a ton of new ship components, component rebalances and weapon additions. We've started the process of finalizing v3.3.x and have begun testing and cycling these new components into the ship building AI. This means in late games you may start to see some of the new components and new weapons used by hostile AI. As always, the game remains fully symmetrical so you won't see the enemy using any components that cannot purchase.
In preparation for the next onslaught on Star Traders: Frontiers updates, v3.4.x, we've deployed another raft of Black Market and Rumor integrations. Pirate Fleet Rumors increase chance of Crew Combat results in Black Market, rendering this rumor a Risk and Reward booster for the Black Market. With the zone in chaos, the Xeno Fleet Rumor will now increase chance of access in Black Market, making it easier to trade in dangerous places. And finally, the recruit-madness of the Mercenary Rumor, and all the off-world information and war stories it brings to the zone, increases the value of Intel cards in Black Market by 5x.
- Upgraded "Draiv Solregard", Legendary Bounty Hunter - New "Traveler" class of Hyperwarp Drive Component, includes +1 Officer Cabin (2400, 3400, 5000 Mass) - New Component: Interlocking Sensor Matrix 7, Ferrochromium Plating II available after Second Founding Era - Added components from the v3.3.x updates to the AI ship designer - Pirate Fleet Rumors increase chance of Crew Combat in Black Market - Xeno Fleet Rumors increase chance of access in Black Market - Mercenary Rumor increases the value of Intel cards in Black Market
[ 2024-01-21 20:07:26 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #338 unleashes a completely unique and powerful small-ship Hyperwarp Drive that includes +1 Officer Cabin, 2 new high-level ship components that will only appear after the Second Founding story Era starts, more connections and impacts for Rumors, and finally also tips the scales back a bit toward the enemy with an upgraded Legendary Bounty Hunter template and finally unleashing the 3.3.x components into the enemy ship builder pool.
If you like to see a game like Star Traders: Frontiers continued to get updates for free, 6 years after its release date, please hit up the review button and check out ...
Our new game has started Early Access!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, just launched into Steam Early Access! Featuring in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and an all-new story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them based on how youve played. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Ancient Bounty Hunters
We've upgraded the ship blueprint used by the adversary "Draiv Solregard", a Legendary Bounty Hunter. His ship's components now upgrade more effectively for combat and make him a more unique encounter compared to other normal Bounty Hunters. He is one of the oldest and most feared hunters in the void, so beware this near-ghost of an earlier era.
Traveler Hyperwarp matches Annex
We've added a unique new component for small and medium sized ships, the "Traveler" class of Hyperwarp Drive. These upgrades are expensive for a Hyperwarp drive but include a critically useful +1 Officer Cabin and are available for the 2400, 3400, 5000 Mass hulls. With the addition of the Traveler drive and the use of Annex components, many ship builds can completely eliminate dedicated officer cabins completely at 3400 mass and below. Our testing showed that these opened up new options for early game ship builds and so we've made them available immediately at the start of the game.
+2 New High-Level Components
We are also releasing several new, late game ship components as the story Era's advance. First, providing state of the art targeting data for ship weapons is the Interlocking Sensor Matrix 7. Additionally we've added Ferrochromium Plating II to increase ship survivability in extreme survey and patrol conditions. Both of these powerful new components are sold in starports only after Second Founding Era starts.
Enemy Ships Getting Latest Components
The current barrage of updates, called the v3.3.x series, has included a ton of new ship components, component rebalances and weapon additions. We've started the process of finalizing v3.3.x and have begun testing and cycling these new components into the ship building AI. This means in late games you may start to see some of the new components and new weapons used by hostile AI. As always, the game remains fully symmetrical so you won't see the enemy using any components that cannot purchase.
Black Markets and Rumors
In preparation for the next onslaught on Star Traders: Frontiers updates, v3.4.x, we've deployed another raft of Black Market and Rumor integrations. Pirate Fleet Rumors increase chance of Crew Combat results in Black Market, rendering this rumor a Risk and Reward booster for the Black Market. With the zone in chaos, the Xeno Fleet Rumor will now increase chance of access in Black Market, making it easier to trade in dangerous places. And finally, the recruit-madness of the Mercenary Rumor, and all the off-world information and war stories it brings to the zone, increases the value of Intel cards in Black Market by 5x.
v3.3.87 - 1/21/2024
- Upgraded "Draiv Solregard", Legendary Bounty Hunter - New "Traveler" class of Hyperwarp Drive Component, includes +1 Officer Cabin (2400, 3400, 5000 Mass) - New Component: Interlocking Sensor Matrix 7, Ferrochromium Plating II available after Second Founding Era - Added components from the v3.3.x updates to the AI ship designer - Pirate Fleet Rumors increase chance of Crew Combat in Black Market - Xeno Fleet Rumors increase chance of access in Black Market - Mercenary Rumor increases the value of Intel cards in Black Market
Update #337: Rumors over the Plate
The Quadrant Rumor Artifact Find has a wide impact across Explorer and encountering Smuggler ships. There are Artifacts to be found, and while previously the Rumor mostly impacted the direct results of Explorer, now the Rumor also expands the value and size of any Stashes discovered during Explorer. In the case where you find some clue that reveals another smuggler or pirate's stash, it is a stash that was bloated in value by the Artifact Find Rumor and the value and type of cargo in that stash will be better for it. Also, we've further increased the value of bonus cargo being carried by Smugglers across the Quadrant with Artifact Find Rumor active. If you're a pirate, there is even more incentive to flock to the quadrant for valuable pickings now. Speaking of which ...
The Pirate's Talent "Looter's Instinct" which adds a bonus cargo to a Merchant encountered while Blockading now has Rumor hooks as well. The type of bonus cargo and the count allocated to the bonus is now larger when the Quadrant Rumors Merchant Fleet or Artifact Find are active. If you plan to truly capitalize on the value of Rumors, be sure to build out a crew to help you find them and then use Talents to reap the rewards.
Stardock Closed Rumor already has a wealthy of unfortunate consequences. First, you can't fuel, repair, upgrade or access dry docked ships at this landing zone and any local Contacts are at risk of Influence loss. We've punched up the risk to Contacts to represent their inability to flee in the case of trouble. If a Contact suffers an assassination attempt from another Contact while such a Rumor is active, it is 25% less likely that they will survive. Considering that a Contact may have used their action to drop this harmful Rumor on an enemy Contact's zone, they are basically setting up their enemy for a possible death blow on their next action in the simulation.
While a Mercenaries Rumor is affecting a zone, the Black Market can be a little more dangerous. In response to these often-troublesome off-worlders clogging the starport, spice hall and surrounding district, the local forces have doubled down on their patrols to keep the peace. Which makes sneaking your illegal cargo to the Black Market more difficulty. Where there are Merc Rumors, security patrol cards are more likely now in the Black Market.
A fan favorite - the No More Mass Reducers mod removes all Mass Reducers from the game - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2492139496 Merchant Marine mod tones down the crew size aiming to give a more Firefly-esque style of play - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2856946970 Want 24 new heads for your characters in the game - download Playable Contacts today - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2936075922&searchtext= Everyone loves new ship components - so check out the ever-popular Dave's New Ship Components mod - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2560635932 Always wanted to have a zendu on board to dole out justice - install the Arbiter job mod - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2824645849
- 'Artifact Find' Rumor now causes increased found Stash value in Explorer - Increased value of cargo found in Smuggler's holds during 'Artifact Find' - Boosted power of Pirate Talent 'Looter's Instinct' when Merchant or Artifact rumors active - Updated 'Artifact Find' Rumor makes it easier to access the Black Market when active - The 'Stardock Closed' rumor now harms Contact influence, makes it 25% harder to escape assassins - The 'Mercenaries' rumor now increases the chance of combat patrols in Black Market
[ 2024-01-16 16:01:53 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #337 swings back around to the Rumor system to deepen their impacts into multiple systems and the Contact simulation. With this update we've improved the results for Artifact Find, Merchant Fleet, Starport Closed and Mercenaries. Rumors are a key system in Star Traders: Frontiers that cause variation, reasons to travel, dynamic and short term goals and help shake up the Contacts in the simulation, so the more numbered and powerful their effects the more interesting they become.
If updates make you happy, and you know it, leave a review!
Artifact Find Expansions
The Quadrant Rumor Artifact Find has a wide impact across Explorer and encountering Smuggler ships. There are Artifacts to be found, and while previously the Rumor mostly impacted the direct results of Explorer, now the Rumor also expands the value and size of any Stashes discovered during Explorer. In the case where you find some clue that reveals another smuggler or pirate's stash, it is a stash that was bloated in value by the Artifact Find Rumor and the value and type of cargo in that stash will be better for it. Also, we've further increased the value of bonus cargo being carried by Smugglers across the Quadrant with Artifact Find Rumor active. If you're a pirate, there is even more incentive to flock to the quadrant for valuable pickings now. Speaking of which ...
Gone Lootin'
The Pirate's Talent "Looter's Instinct" which adds a bonus cargo to a Merchant encountered while Blockading now has Rumor hooks as well. The type of bonus cargo and the count allocated to the bonus is now larger when the Quadrant Rumors Merchant Fleet or Artifact Find are active. If you plan to truly capitalize on the value of Rumors, be sure to build out a crew to help you find them and then use Talents to reap the rewards.
Stardock Closed Blocks Escapes
Stardock Closed Rumor already has a wealthy of unfortunate consequences. First, you can't fuel, repair, upgrade or access dry docked ships at this landing zone and any local Contacts are at risk of Influence loss. We've punched up the risk to Contacts to represent their inability to flee in the case of trouble. If a Contact suffers an assassination attempt from another Contact while such a Rumor is active, it is 25% less likely that they will survive. Considering that a Contact may have used their action to drop this harmful Rumor on an enemy Contact's zone, they are basically setting up their enemy for a possible death blow on their next action in the simulation.
Mercenaries Jam Black Market
While a Mercenaries Rumor is affecting a zone, the Black Market can be a little more dangerous. In response to these often-troublesome off-worlders clogging the starport, spice hall and surrounding district, the local forces have doubled down on their patrols to keep the peace. Which makes sneaking your illegal cargo to the Black Market more difficulty. Where there are Merc Rumors, security patrol cards are more likely now in the Black Market.
Are you Modding?
A fan favorite - the No More Mass Reducers mod removes all Mass Reducers from the game - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2492139496 Merchant Marine mod tones down the crew size aiming to give a more Firefly-esque style of play - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2856946970 Want 24 new heads for your characters in the game - download Playable Contacts today - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2936075922&searchtext= Everyone loves new ship components - so check out the ever-popular Dave's New Ship Components mod - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2560635932 Always wanted to have a zendu on board to dole out justice - install the Arbiter job mod - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2824645849
v3.3.85 - 1/16/2024
- 'Artifact Find' Rumor now causes increased found Stash value in Explorer - Increased value of cargo found in Smuggler's holds during 'Artifact Find' - Boosted power of Pirate Talent 'Looter's Instinct' when Merchant or Artifact rumors active - Updated 'Artifact Find' Rumor makes it easier to access the Black Market when active - The 'Stardock Closed' rumor now harms Contact influence, makes it 25% harder to escape assassins - The 'Mercenaries' rumor now increases the chance of combat patrols in Black Market
Update #336: Lance of the Gods
We love continuing to add to Star Traders: Frontiers, but increasingly its sales of Cyber Knights that keep our studio going. Help us out by spreading the word? Give the game a shout-out, or recommend it to any of your Steam friends that like games similar to Cyber Knights? https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
The first medium slot Gravcannon above level 6, the GUR-18 weighs in at level 8, costing 3 AP to fire and smacking with a massive 360-450 Dmg. While it can't boast best in class for its other weapon statistics, it is still a smaller, faster Gravcannon (is there such a thing?) that can still shatter enemy hulls and may fit better into your ship configuration than one of the larger high level GCs.
The new Thunderstrike Quad-Arc has been called by some the Lance of the Gods. The level 9 small size lance can pack a powerful punch with 55% Crippling Hit and solid 40 Radiation Damage. Used as a battery, firing multiple at a time for 2 AP, these high-powered Lances can cripple and cook a ship effectively at 2 Range. Lances have seen a nice rebalance to be now classified with Autocannons and Gravcannons that in the case of a tie between the attacker and the defender, the attacking Lance wins, where with all other weapon types (non AC, GC, or Lance) the defender wins ties. Ties are most common when the dice pools are small -- in early game ships or when both ships are burning, so it isn't a huge impact, but something to keep in mind if you're fighting evenly matched opponents. We've also spent some time with the AI ship builder to make sure it is pairing its Lance builds with the right other set of ship components to get the best results in short-range, barrage fire type builds.
Both the Torpedo Mk3-Delta and Torpedo Mk4-Ultra have both had their Crippling Effect % revised downward to prevent them from being too OP within the class.
With Update #336, we've continued the press on updating the price balance across the 700+ ship components in Star Traders: Frontiers. The Duranium Coating II and III have both had their price increased as well as all Autocannons, Lances and Gravcannons above Level 6. This helps increase their rarity among AI captains as well and makes them a bit harder to purchase or jump up to as you upgrade your ships.
We've started to dig in the trait mutations sections of the game, looking for exciting ways to add new context and different flavors to how and when mutations happen today. The first tweak in this area is to adjust Spice Hall Trait mutations to increase the chance of gaining Spice Addict if you're crew members are injured and low on HP.
If you're out exploring molten worlds, we've pushed the chance for Crew Damage cards, and especially the most damaging cards in the set, to the max. These types of worlds are dangerous and can really scorch a crew if you're not careful.
- Added new "GUR-18 Gravcannon" (Level 8, Size 2) - Added new "Thunderstrike Quad-Arc" (Level 9, Size 1) - Rebalanced Lance Ship Weapons, now classified like Autocannons, Gravcannons - Minor balance adjustments for Torpedo Mk3-Delta, Torpedo Mk4-Ultra - Retrained AI Lance strategy with new improvements - Spice Hall with low HP now increases the chance of Spice Addict Trait rolling - Increased Price Duranium Coating II, Duranium Coating III and made them more rare - Increased Price of Level 6+ Autocannons, GravCannons and Lances and made them more rare - Exploration on Molten Worlds has higher chance of generating Crew damage
[ 2024-01-10 17:07:06 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #336 rolls out with another bristling set of level 8 and 9 capital ship weapons, rebalanced enemy ship builders to improve the short-ranged Lance builds, pricing and ship weapon rebalances, new rules for Spice Hall Trait mutation and extra burning for Molten Worlds.
A huge thanks goes out to everyone playing, posting and sharing Star Traders: Frontiers! As we keep climbing toward the 350th update milestone, remember to leave a review and --
Spread the word about our new game to keep our studio going strong?
We love continuing to add to Star Traders: Frontiers, but increasingly its sales of Cyber Knights that keep our studio going. Help us out by spreading the word? Give the game a shout-out, or recommend it to any of your Steam friends that like games similar to Cyber Knights? https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New GUR-18 Gravcannon
The first medium slot Gravcannon above level 6, the GUR-18 weighs in at level 8, costing 3 AP to fire and smacking with a massive 360-450 Dmg. While it can't boast best in class for its other weapon statistics, it is still a smaller, faster Gravcannon (is there such a thing?) that can still shatter enemy hulls and may fit better into your ship configuration than one of the larger high level GCs.
New Quad-Arc Lance, Lances Win Ties, AI Gets Lancey
The new Thunderstrike Quad-Arc has been called by some the Lance of the Gods. The level 9 small size lance can pack a powerful punch with 55% Crippling Hit and solid 40 Radiation Damage. Used as a battery, firing multiple at a time for 2 AP, these high-powered Lances can cripple and cook a ship effectively at 2 Range. Lances have seen a nice rebalance to be now classified with Autocannons and Gravcannons that in the case of a tie between the attacker and the defender, the attacking Lance wins, where with all other weapon types (non AC, GC, or Lance) the defender wins ties. Ties are most common when the dice pools are small -- in early game ships or when both ships are burning, so it isn't a huge impact, but something to keep in mind if you're fighting evenly matched opponents. We've also spent some time with the AI ship builder to make sure it is pairing its Lance builds with the right other set of ship components to get the best results in short-range, barrage fire type builds.
Torp Rebalance
Both the Torpedo Mk3-Delta and Torpedo Mk4-Ultra have both had their Crippling Effect % revised downward to prevent them from being too OP within the class.
On-Going Price Rebalance
With Update #336, we've continued the press on updating the price balance across the 700+ ship components in Star Traders: Frontiers. The Duranium Coating II and III have both had their price increased as well as all Autocannons, Lances and Gravcannons above Level 6. This helps increase their rarity among AI captains as well and makes them a bit harder to purchase or jump up to as you upgrade your ships.
Spice Hall Traits
We've started to dig in the trait mutations sections of the game, looking for exciting ways to add new context and different flavors to how and when mutations happen today. The first tweak in this area is to adjust Spice Hall Trait mutations to increase the chance of gaining Spice Addict if you're crew members are injured and low on HP.
Molten Worlds Burn Ya
If you're out exploring molten worlds, we've pushed the chance for Crew Damage cards, and especially the most damaging cards in the set, to the max. These types of worlds are dangerous and can really scorch a crew if you're not careful.
v3.3.83 - 1/10/2024
- Added new "GUR-18 Gravcannon" (Level 8, Size 2) - Added new "Thunderstrike Quad-Arc" (Level 9, Size 1) - Rebalanced Lance Ship Weapons, now classified like Autocannons, Gravcannons - Minor balance adjustments for Torpedo Mk3-Delta, Torpedo Mk4-Ultra - Retrained AI Lance strategy with new improvements - Spice Hall with low HP now increases the chance of Spice Addict Trait rolling - Increased Price Duranium Coating II, Duranium Coating III and made them more rare - Increased Price of Level 6+ Autocannons, GravCannons and Lances and made them more rare - Exploration on Molten Worlds has higher chance of generating Crew damage
Update #335: Storied Career
With Update #335, we've rolled out three new medium slot Torpedoes that all pack a massive punch. These high-level medium slot torps make torpedo boats with a wider variety of designs viable into the late game as you finally have options at level 7, 8 and 9 for your medium slots. Get more Void Shielding because these torps can hit very hard and beware that late-game enemy captains may also employ the Mk3-Gamma, Torpedo Mk3-Delta and Torpedo Mk4-Ultra.
In a small but important change for some strategies, we've revised the special rules around Engine Damage in the first 3 Turns of ship combat. There has always been a protection for the player's engine against becoming immediately disabled before Turn 3. Some of these protections were extended to the AI ships as well in ways that made certain hyper-aggressive strategies (ALL the Gravity Cannons, Turn 1!) less effective. We've adjusted the rules on the AI's side without touching the player side rules to allow for these cases and don't punish hyper-aggressive strategies or force them to wait until Turn 3 to truly unleash their power. A big thanks to the players posting feedback and sharing data on these strategies that helped us craft this fix.
If a ship or crafts weapon attack hits the Bridge or Engine, there is now up to a 30% increase in damage to the crew's Morale. Taking hits to these critical components shakes up the crew as they know the ship is in direct danger of failing to function and therefore losing to the enemy. This change can help accelerate and make more meaningful the ship combat defeat rule that can cause an enemy ship to surrender by Morale loss.
We've updated a number of important AI templates, rules and decision points as they relate to ship weapons. We updated some of the rules and decisions for torpedoes as to what other components to pair them with the for the maximum effect. For those enemies you find hanging at long range and trying to rain torp-hell down on you, be sure to pick your fights, close, or take them out fast with your own long range fire or craft. We've also helped the enemy ship builder balance better between Torpedoes and Missiles to ensure they have good coverage at a wide set of ranges. Finally, the enemy ship builder was not making great choices about when and where to attach Gravity Cannons to their ships, and we've improved the entire set of thinking. These highly devastating weapons can punch a hole in your hull if you're not careful, so keep an eye out for newly configured enemy mid to large class ships. With so many weapon's related changes, we also touched on one ship class specifically to make sure the AI ship builder would be making the best decisions -- Broadsword Class. If you see an enemy captain swinging around the edge of a moon in one of these, just be sure you're on your best behavior.
With over 700 components and steadily growing, sometimes prices slide out of band and we need to come back through and revise some things. With Update #335, we've completed a necessary price raise for a number of components, better matching price to performance. The prices for the M115 Twin Autocannon, Fuel Tank 5+, Cargo Hold 6 and Armored Cargo Hold 6 have all been directly increased. In addition, the all high level Coatings have had their prices increased to better achieve the progression into such high power defensive components.
So many of our updates for Star Traders are based on feedback from you all. But there are limits to what we can do in a game 5 years after its release. Our new tactical heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is evolving fast in Early Access, with plenty of room for content ideas and shifts in gameplay based on what early players are finding fun. Join us to make this game another one youll be enjoying for years to come. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Three new size 2 torpedoes Torpedo Mk3-Gamma, Torpedo Mk3-Delta, Torpedo Mk4-Ultra - Increased the Morale damage from direct Bridge Hits by 30% - Direct hits to Engine can now cause Morale damage for effected crew - Revised engine damage rules for early combat, to make aggressive attack strategies more viable - Post-boarding Bridge hits are now more effective vs all AI, Xeno included - Updated AI for the Broadsword Class - Retrained AI torpedo strategy with new improvements - Improved AI ship architect's weapon selection logic for missiles and torpedoes - Fixed issues with AI not correctly using Grav Cannons - Increased the price of M115 Twin Autocannon, Fuel Tank 5+, Cargo Hold 6 - Armored Cargo Hold 6 - Completely repriced high level Coatings
[ 2024-01-02 17:04:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
Happy New Year, captains! It's going to be another eventful one in the void as we cruise past the #335 Update mark. Update #335 brings new medium sized torpedo weapons, more exciting rules for Engine Damage for aggressive attack strategies, improved rules for Morale Damage when hits target Bridge and Engine, big updates to how enemy ship captains pick their ship weapons in combat and a big sweep of price raising for late game components.
If you've enjoyed just a few free updates or hundreds of updates over the years, we hope you'll consider leaving a review and sharing Star Traders: Frontiers with a friend!
Torp Power
With Update #335, we've rolled out three new medium slot Torpedoes that all pack a massive punch. These high-level medium slot torps make torpedo boats with a wider variety of designs viable into the late game as you finally have options at level 7, 8 and 9 for your medium slots. Get more Void Shielding because these torps can hit very hard and beware that late-game enemy captains may also employ the Mk3-Gamma, Torpedo Mk3-Delta and Torpedo Mk4-Ultra.
Early Engine Dmg Rule Rebalance
In a small but important change for some strategies, we've revised the special rules around Engine Damage in the first 3 Turns of ship combat. There has always been a protection for the player's engine against becoming immediately disabled before Turn 3. Some of these protections were extended to the AI ships as well in ways that made certain hyper-aggressive strategies (ALL the Gravity Cannons, Turn 1!) less effective. We've adjusted the rules on the AI's side without touching the player side rules to allow for these cases and don't punish hyper-aggressive strategies or force them to wait until Turn 3 to truly unleash their power. A big thanks to the players posting feedback and sharing data on these strategies that helped us craft this fix.
Bridge and Engine Hits Morale
If a ship or crafts weapon attack hits the Bridge or Engine, there is now up to a 30% increase in damage to the crew's Morale. Taking hits to these critical components shakes up the crew as they know the ship is in direct danger of failing to function and therefore losing to the enemy. This change can help accelerate and make more meaningful the ship combat defeat rule that can cause an enemy ship to surrender by Morale loss.
Ship Captain AI Improved
We've updated a number of important AI templates, rules and decision points as they relate to ship weapons. We updated some of the rules and decisions for torpedoes as to what other components to pair them with the for the maximum effect. For those enemies you find hanging at long range and trying to rain torp-hell down on you, be sure to pick your fights, close, or take them out fast with your own long range fire or craft. We've also helped the enemy ship builder balance better between Torpedoes and Missiles to ensure they have good coverage at a wide set of ranges. Finally, the enemy ship builder was not making great choices about when and where to attach Gravity Cannons to their ships, and we've improved the entire set of thinking. These highly devastating weapons can punch a hole in your hull if you're not careful, so keep an eye out for newly configured enemy mid to large class ships. With so many weapon's related changes, we also touched on one ship class specifically to make sure the AI ship builder would be making the best decisions -- Broadsword Class. If you see an enemy captain swinging around the edge of a moon in one of these, just be sure you're on your best behavior.
Component Repricing
With over 700 components and steadily growing, sometimes prices slide out of band and we need to come back through and revise some things. With Update #335, we've completed a necessary price raise for a number of components, better matching price to performance. The prices for the M115 Twin Autocannon, Fuel Tank 5+, Cargo Hold 6 and Armored Cargo Hold 6 have all been directly increased. In addition, the all high level Coatings have had their prices increased to better achieve the progression into such high power defensive components.
Want to help shape our next game?
So many of our updates for Star Traders are based on feedback from you all. But there are limits to what we can do in a game 5 years after its release. Our new tactical heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is evolving fast in Early Access, with plenty of room for content ideas and shifts in gameplay based on what early players are finding fun. Join us to make this game another one youll be enjoying for years to come. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.3.81 - 1/2/2024
- Three new size 2 torpedoes Torpedo Mk3-Gamma, Torpedo Mk3-Delta, Torpedo Mk4-Ultra - Increased the Morale damage from direct Bridge Hits by 30% - Direct hits to Engine can now cause Morale damage for effected crew - Revised engine damage rules for early combat, to make aggressive attack strategies more viable - Post-boarding Bridge hits are now more effective vs all AI, Xeno included - Updated AI for the Broadsword Class - Retrained AI torpedo strategy with new improvements - Improved AI ship architect's weapon selection logic for missiles and torpedoes - Fixed issues with AI not correctly using Grav Cannons - Increased the price of M115 Twin Autocannon, Fuel Tank 5+, Cargo Hold 6 - Armored Cargo Hold 6 - Completely repriced high level Coatings
Update #334: Layered Plating
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access. In December, we added proc-gen missions and custom difficulty options that let you control everything from the economy to any time pressure. Now, the latest update has added 6 new cool hairstyles and new types of military gear your corrupt cop allies are willing to "fall off the back of the truck" for you, for a price. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
All ship components that provide bonuses to Water-Fuel are no longer considered armored components. That means they will no longer have the increased soaking in cascading damage (even when over 60%) to other components. These types of fuel extenders were masquerading as armored/protection components and getting too much of a boost out of it. Also, we've repriced the Large Fuel Tank ship component to make it more competitive within its progression.
With Update #334, two new core components have been released to the high-end starports of the world. Those boasting 8 Starport and 8 Economy can now sell Fuel Tank 7 and Water-Fuel Reclamation 5. Note that neither the new Fuel Tank nor Water-Fuel Reclamation count as armored components any longer, as noted above.
The Shocktrooper's Deepstrike Detonator has been rebalanced with this update to be more targeted, specifically focusing on destroying the enemy ship's weapons instead of regular components. This plays to the aggressive and all-out-attack style of the shocktrooper, sent in to destroy the enemy's offensive capabilities.
The risks for your ship's engine when Salvaging have just gotten worse. While the card cannot take your ship's Engine out entirely, it now has more power to significantly damage it. Salvaging is always a high risk and high reward opportunity, but now if you are in unfriendly territory without a good starport nearby, it can be even more dangerous. Consider which cards to knock out with your Talents carefully, captain. We've also fixed some incorrect card art for exploring ice world wild zones. Thanks to everyone reporting bugs and crashes! v3.3.79 - 12/30/2023 - Ship Combat: Components that carry Water-Fuel no longer count as Armored - New Ship Components: Fuel Tank 7, Water-Fuel Reclamation 5 - Repriced 'Large Fuel Tank' Ship Components - Revised Deepstrike Detonator to target ship's weapons - Increased severity of "Reactor Accident" Salvage Card (-5) - Fixed an issue in an ice world wild zone art board - Fixed reports typos and crashes
[ 2023-12-29 16:59:35 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #334 continues to expand the sweep of core components for fuel extenders, rebalances how fuel extenders play out in the armored ship meta, improves Shocktrooper's Deepstrike Detonator to target ship's weapons and makes a key negative Salvage card even worse (watch the engine, ye dogs!)
We also have the best price of the year going on with 50% off during Winter Sale! So tell a friend and leave a review!
Cyber Knights is getting lots of updates too!
If you havent checked it out in a bit, our new game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is evolving fast in Early Access. In December, we added proc-gen missions and custom difficulty options that let you control everything from the economy to any time pressure. Now, the latest update has added 6 new cool hairstyles and new types of military gear your corrupt cop allies are willing to "fall off the back of the truck" for you, for a price. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Water-Fuel Rebalancing
All ship components that provide bonuses to Water-Fuel are no longer considered armored components. That means they will no longer have the increased soaking in cascading damage (even when over 60%) to other components. These types of fuel extenders were masquerading as armored/protection components and getting too much of a boost out of it. Also, we've repriced the Large Fuel Tank ship component to make it more competitive within its progression.
New Fuel Tank 7 and Water-Fuel Reclamation 5
With Update #334, two new core components have been released to the high-end starports of the world. Those boasting 8 Starport and 8 Economy can now sell Fuel Tank 7 and Water-Fuel Reclamation 5. Note that neither the new Fuel Tank nor Water-Fuel Reclamation count as armored components any longer, as noted above.
Deepstrike Detonator
The Shocktrooper's Deepstrike Detonator has been rebalanced with this update to be more targeted, specifically focusing on destroying the enemy ship's weapons instead of regular components. This plays to the aggressive and all-out-attack style of the shocktrooper, sent in to destroy the enemy's offensive capabilities.
Salvage Risks
The risks for your ship's engine when Salvaging have just gotten worse. While the card cannot take your ship's Engine out entirely, it now has more power to significantly damage it. Salvaging is always a high risk and high reward opportunity, but now if you are in unfriendly territory without a good starport nearby, it can be even more dangerous. Consider which cards to knock out with your Talents carefully, captain. We've also fixed some incorrect card art for exploring ice world wild zones. Thanks to everyone reporting bugs and crashes! v3.3.79 - 12/30/2023 - Ship Combat: Components that carry Water-Fuel no longer count as Armored - New Ship Components: Fuel Tank 7, Water-Fuel Reclamation 5 - Repriced 'Large Fuel Tank' Ship Components - Revised Deepstrike Detonator to target ship's weapons - Increased severity of "Reactor Accident" Salvage Card (-5) - Fixed an issue in an ice world wild zone art board - Fixed reports typos and crashes
Give the gift of Trese Brothers? Star Traders is 50%-off, plus much more!
It has been a tough year for game studios as you may have seen. We're definitely trying to make the most of this Steam sale, and get the word out about our games! Anything you can do to help is a great gift to us.
Because of the way Steam "complete the set" bundles work, if you already own games in a bundle you're purchasing, you're just paying for the games you don't already have -- with both the bundle discount and any sale discount the individual game has! It makes for some incredible deals, and ours are full of great indies worth supporting. The Endless Adventures - Deep & Replayable RPGs bundle contains Star Traders and two equally deep RPGs, our friends Wildermyth and Vagrus. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/33786/Endless_Adventures__Deep__Replayable_RPGs/ The Turn-Based Tactical Bundle has our game Templar Battleforce, plus three other gems each with a very different flavor; quirky fun Chroma Squad, epic fantasy Warbanners, and fast-paced gothic Golden Krone Hotel. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/18428/TurnBased_Tactical_Bundle/ Old School Fantasy RPGs has Heroes of Steel (our first game on Steam!), and a variety of fantasy RPGs from open-world cRPG Balrum to isometric action RPG Exiled Kingdoms to a classic gridder dungeon crawler, The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/18982/Old_School_Fantasy_RPGs_Bundle/ Hope that gives you some options for any Steam gift cards you may have gotten or any day-of Christmas gifting you're doing! Enjoy the season; cheers!
[ 2023-12-25 17:42:55 CET ] [ Original post ]
Happy Holidays everyone! The Steam Winter Sale is in full swing, and all of our games are at their best deals of the year. Star Traders celebrated its 5 year anniversary this year and is 50%-off, a great gift for any fellow sci-fi fans in your life. Templar Battleforce, our 93% turn-based tactics game set in the same universe as Star Traders is too! And our new game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is now two months in to Early Access with over 30 updates expanding and improving it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/370020/Templar_Battleforce/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Spreading the word is a great gift to us!
It has been a tough year for game studios as you may have seen. We're definitely trying to make the most of this Steam sale, and get the word out about our games! Anything you can do to help is a great gift to us.
- Write a review on Steam, and rate which other reviews are helpful.
- Gift a friend one of our games.
- Give us a shout-out on social media, or share one of our own posts on twitter or Facebook.
Lastly, a shout-out for our bundles of indie friends.
Because of the way Steam "complete the set" bundles work, if you already own games in a bundle you're purchasing, you're just paying for the games you don't already have -- with both the bundle discount and any sale discount the individual game has! It makes for some incredible deals, and ours are full of great indies worth supporting. The Endless Adventures - Deep & Replayable RPGs bundle contains Star Traders and two equally deep RPGs, our friends Wildermyth and Vagrus. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/33786/Endless_Adventures__Deep__Replayable_RPGs/ The Turn-Based Tactical Bundle has our game Templar Battleforce, plus three other gems each with a very different flavor; quirky fun Chroma Squad, epic fantasy Warbanners, and fast-paced gothic Golden Krone Hotel. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/18428/TurnBased_Tactical_Bundle/ Old School Fantasy RPGs has Heroes of Steel (our first game on Steam!), and a variety of fantasy RPGs from open-world cRPG Balrum to isometric action RPG Exiled Kingdoms to a classic gridder dungeon crawler, The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/18982/Old_School_Fantasy_RPGs_Bundle/ Hope that gives you some options for any Steam gift cards you may have gotten or any day-of Christmas gifting you're doing! Enjoy the season; cheers!
Save 50% on Update #333: Deepstrike Detonator
The Shocktroopers brutal new post-boarding victory talent, Deepstrike Detonator, can absolutely cripple an opponents offensive capabilities with a single boarding action. Deepstrike Detonator depends on the enemy ship having some existing damage, or active damage over time effects, when it goes off to maximize the destruction it can inflict. We had fun testing and balancing this new Talent -- which feels like a great capstone Talent -- a very high-risk, high-reward option for a high-risk, high-reward combat job.
While adding Deepstrike Detonator we had an opportunity to review and rebalance other similar talents that damage weapons and components in post-boarding victory. These Talents have been updated, particularly around the weighting for the number of weapons or components hit. After these changes, higher rank talents will hit more components and maximize the talent owners skill points.
This is the first of a set of updates that we will be deploying over the coming weeks that improve the allocation of Cargo to enemy ships. In this update, we have revised the cargo generation for Smuggler Ships, focusing on RTG selection and quantity. You should see Smuggler ships carrying more appropriate RTG in more appropriate quantities near RTG sources, and during rumors that encourage smuggling. In a similar vein, we have started modeling some cargo allocations against the active Era, giving Military Officers valuable weapon cargo to transport during the Consolidation periods. We are excited to release several waves of cargo allocation improvements in the coming weeks, so if you have ideas or feedback about the cargo on the ships you loot dont hesitate to reach out to us.
This update continues to add small incremental improvements to the Contact and Faction simulator. Last update added some events that allow Contacts to act immediately as a reaction to an event, and this update works to provide Contacts a more filtered list of options, and improves the weighting of those options to give the agents a better chance of selecting an action that is likely to have nearby effects. This will help make Contacts effects felt more in their local sectors than distant ones. If you see any evidence of this causing misbehavior within your game (especially on very small maps) please let us know.
Some players demonstrated some Duranium coating builds that boarded on unfair so we fixed the error that was allowing stacking to get out of control. It is still pretty OP, but at least now it follows the rules. Weve also improved the cargo spawning (similar to the Smuggler rules) for Molten and Radiation worlds, and added Kraesline Shards to the cargo generation table they use.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #30 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the three major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest, Proc-Gen Missions for endless play, and Custom Difficulty (and the ability to change difficulty during play). If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New Rank 15 Shocktrooper Talent: Deepstrike Detonator - Rebalanced Combat Victory Talent's Weapon Damaging Rules - During Consolidation Era, Military Officer ships carry valuable military cargo - Improved RTG allocation in enemy Smuggler Ships - Kraesline Shards now spawn on Molten and Radiation Worlds - Improved math in Faction simulator, making Contact's actions more likely to be nearby - Increased duration of Sniper's "Vanishing Act" Talent
[ 2023-12-22 00:19:32 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to the Steam Winter Sale and the best sales of the year! The bridge is decorated, break out the bottles of lux, let's celebrate with 50% off and welcome all the new captains with an update.
Update #333 adds a new rank 15 talent for Shocktrooper, improves the balance of post-boarding ship damaging talents and revisits cargo allocation to for enemy captains.
If all of these on-going free content updates are working for you, we hope you'll leave a review to help us keep it going.
Update #333 welcomes you to the holiday season like the Shocktrooper likes to say hello -
New Rank 15 Shocktrooper Talent
The Shocktroopers brutal new post-boarding victory talent, Deepstrike Detonator, can absolutely cripple an opponents offensive capabilities with a single boarding action. Deepstrike Detonator depends on the enemy ship having some existing damage, or active damage over time effects, when it goes off to maximize the destruction it can inflict. We had fun testing and balancing this new Talent -- which feels like a great capstone Talent -- a very high-risk, high-reward option for a high-risk, high-reward combat job.
Victory Talent Damage Levels
While adding Deepstrike Detonator we had an opportunity to review and rebalance other similar talents that damage weapons and components in post-boarding victory. These Talents have been updated, particularly around the weighting for the number of weapons or components hit. After these changes, higher rank talents will hit more components and maximize the talent owners skill points.
Improved Cargo Allocations
This is the first of a set of updates that we will be deploying over the coming weeks that improve the allocation of Cargo to enemy ships. In this update, we have revised the cargo generation for Smuggler Ships, focusing on RTG selection and quantity. You should see Smuggler ships carrying more appropriate RTG in more appropriate quantities near RTG sources, and during rumors that encourage smuggling. In a similar vein, we have started modeling some cargo allocations against the active Era, giving Military Officers valuable weapon cargo to transport during the Consolidation periods. We are excited to release several waves of cargo allocation improvements in the coming weeks, so if you have ideas or feedback about the cargo on the ships you loot dont hesitate to reach out to us.
Contact Simulator Improvements
This update continues to add small incremental improvements to the Contact and Faction simulator. Last update added some events that allow Contacts to act immediately as a reaction to an event, and this update works to provide Contacts a more filtered list of options, and improves the weighting of those options to give the agents a better chance of selecting an action that is likely to have nearby effects. This will help make Contacts effects felt more in their local sectors than distant ones. If you see any evidence of this causing misbehavior within your game (especially on very small maps) please let us know.
Duranium Coatings & Minor Fixes
Some players demonstrated some Duranium coating builds that boarded on unfair so we fixed the error that was allowing stacking to get out of control. It is still pretty OP, but at least now it follows the rules. Weve also improved the cargo spawning (similar to the Smuggler rules) for Molten and Radiation worlds, and added Kraesline Shards to the cargo generation table they use.
Our new turn-based tactics RPG!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #30 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the three major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest, Proc-Gen Missions for endless play, and Custom Difficulty (and the ability to change difficulty during play). If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.3.77 - 12/21/2023
- New Rank 15 Shocktrooper Talent: Deepstrike Detonator - Rebalanced Combat Victory Talent's Weapon Damaging Rules - During Consolidation Era, Military Officer ships carry valuable military cargo - Improved RTG allocation in enemy Smuggler Ships - Kraesline Shards now spawn on Molten and Radiation Worlds - Improved math in Faction simulator, making Contact's actions more likely to be nearby - Increased duration of Sniper's "Vanishing Act" Talent
Update #332: Duranium Gleam
Powerful new salvage crew armor has dropped with Update #332, boasting a straight +4 Initiative buff. This level 8 armor is rare and hard to find but it wastes no time, go straight for speed over protection.
The gleam of Duranium coating never looked better, with 2 new Coatings now available. At Duranium Coating II and III, are capable of reducing ship damage during orbital operations - Patrol, Salvage, Spy and Blockade - by up to 40%, Now adding extra points of Armor and Shielding each, as well as 5% or 7% Void or Radiation Res, these are now some of the most all-arounder defensive components you can purchase. They do not come cheap and demand a medium slot but are powerful additions to your ship's protection as well as orbital activities. Along with their price, all components that are made out of rare and excotic metals, such as - Duranium, Ferrochronmium, Iridlaentine - all now demand higher Starport ratings (6, 7 or 8) to match the types of worlds where such things can be processed.
High level enemy who are flying for a faction military may now appear in the Acheron Battlecarrier, kitted with craft and all of its bristling weaponry and defenses. Beware, a new powerful super-carrier is on the lose in the void to give your high level captains a run for their spice.
As one of the flagships of the Thulun navy, we've upgraded the starting components of the Leo Battlecruiser to use even more Thulun specific components. As the component list continues to expand, there are more and more components specifically from their faction to round out an entire ship. The Leo Battlecruiser, the pride of the Thulun naval shipyards.
Black Markets have gained a number of useful boosts in Update #332.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #30 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the three major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest, Proc-Gen Missions for endless play, and Custom Difficulty (and the ability to change difficulty during play). If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New Crew Armor: Chaos Weave (Level 8, +4 Init) - New Ship Components: Duranium Coating II, Duranium Coating III - Faction Military Officer Captains can now appear in the Acheron Battlecarrier - Updated Leo Battlecruiser to use even more Thulun-specific components - Black Market Access is substantially easier during UCF Riots, Pirates, Ion Storms and Spice Festivals - Increased the effect of Captain Charisma on Black Market cards by 50% - Allow Contacts to take immediate action (buy Rumors, assassinate enemies) on some Black Market Influence gains - Fixed Duranium, Ferrochronmium, Iridlaentine to all require high Starport Rating - Fixed reports typos and crashes, fixed 2 performance issues for Intel GPU
[ 2023-12-16 17:06:46 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #332 hits across the game's systems with new crew armor, new ship components, new dangerous enemy captains in powerful ships, and even more excitement around the Black Market.
If you're enjoying the pace of on-going, free updates to the game we hope you'll leave a review!
New Crew Armor
Powerful new salvage crew armor has dropped with Update #332, boasting a straight +4 Initiative buff. This level 8 armor is rare and hard to find but it wastes no time, go straight for speed over protection.
Duranium Coating
The gleam of Duranium coating never looked better, with 2 new Coatings now available. At Duranium Coating II and III, are capable of reducing ship damage during orbital operations - Patrol, Salvage, Spy and Blockade - by up to 40%, Now adding extra points of Armor and Shielding each, as well as 5% or 7% Void or Radiation Res, these are now some of the most all-arounder defensive components you can purchase. They do not come cheap and demand a medium slot but are powerful additions to your ship's protection as well as orbital activities. Along with their price, all components that are made out of rare and excotic metals, such as - Duranium, Ferrochronmium, Iridlaentine - all now demand higher Starport ratings (6, 7 or 8) to match the types of worlds where such things can be processed.
Acheron Sighted - Beware!
High level enemy who are flying for a faction military may now appear in the Acheron Battlecarrier, kitted with craft and all of its bristling weaponry and defenses. Beware, a new powerful super-carrier is on the lose in the void to give your high level captains a run for their spice.
Leo Upgrade
As one of the flagships of the Thulun navy, we've upgraded the starting components of the Leo Battlecruiser to use even more Thulun specific components. As the component list continues to expand, there are more and more components specifically from their faction to round out an entire ship. The Leo Battlecruiser, the pride of the Thulun naval shipyards.
Black Market Power Center
Black Markets have gained a number of useful boosts in Update #332.
- Charisma now has an even bigger effect on access cards in the Black Market, increasing the impact of the Attribute by 50% and is particularly effective at reducing the chance of the worst cards in the Market
- We're continuing to further connect Black Market to Rumors so have again boosted and improved its card set during UCF Riots, Pirates, Ion Storms and Spice Festivals Rumors. Such Rumors can basically guarantee that there are excellent Access cards in every hand.
- Finally, if a Contact is granted additional Influence due to a Black Market card, there is now a special simulation rule that may allow them to take an immediate Contact action. This can help further empower the Contacts through which you are reaching the Black Market as they may assassinate an enemy, purchase a powerful Rumor, spread that Influence out to their allies or more
Our new turn-based tactics RPG!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #30 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the three major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest, Proc-Gen Missions for endless play, and Custom Difficulty (and the ability to change difficulty during play). If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.3.75 - 12/15/2023
- New Crew Armor: Chaos Weave (Level 8, +4 Init) - New Ship Components: Duranium Coating II, Duranium Coating III - Faction Military Officer Captains can now appear in the Acheron Battlecarrier - Updated Leo Battlecruiser to use even more Thulun-specific components - Black Market Access is substantially easier during UCF Riots, Pirates, Ion Storms and Spice Festivals - Increased the effect of Captain Charisma on Black Market cards by 50% - Allow Contacts to take immediate action (buy Rumors, assassinate enemies) on some Black Market Influence gains - Fixed Duranium, Ferrochronmium, Iridlaentine to all require high Starport Rating - Fixed reports typos and crashes, fixed 2 performance issues for Intel GPU
Update #331: Callsign Wolf Eight
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #30 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the first major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest and are preparing to complete the second milestone with Proc-Gen Missions and Custom Difficulty (even better than STFs!) If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
We're still not done expanding the scope of ship design options and components for our Captains, and this update adds another top-end option for cargo haulers, Cargo Hold 7. This oversized large component can individually hold 70 units of cargo, making it the largest hold to date. As we press towards Rank 10 Cargo Holds, ship architects are warned that our designer's ability to cram even more Water-Fuel storage into these spaces has hit a upper limit. For Captains that demand more fuel storage and longer range for their cargo haulers, look to the upcoming large size fuel tanks instead of Cargo Hold 7 and beyond.
Update #331 also rolls out the new Advanced Hangar Bay, a medium sized component capable of holding 1 craft, boasting the best Electronics boost among Hangars (+2), the highest Fuel Boost (+20) but also the highest HW Jump Cost (+10). Also, we've renamed the Thulun-specific hangar bay to 'Fidelis Hangar' so the Faction ownership is more clear.
This new armor set provides superior protection and mobility, ensuring your team is ready to face any challenge in the galaxy. Keep an eye out when you're salvaging for this rare drop!
Last but not least, we've implemented additional bug fixes and gameplay adjustments. We've resolved an issue causing seized AI ships to incorrectly display zero available cargo space, and fixed a bug that sometimes led to the unexpected drop of Templar Exemplar Command armor as loot. Also, we've added +1 Armor to the Jyeeta Cargo Hold II, enhancing the Jyeeta's resilience and make this terrifying race of "space slugs" even worse! We've also caught up to a long running bug that could result in seized AI ships having 0 available cargo space.
- New Ship Component: Cargo Hold 7 - New Ship Component: Armored Cargo Hold 5 - New Ship Component: Advanced Hangar Bay - Renamed Thulun specific hangar bay to 'Fidelis Hangar' - New Crew Armor: Wolf's Eight-Plate - Fixed issue that could cause seized AI ships to have 0 available cargo space - Added +1 Armor to Jyeeta Cargo Hold II, making upgrade Jyeeta slightly stronger
[ 2023-12-08 20:00:00 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome Update #331, where we are continuing the drive to add more high powered ship components to the game to help you design the perfect ship for whatever profession you chose in a wide range of mass categories. We've also added a new rare Salvage Armor type, the Wolf Eight-Plate and fixed a number of bugs and community reported QoL.
If you're enjoying the on-going free updates to the game years after launch, we hope you'll consider leaving a review!
Our new turn-based tactics RPG!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access and how is marching to Update #30 as it battles through its ambitious public roadmap. We've just completed the first major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest and are preparing to complete the second milestone with Proc-Gen Missions and Custom Difficulty (even better than STFs!) If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Cargo Holds
We're still not done expanding the scope of ship design options and components for our Captains, and this update adds another top-end option for cargo haulers, Cargo Hold 7. This oversized large component can individually hold 70 units of cargo, making it the largest hold to date. As we press towards Rank 10 Cargo Holds, ship architects are warned that our designer's ability to cram even more Water-Fuel storage into these spaces has hit a upper limit. For Captains that demand more fuel storage and longer range for their cargo haulers, look to the upcoming large size fuel tanks instead of Cargo Hold 7 and beyond.
Advanced Hangar Bay & Rename Thulun's Hangar
Update #331 also rolls out the new Advanced Hangar Bay, a medium sized component capable of holding 1 craft, boasting the best Electronics boost among Hangars (+2), the highest Fuel Boost (+20) but also the highest HW Jump Cost (+10). Also, we've renamed the Thulun-specific hangar bay to 'Fidelis Hangar' so the Faction ownership is more clear.
Storied Wolf Eight-Plate
This new armor set provides superior protection and mobility, ensuring your team is ready to face any challenge in the galaxy. Keep an eye out when you're salvaging for this rare drop!
Bug Fixes: Thanks community!
Last but not least, we've implemented additional bug fixes and gameplay adjustments. We've resolved an issue causing seized AI ships to incorrectly display zero available cargo space, and fixed a bug that sometimes led to the unexpected drop of Templar Exemplar Command armor as loot. Also, we've added +1 Armor to the Jyeeta Cargo Hold II, enhancing the Jyeeta's resilience and make this terrifying race of "space slugs" even worse! We've also caught up to a long running bug that could result in seized AI ships having 0 available cargo space.
v3.3.73 - 12/7/2023
- New Ship Component: Cargo Hold 7 - New Ship Component: Armored Cargo Hold 5 - New Ship Component: Advanced Hangar Bay - Renamed Thulun specific hangar bay to 'Fidelis Hangar' - New Crew Armor: Wolf's Eight-Plate - Fixed issue that could cause seized AI ships to have 0 available cargo space - Added +1 Armor to Jyeeta Cargo Hold II, making upgrade Jyeeta slightly stronger
Star Traders: Frontiers for Labor of Love
[ 2023-11-23 16:37:43 CET ] [ Original post ]
If you'd like to nominate Star Traders: Frontiers for a Steam award, we're a labor of love. With Update #330 just out, the labor continues, and it does so do to love of the game.
Thanks for all your support, reviews and shares!
Andrew & Cory & the whole Team
Save 50% Update #330: Self-Taught
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access last month! With Update #20 already out, we're doing it in a style you'll recognize from Star Traders: Frontiers. Fast, relentless improvement and expaions! We've just completed the first major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest and are preparing to add a new Story Era (sound familiar, Star Traders?) and proc-gen missions to the new title. If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
We've pushed the longtime Trait, Self-Taught into more exciting territory with Update #330. First we've increased its chance to grant double XP to 15%, allowing it to compete more directly with other powerful Traits like Brilliant. With Update #330, we've also added Self-Taught to more Trait rule sets, allowing it to proc in recruits from the clans, low Economy zones and other places where it is impossible that Brilliant will proc. While the Brilliant character may gain additional XP due to their sheer intelligence, a Self-Taught character gains extra XP from necessity to survive and excel (or whatever other motivation you'd like to RP!)
We've spent a few weeks working on Mutiny as one of the focus areas and with this update we've buttoned up a few final issues. We've ironed out a few of the Traits that should or shouldn't allow Talents and fixed some bugs where the total amount of money required for Large Pay Raise was miscalculated.
While in most situations, starting contacts are well spread around, there are still map seeds that could result in them ending up in a pile. With this update, we've further improved the situation even in those odd maps seeds to make this more optimal, more of the time.
- Buffed "Self-Taught" Trait to 15% chance of Double XP - Independent Recruits have increased chance to have "Self-Taught" Trait - Added new chance of "Self-Taught" Recruits for Clans and low Economy Zones - Increased chance of "Self-Taught" where "Brilliant" can't proc - New Gear: St. Leena's Bangles - Fixed Dread Legacy description, buffed XP and Rep Bonus - Fixed text issues with "Large Pay Raise" option during Mutiny - Fixed issues with some mutinous crew Talents being available - Fixed issue with "local" starting Contacts all being placed in a single zone - Fixed ship pricing display bugs during Starport Expansion rumors
[ 2023-11-22 00:35:53 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #330 arrives with some new Trait changes, new Trait mutation opportunities, new gear for your characters, and improvements to both new game and mutiny options. A huge thanks to everyone who has helped us get to 330 updates and continually improve the game with new features, balance and content.
If you're enjoying the continued free updates, please remember to leave a review and share the game with a friend!
Save 20% On our newest game in Early Access!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access last month! With Update #20 already out, we're doing it in a style you'll recognize from Star Traders: Frontiers. Fast, relentless improvement and expaions! We've just completed the first major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest and are preparing to add a new Story Era (sound familiar, Star Traders?) and proc-gen missions to the new title. If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Self-Taught Trait
We've pushed the longtime Trait, Self-Taught into more exciting territory with Update #330. First we've increased its chance to grant double XP to 15%, allowing it to compete more directly with other powerful Traits like Brilliant. With Update #330, we've also added Self-Taught to more Trait rule sets, allowing it to proc in recruits from the clans, low Economy zones and other places where it is impossible that Brilliant will proc. While the Brilliant character may gain additional XP due to their sheer intelligence, a Self-Taught character gains extra XP from necessity to survive and excel (or whatever other motivation you'd like to RP!)
Further Mutiny Tweaks
We've spent a few weeks working on Mutiny as one of the focus areas and with this update we've buttoned up a few final issues. We've ironed out a few of the Traits that should or shouldn't allow Talents and fixed some bugs where the total amount of money required for Large Pay Raise was miscalculated.
Starting Contacts
While in most situations, starting contacts are well spread around, there are still map seeds that could result in them ending up in a pile. With this update, we've further improved the situation even in those odd maps seeds to make this more optimal, more of the time.
v3.3.71 - 11/21/2023
- Buffed "Self-Taught" Trait to 15% chance of Double XP - Independent Recruits have increased chance to have "Self-Taught" Trait - Added new chance of "Self-Taught" Recruits for Clans and low Economy Zones - Increased chance of "Self-Taught" where "Brilliant" can't proc - New Gear: St. Leena's Bangles - Fixed Dread Legacy description, buffed XP and Rep Bonus - Fixed text issues with "Large Pay Raise" option during Mutiny - Fixed issues with some mutinous crew Talents being available - Fixed issue with "local" starting Contacts all being placed in a single zone - Fixed ship pricing display bugs during Starport Expansion rumors
Update #329: Cooling Cycle
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access last month! We've just completed the first major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest and are preparing to add a new Story Era (sound familiar, Star Traders?) and proc-gen missions to the new title. If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #329 we've made the cooldowin details for all ops Talents -- Exploring, Spying, Patrolling, Blockading and Salvage -- visible when hovering over a Talent before use. For these Talents especially, as you're often trying to plan out a certain sequence of Talents to ensure you come off cooldown quickly enough to never have to play without a talent -- this is highly valuable! Thanks for the great suggestion @rzwicaksono!
Since we were adding it for the ops Talents, we've also included cooldown details for Talents in ship combat. As these Talents go onto cooldown for extended periods of time, you can make quicker decisions about using them, especially if you have some idea of the level of risk you can currently take or the chances of another ship fight just around the next star.
Update #329 has added 2 new medium slot Fuel Tanks to the mix. While neither of the new tanks adds any additional Skill Pool to your ship, they do add sizeable chunk of Fuel in total for the trade of cost, at 105 Fuel and 130 Fuel respectively.
We've added details about how many crew need to be paid to the hover over the alert bar at the top of the HUD. While crew payment doesn't have enough priority to demand its own icon up on this bar, the information is just always available if you hover. This can provide a quick way to know if you can level your crew, or use the Traits that rely on paying crew to your advantage.
With Update #329, we also fixed a problematic pricing issue with the Wolf Vector's and reports bugs and issues from the forums. Thanks to everyone reporting bugs and issues!
- Improved Talent Displays: Added Cooldown to Explore, Orbit, Ship Combat - Improved Ship Alerts: Now shows count of Crew waiting on payment - New Components: Fuel Tank 5, Fuel Tank 6 - Fixed displays of some Small Craft Crew buffs from Gear - Fixed: Wolf Vector price bug - Fixed bugs and rendering issues
[ 2023-11-16 03:29:48 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #326 follows-up on a number of awesome community requests for improvements - new Talent cooldown visibility, new medium slot Fuel Tanks, new HUD details about paying your crew and more. A huge thanks to everyone posting and sharing to help improve the game!
If you're enjoying the on-going support for your favorite space captain RPG, please take a minute to leave a review and share the game with a friend!
Our new game has started Early Access!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, launched into Steam Early Access last month! We've just completed the first major roadmap milestone with the Hacker's Nest and are preparing to add a new Story Era (sound familiar, Star Traders?) and proc-gen missions to the new title. If you're looking for a story rich, squad-based RPG, take a minute to follow, wishlist or try Cyber Knights! All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Talent Cooldown Displays
With Update #329 we've made the cooldowin details for all ops Talents -- Exploring, Spying, Patrolling, Blockading and Salvage -- visible when hovering over a Talent before use. For these Talents especially, as you're often trying to plan out a certain sequence of Talents to ensure you come off cooldown quickly enough to never have to play without a talent -- this is highly valuable! Thanks for the great suggestion @rzwicaksono!
Since we were adding it for the ops Talents, we've also included cooldown details for Talents in ship combat. As these Talents go onto cooldown for extended periods of time, you can make quicker decisions about using them, especially if you have some idea of the level of risk you can currently take or the chances of another ship fight just around the next star.
New Fuel Tanks 5 & 6
Update #329 has added 2 new medium slot Fuel Tanks to the mix. While neither of the new tanks adds any additional Skill Pool to your ship, they do add sizeable chunk of Fuel in total for the trade of cost, at 105 Fuel and 130 Fuel respectively.
Crew Payment HUD
We've added details about how many crew need to be paid to the hover over the alert bar at the top of the HUD. While crew payment doesn't have enough priority to demand its own icon up on this bar, the information is just always available if you hover. This can provide a quick way to know if you can level your crew, or use the Traits that rely on paying crew to your advantage.
And Bug Fixes
With Update #329, we also fixed a problematic pricing issue with the Wolf Vector's and reports bugs and issues from the forums. Thanks to everyone reporting bugs and issues!
v3.3.67 - 11/15/2023
- Improved Talent Displays: Added Cooldown to Explore, Orbit, Ship Combat - Improved Ship Alerts: Now shows count of Crew waiting on payment - New Components: Fuel Tank 5, Fuel Tank 6 - Fixed displays of some Small Craft Crew buffs from Gear - Fixed: Wolf Vector price bug - Fixed bugs and rendering issues
Update #328: Spiderweb Connnections
Cargo Hold 6 is a beast - the top of the line large cargo hold for your merchant's cargo long hauler. The expansive fuel capacity pairs well with the recently updated Longhaul Engines. So whether your running Salvage or Explorer with a Javat mining rig, or just hauling cargo for credits, this is the upgrade for you. Load up on expensive Permit-only goods or seeking out even more difficult to obtain Rare Trade Goods, the Cargo Hold 6 is a big investment but helps keep those merchanting margins high.
Overall, we've pushed the chances of drawing access cards - which are the success cards int he Black Market - about 5% higher with a bit of a bias toward higher level access cards. In the case of Rumors like Spice Festival and Civil Unrest we've made the Black Market access cards - in which you reach the market - twice as likely to be drawing in to the hand of 5 cards. Also, access cards with higher level of access are now more prevalent.
We're expanding Rumors effects by allowing them to interact with the Rare Trade Good generation and economy. This is another exciting intertwining of important systems and we're excited to continue to make changes in this regard that deepen their relationship. For example, Shortage Rumors on the planets responsible for Rare Trade Good supplies will trigger spikes in prices for the goods as the news travels. We've mapped out some more cool ideas for Rumor interaction like with Civil Unrest and Xenos driving supply and pricing changes as well.
To help protect high powered Contacts, we've added some new rules that prevent low Influence Contacts from actually making an attempt at killing them. This helps strengthen the simulation and improve the chances for higher Influence Contacts to outlive their peers.
This Zendu Trait has gained a full point of +1 Initiative. The memories of your lineage's past, regardless of how fragment give you nearly preternatural reaction time, now for a total of +3 Initiative.
- New Ship Component: Cargo Hold 6 (yw, merchants) - Reduced rate of low-influence Contacts attempting to assassinate high-influence rivals - Rumors on RTG origin world can now cause market and pricing changes (more soon) - Balance Change: Black Market overall +5% Success Rate - Double Success Rate for Black Market Under Spice Festival, Civil Unrest - Contact Influence spent on Rumor duration is return to Contacts if the Rumor ends early - Buffed: Zendu Lineage Gains +1 Init for +3 Total - Nerfed: Relic Deathward looses -5% Bleed Res
[ 2023-11-11 05:42:15 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #328 adds the new Cargo Hold 6, improves a Zendu Trait and also adds another set of deepening simulation connections between game systems and Rumors - Rumors and Black Market, Rumors and Rare Trade Goods
New Cargo Hold
Cargo Hold 6 is a beast - the top of the line large cargo hold for your merchant's cargo long hauler. The expansive fuel capacity pairs well with the recently updated Longhaul Engines. So whether your running Salvage or Explorer with a Javat mining rig, or just hauling cargo for credits, this is the upgrade for you. Load up on expensive Permit-only goods or seeking out even more difficult to obtain Rare Trade Goods, the Cargo Hold 6 is a big investment but helps keep those merchanting margins high.
Improved Black Market
Overall, we've pushed the chances of drawing access cards - which are the success cards int he Black Market - about 5% higher with a bit of a bias toward higher level access cards. In the case of Rumors like Spice Festival and Civil Unrest we've made the Black Market access cards - in which you reach the market - twice as likely to be drawing in to the hand of 5 cards. Also, access cards with higher level of access are now more prevalent.
Rumor + RTG Intersection
We're expanding Rumors effects by allowing them to interact with the Rare Trade Good generation and economy. This is another exciting intertwining of important systems and we're excited to continue to make changes in this regard that deepen their relationship. For example, Shortage Rumors on the planets responsible for Rare Trade Good supplies will trigger spikes in prices for the goods as the news travels. We've mapped out some more cool ideas for Rumor interaction like with Civil Unrest and Xenos driving supply and pricing changes as well.
Contact Simulation
To help protect high powered Contacts, we've added some new rules that prevent low Influence Contacts from actually making an attempt at killing them. This helps strengthen the simulation and improve the chances for higher Influence Contacts to outlive their peers.
Zendu Lineage
This Zendu Trait has gained a full point of +1 Initiative. The memories of your lineage's past, regardless of how fragment give you nearly preternatural reaction time, now for a total of +3 Initiative.
v3.3.65 - 11/10/2023
- New Ship Component: Cargo Hold 6 (yw, merchants) - Reduced rate of low-influence Contacts attempting to assassinate high-influence rivals - Rumors on RTG origin world can now cause market and pricing changes (more soon) - Balance Change: Black Market overall +5% Success Rate - Double Success Rate for Black Market Under Spice Festival, Civil Unrest - Contact Influence spent on Rumor duration is return to Contacts if the Rumor ends early - Buffed: Zendu Lineage Gains +1 Init for +3 Total - Nerfed: Relic Deathward looses -5% Bleed Res
Update #327: Longhaul It
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, just launched into Steam Early Access! Featuring in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and an all-new story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them based on how youve played. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
The new M115 Twin Autocannon breaches the level 10 weapon barrier! Exciting, highly expensive and highly powerful, the M115 offers intensely high (90%!) chance to hit enemy craft as well as best-in-class accuracy against enemy capital ships (+14). Like other higher level weapons, it is unlocked alongside Level 9 weapons by the grand sweep of story and Eras. We've also made fixes to the M101 Tracker Cannon which had some odd values set for its level, price and the minimum zone stats required to buy it.
All Longhaul type Void Engines have gained a new and key boost -- extra fuel! Ranging from +25 to +55 depending on the Mass of the engine, these Longhauls now directly help your ship live up to its name, even beyond the regular Engine Speed's effect. This helps them stand out in the set of engines for their purpose. To the benefit of small ships interested in using Longhauls, the lower Mass Traveller and Longhaul Engines now come with Armor, which can help take pressure off other components in an already small ship.
Another rare piece of gear you made need to salvage high level wrecks to find, the new Hogobloxin Balm adds +3 to Wisdom, Resilience and Charisma as well as adding +25 Debuff Resistance. Speaking of ultra rare loot, we've rebalanced the newly added Deathward down to +21 Resilience (from +24) and tweaked its loot drop rules so that it is even less likely to appear early in your career.
With Update #327, we've adjusted the starting Influence of Retired Blademaster, Naval Doctor, Spice Presser Contacts. Mosty to their benefit, these new starting Influence values can be especially helpfulf or new starting contacts who may or may not be your allies. This lets them be more active in the simulation and protects them a bit from early and sudden death.
- New Ship Weapon: M115 Twin Autocannon (Level 10! What?) - New Rare Loot Gear: Hogobloxin Balm - All Longhaul pattern engines now offer additional fuel storage, from 25 to 55 depending on mass - Low mass Traveller and Longhaul Engines now have Armor points, are Armored components - Reworked 'Kiret Karat' Relic 2nd Hand Blade (low damage, high accuracy) - Contact Influence has much larger impact on duration of Rumors purchased by Contacts - Increased range of Zone Rumors `Court Scientist` Contact can attempt to purchase - Increased Starting Influence for: Retired Blademaster, Naval Doctor, Spice Presser Contacts - Relic Deathward reduced from +24 to +21 Resilience - Fixed reported problems with 'Acheron Battlecarrier' - Fixed issues with M101 Tracker Cannon (Level, Availability, Cost)
[ 2023-11-09 05:39:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
The update train continues with Update #327: Longhaul It! This one adds a new level 10 ship weapon, new rare gear, improves all Longhaul engines regardless of Mass, improves starting Contact balance and fixed the fix for the Acheron Battlecarrier.
If you're enjoying the game and the updates, please leave a review and share the game with a friend!
Our new game has started Early Access!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, just launched into Steam Early Access! Featuring in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and an all-new story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them based on how youve played. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
First New Level 10 Weapon
The new M115 Twin Autocannon breaches the level 10 weapon barrier! Exciting, highly expensive and highly powerful, the M115 offers intensely high (90%!) chance to hit enemy craft as well as best-in-class accuracy against enemy capital ships (+14). Like other higher level weapons, it is unlocked alongside Level 9 weapons by the grand sweep of story and Eras. We've also made fixes to the M101 Tracker Cannon which had some odd values set for its level, price and the minimum zone stats required to buy it.
Longhaul Fuel Boosts
All Longhaul type Void Engines have gained a new and key boost -- extra fuel! Ranging from +25 to +55 depending on the Mass of the engine, these Longhauls now directly help your ship live up to its name, even beyond the regular Engine Speed's effect. This helps them stand out in the set of engines for their purpose. To the benefit of small ships interested in using Longhauls, the lower Mass Traveller and Longhaul Engines now come with Armor, which can help take pressure off other components in an already small ship.
New Rare Hogobloxin Balm
Another rare piece of gear you made need to salvage high level wrecks to find, the new Hogobloxin Balm adds +3 to Wisdom, Resilience and Charisma as well as adding +25 Debuff Resistance. Speaking of ultra rare loot, we've rebalanced the newly added Deathward down to +21 Resilience (from +24) and tweaked its loot drop rules so that it is even less likely to appear early in your career.
Contact Balances
With Update #327, we've adjusted the starting Influence of Retired Blademaster, Naval Doctor, Spice Presser Contacts. Mosty to their benefit, these new starting Influence values can be especially helpfulf or new starting contacts who may or may not be your allies. This lets them be more active in the simulation and protects them a bit from early and sudden death.
v3.3.63 - 11/8/2023
- New Ship Weapon: M115 Twin Autocannon (Level 10! What?) - New Rare Loot Gear: Hogobloxin Balm - All Longhaul pattern engines now offer additional fuel storage, from 25 to 55 depending on mass - Low mass Traveller and Longhaul Engines now have Armor points, are Armored components - Reworked 'Kiret Karat' Relic 2nd Hand Blade (low damage, high accuracy) - Contact Influence has much larger impact on duration of Rumors purchased by Contacts - Increased range of Zone Rumors `Court Scientist` Contact can attempt to purchase - Increased Starting Influence for: Retired Blademaster, Naval Doctor, Spice Presser Contacts - Relic Deathward reduced from +24 to +21 Resilience - Fixed reported problems with 'Acheron Battlecarrier' - Fixed issues with M101 Tracker Cannon (Level, Availability, Cost)
Update #326: Mutinous Scum!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, just launched into Steam Early Access! Featuring in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and an all-new story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them based on how youve played. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
The ultra-rare Relic Deathward will not be an easy find. Salvaging medical wrecks, exploring the most dangerous and desolate places, you might come across this ancient and forgotten tech. But taking it in hand, you'll gain +30 Bleed Res (goodbye Bleeds!) and a near unimaginable +24 Resilience.
After the good changes in Update #325 that fixed how Captain's Talents were selected during a Mutiny (they can now be used even if Captain is low Morale) we've returned to Mutiny again to do further improvements and house-cleaning. Any crew member who has the "Loyal" or "Revere's Authority" Trait will also correctly offer their Talents during a Mutiny, even if their Morale is below the line. This matches the rule exception for the Captain and further helps those stalwart supporters in your crew make a difference at this critical time. To help stave off the repeat Mutiny issue, a new offer of "Large Pay Raise" has been added which can trade even more promise of future credits in for +50 Morale instead of the normal +20. While more expensive, this option is one that will put the Mutiny to bed for a while and can be really helpful in open space, or if there are no ports of good harbor and high Spice nearby to help you improve your Morale in other ways. Cutting against you, we now consider the levels of the mutinous crew when determining how much damage they could cause if they are met in battle. The damage numbers goes up if you allow higher level crew to reach a point of Mutiny (which, to be clear, is very rare).
We fixed a bug that was popping a confirmation when you attempted to board and do nothing else during a ship combat turn. Apologies about that, boarders!
- New Ultra-rare Gear: Relic Deathward - Improved Mutiny results display for Bribes and Payments - Added new additional "Large Pay Raise" option to grant +50 Morale instead of the normal +20 - Now "Loyal" and "Reverse Authority" Crew will now even offer Mutiny Talents, even if morale too low - Talents that prevent Morale loss now work to player's benefit during Mutiny - While rare, Mutiny with high level Crew is now more dangerous (higher damage numbers) - Fixed SFX for Rank 15 Combat Medic Talent: Flechette Rounds - Fixed issue where confirmation dialog for no action would appear in ship combat even if boarding
[ 2023-11-04 19:50:54 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome back to the update train with Update #326! We had to take a break recently (reasons explained below) from updates but we're excited to get back to the priority list for Star Traders: Frontiers. We've still got some exciting things in store, so let's get busy --
If you're enjoying the game and the updates, please leave a review and share the game with a friend!
Our new game has started Early Access!
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our stealth & squad tactics heist RPG, just launched into Steam Early Access! Featuring in-depth character builds, turn-based stealth & combat, and an all-new story engine that selects storylines and weaves different members of your squad and contacts into them based on how youve played. All support for Cyber Knights ultimately results in a brighter future for Star Traders, so hope youll check it out and spread the word! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Relic
The ultra-rare Relic Deathward will not be an easy find. Salvaging medical wrecks, exploring the most dangerous and desolate places, you might come across this ancient and forgotten tech. But taking it in hand, you'll gain +30 Bleed Res (goodbye Bleeds!) and a near unimaginable +24 Resilience.
Mutiny Improvements
After the good changes in Update #325 that fixed how Captain's Talents were selected during a Mutiny (they can now be used even if Captain is low Morale) we've returned to Mutiny again to do further improvements and house-cleaning. Any crew member who has the "Loyal" or "Revere's Authority" Trait will also correctly offer their Talents during a Mutiny, even if their Morale is below the line. This matches the rule exception for the Captain and further helps those stalwart supporters in your crew make a difference at this critical time. To help stave off the repeat Mutiny issue, a new offer of "Large Pay Raise" has been added which can trade even more promise of future credits in for +50 Morale instead of the normal +20. While more expensive, this option is one that will put the Mutiny to bed for a while and can be really helpful in open space, or if there are no ports of good harbor and high Spice nearby to help you improve your Morale in other ways. Cutting against you, we now consider the levels of the mutinous crew when determining how much damage they could cause if they are met in battle. The damage numbers goes up if you allow higher level crew to reach a point of Mutiny (which, to be clear, is very rare).
Boarding is no longer "No Action
We fixed a bug that was popping a confirmation when you attempted to board and do nothing else during a ship combat turn. Apologies about that, boarders!
v3.3.61 - 11/3/2023
- New Ultra-rare Gear: Relic Deathward - Improved Mutiny results display for Bribes and Payments - Added new additional "Large Pay Raise" option to grant +50 Morale instead of the normal +20 - Now "Loyal" and "Reverse Authority" Crew will now even offer Mutiny Talents, even if morale too low - Talents that prevent Morale loss now work to player's benefit during Mutiny - While rare, Mutiny with high level Crew is now more dangerous (higher damage numbers) - Fixed SFX for Rank 15 Combat Medic Talent: Flechette Rounds - Fixed issue where confirmation dialog for no action would appear in ship combat even if boarding
Our new game has LAUNCHED!
[ 2023-10-18 00:08:49 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, you've seen it in the Star Traders updates for a long time now, and it's finally arrived! Cyber Knights: Flashpoint - our squad tactics heist RPG - launched on Steam today! It's our first 3D game and a big step up for our studio; we'd love for you to check it out.
Like Star Traders: Frontiers, Cyber Knights is an in-depth RPG with a ton of replayability, endless character build possibilities, and a contact system that expands even further on the traits, reputation, and living web of influence and relationships that you can impact.
Come take a look and see if Cyber Knights' smart turn-based tactics, heist strategy layer, and unique 23rd-century cyberpunk looks fun to you. If it's not your style of game, no worries, even just spreading the word about it helps support us and the possibilities for Star Traders' future.
We're looking forward to a great Early Access where player ideas and feedback shape the game every bit as much as they did Star Traders. And don't worry, we might be fully-focused on Cyber Knights' launch right now, but we'll be back with more for Star Traders: Frontiers too.
You've lived long sailing the stars with us. Now come live fast and die young running these cyberpunk streets.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Update #325: Who shall Captain?
With Update #325, you can now rapidly randomize your Captain's name and appearance. The randomization will keep to regular outfits (without mix-and-match legs and torso) and currently does not add any accessories. Personally, I'm loving this new addition as a way to find a cool looking and sounding new captain with some speed clicking. Let us know how it works for you! Should we add it to the main roster as well?
In ship combat, if you happen to hit End Turn without putting in any orders -- no Talents used, no weapons fired, no craft launched and no move orders issued -- you'll get a once per combat confirmation dialog to ensure you really want to skip out. If you do choose to continue anyway, we'll leave you alone and not ask again. If you want to correct a mistake, then the confirmation will reappear if the mistake is made again. Thanks to the community for always pressing us to improve the game!
There was a bug with Captain Mutiny Talents that was counting Captains out of using their own Talents to quell mutinies if their Morale was very low. That is a lot less fun for Pirate captains and the like! This is now resolved and your Captain will always be able to use their anti-Mutiny Talents regardless of their low Morale. A captain never joins against themselves in a Mutiny ... and if they do, they've got bigger problems.
There was an issue where Nine Blade Cut's debuff was getting cleared by Talents that remove Buffs. This is now resolved. We also fixed a bug with Disarming Sabotage not finding weapons in some cases.
- Added button to randomize captain name in new game - Added button to randomize captain outfit in new game - Added confirmation dialog if you take now action (talent, weapons, craft, move order) in ship combat (confirm only once) - Fixed bug that would prevent a low Morale Captain from using Talents during Mutiny - Fixed bug allowing Nine Blade Cut debuff from being removed from enemy - Fixed issue with Disarming Sabotage always reporting that there are no enemy weapons
[ 2023-08-27 17:42:14 CET ] [ Original post ]
It's Update #325 for Star Traders: Frontiers with some new QoL features requested by the community! This week, we've added new quick randomization options to new game to help you find your perfect Captain persona, added a confirmation button to ending the turn without any action in Ship Combat, saved Mutinied captains from themselves and fixed a number of hot-topic reported bugs.
If you like the pace of updates, please take a minute to leave a review, share the game or just post some feedback! Feedback goes straight into updates :D
New Game Randomize
With Update #325, you can now rapidly randomize your Captain's name and appearance. The randomization will keep to regular outfits (without mix-and-match legs and torso) and currently does not add any accessories. Personally, I'm loving this new addition as a way to find a cool looking and sounding new captain with some speed clicking. Let us know how it works for you! Should we add it to the main roster as well?
Skipped Turn Confirmation
In ship combat, if you happen to hit End Turn without putting in any orders -- no Talents used, no weapons fired, no craft launched and no move orders issued -- you'll get a once per combat confirmation dialog to ensure you really want to skip out. If you do choose to continue anyway, we'll leave you alone and not ask again. If you want to correct a mistake, then the confirmation will reappear if the mistake is made again. Thanks to the community for always pressing us to improve the game!
Captain Mutiny Talents
There was a bug with Captain Mutiny Talents that was counting Captains out of using their own Talents to quell mutinies if their Morale was very low. That is a lot less fun for Pirate captains and the like! This is now resolved and your Captain will always be able to use their anti-Mutiny Talents regardless of their low Morale. A captain never joins against themselves in a Mutiny ... and if they do, they've got bigger problems.
Nine Blade Cut Debuff
There was an issue where Nine Blade Cut's debuff was getting cleared by Talents that remove Buffs. This is now resolved. We also fixed a bug with Disarming Sabotage not finding weapons in some cases.
v3.3.59 - 8/27/2023
- Added button to randomize captain name in new game - Added button to randomize captain outfit in new game - Added confirmation dialog if you take now action (talent, weapons, craft, move order) in ship combat (confirm only once) - Fixed bug that would prevent a low Morale Captain from using Talents during Mutiny - Fixed bug allowing Nine Blade Cut debuff from being removed from enemy - Fixed issue with Disarming Sabotage always reporting that there are no enemy weapons
Update #324: Orbital Disaster Strikes!
Time flies like a starship, Captains. This month we're celebrating 5 years of Star Traders: Frontiers! Mark your calendars for TONIGHT, August 10th, 9pm EDT. We'll be live on Twitch with the Trese Brothers (including a special appearance from youngest brother Martin!) for a community hang-out and celebration stream on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TreseBrothers
Throughout the last year, weve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. Now, with a live demo up on the Steam page, we're cranking up to finishing pace and were marching toward the Q4 launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
When different types of Salvage Rumors start on a system, the local Contacts can gain or lose Influence. Orbital Salvage Rumors that can cause Influence bonuses include those like Orbital Constructions, Abandoned Military Station and others. We have now pushed Orbital Disaster Salvage Rumor correctly into the camp that harm local Contact Influence - a good change to help keep the simulation fair and clear, especially as this is a Rumor that can be bought by aggressive Contacts on their action.
We have added a rule change to the simulation to further improve the dynamics of the interstellar Rumors during the Early Coalition Era when Contacts attempt to create damaging Rumors. In the simulation in general -- when taking their action, Contacts can attempt to purchase damaging Rumors against other Contacts they hate (example -- Aetaan Char is in the simulation attempting to Civil Unrest the Faen homeworld due to her extreme hatred). During the Early Coalition Era, there is now a voting mechanism where other Contacts may deny the Rumor action after it has already been paid for. This results in the Rumor not being created and the aggressive Contact losing the Influence they put on the table for the action in the first place. This helps create a relative but fragile time of peace during the Early Coalition Era.
Two sets of combat gear -- the Paladin's Chain and Watchdog Whisper -- both have gained buffs to their stats to help push them more into the forefront of their respective categories. In addition, we've added to the respective Attribute bonuses for the Wing gear GAATSO Interlink and Vrax Harness, as it always helps for your Wing pilots to have slightly sharper Attributes along with their Wing-focused traits, gear and Talents.
We're on a bit of a rip making sure xeno don't slaughter early game captains unfairly. We've added another round of protections to prevent xeno rumors from being generated in certain ways that were letting them slip past the existing filter. Even less xeno Rumors should escape the lab in the early game but they are really hard to keep locked up -- so you might still see some!
We've adjusted the weighting in enemy captain ship designer to reduce the likelihood of Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress ships appearing as they were both a little overweight for fairness and pushing other ships into the margins. Finally, thanks for reporting bugs, typos and all the rest!
- Orbital Disaster rumors now damage Contact Influence rather than increase it - Contact AI purchasing Rumors during UCF Era revised to use simulated votes (hurts aggressive Contacts) - Buffed Paladin's Chain and Watchdog Whisper (Crew combat gear) - Buffed Attribute bonuses for GAATSO Interlink and Vrax Harness (Fighter Pilot gear) - Reduced chances of Xeno Rumors occurring early in the game - Reduced rate of enemy Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress spawning - Minor performance support patches, fixed reported crash & text bugs
[ 2023-08-10 18:46:13 CET ] [ Original post ]
It's Update #324! Not quite an orbital disaster but it sounds pretty cool. We've got some awesome improvements, tuning and fixes in this update as well as a reminder about the 5 year anniversary stream too. So -- if you like the pace of updates, please tell a friend, post some feedback and be sure to leave a review!
5 Year Celebration Reminder!
Time flies like a starship, Captains. This month we're celebrating 5 years of Star Traders: Frontiers! Mark your calendars for TONIGHT, August 10th, 9pm EDT. We'll be live on Twitch with the Trese Brothers (including a special appearance from youngest brother Martin!) for a community hang-out and celebration stream on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TreseBrothers
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Throughout the last year, weve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. Now, with a live demo up on the Steam page, we're cranking up to finishing pace and were marching toward the Q4 launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Orbital Disaster
When different types of Salvage Rumors start on a system, the local Contacts can gain or lose Influence. Orbital Salvage Rumors that can cause Influence bonuses include those like Orbital Constructions, Abandoned Military Station and others. We have now pushed Orbital Disaster Salvage Rumor correctly into the camp that harm local Contact Influence - a good change to help keep the simulation fair and clear, especially as this is a Rumor that can be bought by aggressive Contacts on their action.
Early UCF Rumors Peace
We have added a rule change to the simulation to further improve the dynamics of the interstellar Rumors during the Early Coalition Era when Contacts attempt to create damaging Rumors. In the simulation in general -- when taking their action, Contacts can attempt to purchase damaging Rumors against other Contacts they hate (example -- Aetaan Char is in the simulation attempting to Civil Unrest the Faen homeworld due to her extreme hatred). During the Early Coalition Era, there is now a voting mechanism where other Contacts may deny the Rumor action after it has already been paid for. This results in the Rumor not being created and the aggressive Contact losing the Influence they put on the table for the action in the first place. This helps create a relative but fragile time of peace during the Early Coalition Era.
Gear Buffs
Two sets of combat gear -- the Paladin's Chain and Watchdog Whisper -- both have gained buffs to their stats to help push them more into the forefront of their respective categories. In addition, we've added to the respective Attribute bonuses for the Wing gear GAATSO Interlink and Vrax Harness, as it always helps for your Wing pilots to have slightly sharper Attributes along with their Wing-focused traits, gear and Talents.
More Xeno Protections
We're on a bit of a rip making sure xeno don't slaughter early game captains unfairly. We've added another round of protections to prevent xeno rumors from being generated in certain ways that were letting them slip past the existing filter. Even less xeno Rumors should escape the lab in the early game but they are really hard to keep locked up -- so you might still see some!
Other Fixes
We've adjusted the weighting in enemy captain ship designer to reduce the likelihood of Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress ships appearing as they were both a little overweight for fairness and pushing other ships into the margins. Finally, thanks for reporting bugs, typos and all the rest!
v3.3.55 - 8/9/2023
- Orbital Disaster rumors now damage Contact Influence rather than increase it - Contact AI purchasing Rumors during UCF Era revised to use simulated votes (hurts aggressive Contacts) - Buffed Paladin's Chain and Watchdog Whisper (Crew combat gear) - Buffed Attribute bonuses for GAATSO Interlink and Vrax Harness (Fighter Pilot gear) - Reduced chances of Xeno Rumors occurring early in the game - Reduced rate of enemy Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress spawning - Minor performance support patches, fixed reported crash & text bugs
The new Endless Adventures bundle features ST:F + two other great RPGs!
[ 2023-08-08 17:06:28 CET ] [ Original post ]
We've joined forces with two other indie studios to offer a new Steam bundle for players who love to dive deep into a game: Endless Adventures - Deep & Replayable RPGs.
In the now 5 years since Star Traders: Frontiers' release, we've heard from so many of you that ours is a game you enjoy coming back to time and time again, creating new captains, outfitting entirely different ships, trying playthroughs with new goals or creative challenges. To this day we continue to update the game with new content, and opened up a new frontier of possibilities for player-created content with modding support added last year.
Wildermyth is another highly-replayable game we've admired since its release for its innovative procedural generation storytelling system, storybook-come-to-life style, and character legacies. Our shared tabletop RPG inspirations couldn't be more clear, and their many clever systems for creating unique characters and stories on every playthrough are very well executed.
Vagrus: The Riven Realms is another game we've been impressed by; this time for the sheer amount of hand-crafted content in its vast, dark-fantasy setting. Star Traders players will find lots of similarities in Vagrus' caravan premise, from the many options for who you recruit to travel alongside you, to the total freedom you have in how you choose to make your way in its detailed world.
If you're a bargain-hunter, you should know:
- With this bundle, you'll only pay for the games you don't already own.
- The bundle discount stacks with individual game sale discounts, so you'll often be able to find this bundle at a great price.
We're celebrating 5 years of Frontiers! Join us for a community hang-out?
[ 2023-08-02 21:02:26 CET ] [ Original post ]
Time flies like a starship, Captains. This month we're celebrating 5 years of Star Traders: Frontiers!
Mark your calendars for August 10th, 9pm EDT. We'll be live on Twitch with the Trese Brothers (including a special appearance from youngest brother Martin!) for a community hang-out and celebration stream on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TreseBrothers
Last year, we asked you to share a favorite moment or memory, and used them as part of our commemorative 4-year anniversary image.
This year, we want to hear about (and see screenshots of!) your favorite captain and your greatest achievement in game with them! A legendary set of salvage gear? A stash of horded Vudka the size of a small moon? A black market trade route that puts the Kessel Run to shame?
Whatever your best achievement may be, share your captain screenshots and stories in the Trese Brothers Discord #stf_5_year_celebration channel by August 8th for a chance to be featured in a special way in the 5-year anniversary celebrations.
Thank you all for the fun, the support, the reviews, the memes and the memories. I know we're talking a lot about our next game these days, but we're looking forward to the new possibilities it will bring for Star Traders as well. And with all the new players that keep coming to Star Traders: Frontiers, it's still got more life (and updates!) ahead.
Join us on the 10th for a fun celebration!
Update #323: Ripples of Trade Instability
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Rumors filter into the simulation by the actions of Contacts, thrown off from Conflicts and Eras, and even caused by the ripple of other Rumors ending. With Update #323, we've adjusted these Rumors flows during 3 Eras of the game to further push certain types of Rumors that fit the Era's storyline and feeling. For early traders and merchants, in the moment of prosperity that is the start of 212 AE, new Surplus Rumors have been seeded into the game. During the founding of the UCF, intergalactic instability and worry causes a flush of new Shortage Rumors to appear and finally, during the 3rd Century as military power continues to build up without an outlet, more and more Mercenary Rumors are occurring.
Reports trickle back slow to the spice hall, stories of warning, danger and death. New Explorers who have sometimes never set foot on a wilderness touch down and take their away team out, searching for riches and ancient sites. Some never return, ripped apart by Terrox or Shalun help them, Jyeeta. We've made some adjustments to help balance the life of new game Explorers a bit. There are no xeno lurking in the Exchange or the shipping lanes in the first few years of the game, so Explorers -- who could draw multiple xeno cards in a single hand !! -- we're facing an unfair uphill battle at the start of their career. We've now limited Xeno cards from appearing in early game Exploration to avoid this unfair disadvantage to their career.
Both of the Swordsman Talents released in last week's update regrettably had issues and could cause crashes when used in crew combat. With this update, we've redone their testing and fixed the Talents to work as well in production as they did during development! En garde, let's fight!
- Balance Change: Xeno Cards No Longer Appear in early Turn Explorer Hands - Early game now contains more Surplus Rumors - UCF Founding now triggers widespread shortages during trade disruptions - Increased the number of Mercenary rumors that are created for 3rd Century - Fixed issues with Secrets of Steel - Fixed issues with Nine Bladed Cut - Fixed crashes and freezes in Crew Combat - Card title formatting adjustments in Salvage - Fixed missing music and SFX for Mac OS
[ 2023-08-02 20:46:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome all new captains to the latest Star Traders: Frontiers update. With some fixes to the newly added Talents, new sources of Era-driven Rumors, a rebalance for early game Explorers and a platform-specific fix that brings music and SFX back to mac OS, it's big #323.
A huge thanks goes out to everyone leaving a review, posting feedback and sharing the game with friends!
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Rumor Sources
Rumors filter into the simulation by the actions of Contacts, thrown off from Conflicts and Eras, and even caused by the ripple of other Rumors ending. With Update #323, we've adjusted these Rumors flows during 3 Eras of the game to further push certain types of Rumors that fit the Era's storyline and feeling. For early traders and merchants, in the moment of prosperity that is the start of 212 AE, new Surplus Rumors have been seeded into the game. During the founding of the UCF, intergalactic instability and worry causes a flush of new Shortage Rumors to appear and finally, during the 3rd Century as military power continues to build up without an outlet, more and more Mercenary Rumors are occurring.
Early Game Explorers
Reports trickle back slow to the spice hall, stories of warning, danger and death. New Explorers who have sometimes never set foot on a wilderness touch down and take their away team out, searching for riches and ancient sites. Some never return, ripped apart by Terrox or Shalun help them, Jyeeta. We've made some adjustments to help balance the life of new game Explorers a bit. There are no xeno lurking in the Exchange or the shipping lanes in the first few years of the game, so Explorers -- who could draw multiple xeno cards in a single hand !! -- we're facing an unfair uphill battle at the start of their career. We've now limited Xeno cards from appearing in early game Exploration to avoid this unfair disadvantage to their career.
Talent Fixes
Both of the Swordsman Talents released in last week's update regrettably had issues and could cause crashes when used in crew combat. With this update, we've redone their testing and fixed the Talents to work as well in production as they did during development! En garde, let's fight!
v3.3.53 - 8/2/2023
- Balance Change: Xeno Cards No Longer Appear in early Turn Explorer Hands - Early game now contains more Surplus Rumors - UCF Founding now triggers widespread shortages during trade disruptions - Increased the number of Mercenary rumors that are created for 3rd Century - Fixed issues with Secrets of Steel - Fixed issues with Nine Bladed Cut - Fixed crashes and freezes in Crew Combat - Card title formatting adjustments in Salvage - Fixed missing music and SFX for Mac OS
Update #322: Steel of Nine Blades
Calling all ninjas, shadows, and ghosts in the machine -- Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is waiting to see just how stealthy you can be in our freshly-updated free demo for Steam Stealth Fest this week. The first rule should probably be, "Don't talk about Stealth Fest", so just roll up your Vanguard, lock-and-load your shock mines and power up your Chameleon suit - it's time to kill quietly, move as a shadow, become one with the patrol routes. Blades and silent pistols are your weapons, speed and silence your friends. We're excited to share this demo that takes you to the very start of your Cyber Knight's career: the night of your cyber surgery. In the underworld of New Boston, nothing goes down easy and everyone has an agenda. Can you keep your head up in these dangerous waters? https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Each major crew combat class with missing rank 15 Talents is getting its day - and now it's time for Swordsman to get the treatment. With Update #322, the Swordsman has gained a new rank 11 and new rank 15 Talent to complement their already powerful set. The new rank 11 Talent, Secrets of Steel is a companion to the venerable Strength of Steel and not related to our other games at all. Secrets of Steel can help a Swordsman who has been knocked back - or retreated of their own will - rapidly recover and get back into the fight and offers some powerful synergy for blade wielders who are willing to exercise additional mobility or fight with an offhand pistol. Nine Blade Cut is a powerful stunning attack targeted at the front row which can be especially useful if any ranged weapon fighters are brought into the front, as it will further dent their accuracy. Combining Stun with an immediate Initiative penalty, Nine Blade Cut is a great way to slow down and trip enemy combatants and may be - for some strategies - especially useful against xeno.
As we add a number of new high level crew combat Talents to the game, rebalances are sure to be required. With this update, we've reduced the duration of the Soldier's Still Standing Talent by 1 Turn.
With this update, we've completed another review of the AI Talent selection logic across different enemy types and jobs. We found some issues where enemy Bodyguards would incorrectly purchase Talents from any other job, often beyond the rules of multi-jobbing. Second, we've updated the logic for how enemy xeno pick their Talents to make them more synergistic as a group. We're sorry in advance. Be sure to buff your armor, sharpen your blades and prepare for the worst if you're high level and tangling with Terrox or Jyeeta.
We fixed an issue for some AI ships which were built with incorrectly sized Hyperwarp drives. Unable to actually send the mass of the ship through a Hyperwarp gate, these could become quite the burden to a captain who captured them with Prize Ship and require a significant retrofit before they could really become useful.
- New Rank 11 Swordsman Talent: Secrets of Steel - New Rank 15 Swordsman Talent: Nine Bladed Cut - Reduced 'Still Standing' Duration by 1 turn - Fixed issue with AI Bodyguards buying Talents from all Jobs - Improved Xeno Talent selection logic (sorry!) - Fixed issue that could cause seized AI ships to have undersized HW drives
[ 2023-07-27 02:57:42 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #322 continues the push to fill out the high level Talents for crew combatants, bringing 2 new Talents to Swordsman and adjusting the AI talent selections based on all the new adds, fixing Bodyguard selections and making xeno even more dangerous in their Talent picks. We've also added a bit more balance to the latest Soldier Talent additional, Still Standing, and fixed issues with the AI ship builder that could result in enemy ships have the wrong Hyperwarp Drive occasionally.
A huge thanks to everyone posting feedback, sharing the game and leaving a review!
Stealth Fest Demo!
Calling all ninjas, shadows, and ghosts in the machine -- Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is waiting to see just how stealthy you can be in our freshly-updated free demo for Steam Stealth Fest this week. The first rule should probably be, "Don't talk about Stealth Fest", so just roll up your Vanguard, lock-and-load your shock mines and power up your Chameleon suit - it's time to kill quietly, move as a shadow, become one with the patrol routes. Blades and silent pistols are your weapons, speed and silence your friends. We're excited to share this demo that takes you to the very start of your Cyber Knight's career: the night of your cyber surgery. In the underworld of New Boston, nothing goes down easy and everyone has an agenda. Can you keep your head up in these dangerous waters? https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Swordsman Coming Around!
Each major crew combat class with missing rank 15 Talents is getting its day - and now it's time for Swordsman to get the treatment. With Update #322, the Swordsman has gained a new rank 11 and new rank 15 Talent to complement their already powerful set. The new rank 11 Talent, Secrets of Steel is a companion to the venerable Strength of Steel and not related to our other games at all. Secrets of Steel can help a Swordsman who has been knocked back - or retreated of their own will - rapidly recover and get back into the fight and offers some powerful synergy for blade wielders who are willing to exercise additional mobility or fight with an offhand pistol. Nine Blade Cut is a powerful stunning attack targeted at the front row which can be especially useful if any ranged weapon fighters are brought into the front, as it will further dent their accuracy. Combining Stun with an immediate Initiative penalty, Nine Blade Cut is a great way to slow down and trip enemy combatants and may be - for some strategies - especially useful against xeno.
High-Level Talent Rebalance
As we add a number of new high level crew combat Talents to the game, rebalances are sure to be required. With this update, we've reduced the duration of the Soldier's Still Standing Talent by 1 Turn.
AI Talent Selection
With this update, we've completed another review of the AI Talent selection logic across different enemy types and jobs. We found some issues where enemy Bodyguards would incorrectly purchase Talents from any other job, often beyond the rules of multi-jobbing. Second, we've updated the logic for how enemy xeno pick their Talents to make them more synergistic as a group. We're sorry in advance. Be sure to buff your armor, sharpen your blades and prepare for the worst if you're high level and tangling with Terrox or Jyeeta.
Underwhelming HW Drives
We fixed an issue for some AI ships which were built with incorrectly sized Hyperwarp drives. Unable to actually send the mass of the ship through a Hyperwarp gate, these could become quite the burden to a captain who captured them with Prize Ship and require a significant retrofit before they could really become useful.
v3.3.51 - 7/26/2023
- New Rank 11 Swordsman Talent: Secrets of Steel - New Rank 15 Swordsman Talent: Nine Bladed Cut - Reduced 'Still Standing' Duration by 1 turn - Fixed issue with AI Bodyguards buying Talents from all Jobs - Improved Xeno Talent selection logic (sorry!) - Fixed issue that could cause seized AI ships to have undersized HW drives
Save 50% + Update #321: Engaging Fighters!
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #321, we've added to new rank 15 Talents to round out the Pilot and Soldier Jobs. The new Soldier rank 15 Talent "Still Standing" is a powerful turtle buff, capable of giving a Soldier a last-stand chance against deadly enemies. Granting massive defensive bonuses in trade for the majority of their Turn's Initiative, Last Standing can be used to make Soldier a defensive bulwark or to desperately try to hold until a Combat Medic can apply healing. Pilot's rank 15 Talent "Engage Fighters" trades accuracy and Damage against capital ship in order to significantly buff both offensive and defensive capabilities against fighters. If you're facing an overwhelming Jyeeta swarm or just pesky boarding shuttles you can't allow to close, Engage Fighters may be able to give you a quick turn-around to gun down the incoming. Engage Fighters obviously works best when paired with weapons ready for the job, like Autocannons.
As more and more Talents and strategies are added to the game the enemy ship and crew builder has a evolving task of trying to pick the best Talent set for its captain and officers. We've updated the rules and weights to pick Talents in order to take into account some of the new Talents as well as adjusting meta conditions. In addition to being more interested in picking up recently added Talents, the AI has 3 new options to try to for different Talent strategies which we believe can lead to more dynamic ship enemies - both in ship combat and if you attempt to board.
We're always very pleased to see how the Steam Workshop -- which was a very late addition!! -- for Star Traders: Frontiers has continued to grow and how many players are using and trying out the variety of mods available. We wanted to take a minute in this Steam Summer Sale update to highlight a few! The Spy Pack 1 features a bevy of new spy features -- a new spy focus ship, new faster engines, buffed Diplomats and Spies and most notably an all new Spy-focused storyline. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2578776840&searchtext= If you're looking for more face variety, the Playable Contacts Head Pack brings 24 of the Contact heads into the game as playable heads, letting you pick from some of the coolest and favorite Contact heads for your captain, crew and officers. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2936075922&searchtext= The most popular mod, @davea's No More Mass Reducers component adjusts how Mass is calculated in the game to remove it as a consideration when designing ships, as well as all titular Mass Reducer components from the starports. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2492139496 If you haven't checked out these or other cool workshop items, take a look!
- New Rank 15 Pilot Talent: Engage Fighters - New Rank 15 Soldier Talent: Still Standing - Improve Enemy Officer & Captain Talent Selection Logic - Fixed reports typos and crashes
[ 2023-07-10 22:59:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #321 continues the Summer Sale 50% savings and brings two new powerful rank 15 Talents to core jobs on your ship. Along with the recent Talent upgrades, we've upgraded the AI's weighting and decision tables when planning its own Talent strategy for ship captain and officers. We've also highlighted a few awesome mods from the workshop with Update #321 and fixed all reported typos and crashes.
A big thanks goes out to the community who helps us keep improving Star Traders: Frontiers. If you like the pace of free updates, be sure to drop a review!
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Rank 15 Talents
With Update #321, we've added to new rank 15 Talents to round out the Pilot and Soldier Jobs. The new Soldier rank 15 Talent "Still Standing" is a powerful turtle buff, capable of giving a Soldier a last-stand chance against deadly enemies. Granting massive defensive bonuses in trade for the majority of their Turn's Initiative, Last Standing can be used to make Soldier a defensive bulwark or to desperately try to hold until a Combat Medic can apply healing. Pilot's rank 15 Talent "Engage Fighters" trades accuracy and Damage against capital ship in order to significantly buff both offensive and defensive capabilities against fighters. If you're facing an overwhelming Jyeeta swarm or just pesky boarding shuttles you can't allow to close, Engage Fighters may be able to give you a quick turn-around to gun down the incoming. Engage Fighters obviously works best when paired with weapons ready for the job, like Autocannons.
Updated Enemy Officer Talent Selection
As more and more Talents and strategies are added to the game the enemy ship and crew builder has a evolving task of trying to pick the best Talent set for its captain and officers. We've updated the rules and weights to pick Talents in order to take into account some of the new Talents as well as adjusting meta conditions. In addition to being more interested in picking up recently added Talents, the AI has 3 new options to try to for different Talent strategies which we believe can lead to more dynamic ship enemies - both in ship combat and if you attempt to board.
Workshop Highlight
We're always very pleased to see how the Steam Workshop -- which was a very late addition!! -- for Star Traders: Frontiers has continued to grow and how many players are using and trying out the variety of mods available. We wanted to take a minute in this Steam Summer Sale update to highlight a few! The Spy Pack 1 features a bevy of new spy features -- a new spy focus ship, new faster engines, buffed Diplomats and Spies and most notably an all new Spy-focused storyline. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2578776840&searchtext= If you're looking for more face variety, the Playable Contacts Head Pack brings 24 of the Contact heads into the game as playable heads, letting you pick from some of the coolest and favorite Contact heads for your captain, crew and officers. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2936075922&searchtext= The most popular mod, @davea's No More Mass Reducers component adjusts how Mass is calculated in the game to remove it as a consideration when designing ships, as well as all titular Mass Reducer components from the starports. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2492139496 If you haven't checked out these or other cool workshop items, take a look!
v3.3.49 - 7/10/2023
- New Rank 15 Pilot Talent: Engage Fighters - New Rank 15 Soldier Talent: Still Standing - Improve Enemy Officer & Captain Talent Selection Logic - Fixed reports typos and crashes
Save 50% + Update #320: Medical Mastery
Throughout the last year, weve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a demo posted up for Steam Next Fest still freely available to play, development is continuing at a high pace and we are layering on polish as we marching to the launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
We've improved the rules for boarding victory Talents that specifically target and disable enemy ship weapons. If these Talents are unable to target at least one weapon to destroy -- usually because the ship's weapons are already offline -- then they will refuse to active, won't go on cooldown and will not consume one of your 2 boarding talent slots.
Thanks to everyone reporting errant issues within the game's many storylines. With this Update, we've fixed a bug in one of the five possible branches you can hit in the Pit Fighter V storyline -- all depending on who hates you the most -- which could lead to early expiration of the rest of the missions. If it was Char's agents, then you might end up in a horrible unfair rush to reach the fourth and final round. In a follow-up to last update's new character outfits, we've fixed some issues with hats and helmets not interacting with other choices correctly.
- New Rank 15 Doctor Talent: Medical Reset - New Rank 15 Combat Medic Talent: Flechette Rounds - Fixed issue with "Disarming Sabotage" and "Behind Enemy Lines" firing without functioning enemy weapons to target - Fixed issues with most recently added flight helmet and full helmet - Fixed bug in Pit Fighter V storyline if attacked by Char's agents, could expire too early
[ 2023-07-02 21:13:03 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #320 comes along with the Steam Summer Sale and the best discount of the year. Save 50% to step onto the bridge of your own Star Trader's vessel and ply the void, to serve the factions, seek your fortune or plot your own course. With this latest update, we've added 2 new rank 15 Talents for the esteemed medical jobs - Combat Medic and Doctor. We've also tuned up the rule set around anti-weapon ship boarding Talents, fixed some bugs with character cosmetics and some issues that could occur in 2 of the 5 branches of the Pit Fighter V storyline.
If you're enjoying the updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review!
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Throughout the last year, weve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a demo posted up for Steam Next Fest still freely available to play, development is continuing at a high pace and we are layering on polish as we marching to the launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Rank 15 Medical Professions
Improved Anti-Weapon Boarding
We've improved the rules for boarding victory Talents that specifically target and disable enemy ship weapons. If these Talents are unable to target at least one weapon to destroy -- usually because the ship's weapons are already offline -- then they will refuse to active, won't go on cooldown and will not consume one of your 2 boarding talent slots.
Pit Fighter V Storyline Fix
Thanks to everyone reporting errant issues within the game's many storylines. With this Update, we've fixed a bug in one of the five possible branches you can hit in the Pit Fighter V storyline -- all depending on who hates you the most -- which could lead to early expiration of the rest of the missions. If it was Char's agents, then you might end up in a horrible unfair rush to reach the fourth and final round. In a follow-up to last update's new character outfits, we've fixed some issues with hats and helmets not interacting with other choices correctly.
v3.3.47 - 7/2/2023
- New Rank 15 Doctor Talent: Medical Reset - New Rank 15 Combat Medic Talent: Flechette Rounds - Fixed issue with "Disarming Sabotage" and "Behind Enemy Lines" firing without functioning enemy weapons to target - Fixed issues with most recently added flight helmet and full helmet - Fixed bug in Pit Fighter V storyline if attacked by Char's agents, could expire too early
Update #319: The 15th Element
Our next title will be out later this year and we're excited to share a demo in Steam Next Fest this year - we hope you'll check it out, wishlist and follow. All the same deep systems, extreme replay and maniac update styles you've come to expect and love! Explore the dark future of 2231 as you run your crew of underworld mercenaries, pulling off high-stakes heists you choose from faction power players to survive. Cyber Knights wraps a world full of consequential story choices and character development around an extensive core of classic and new tactical RPG mechanics. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
It's always a joy to find some art time to sit down and work on new outfits for Star Traders: Frontiers. I'm very excited to have finished this pairing - both dapper, cool and stylish looks. Is this a space diplomat or a soldier who just knows how to dress? And of course, you can mix and match these outfits to great effect with all of the other outfits in the game.
With the release of the 9000 Mass Acheron Battlecarrier, we introduced the first ship into the game that had 15 small ship components. While this worked nicely in ship upgrading and if you use the tabular style of viewing components in ship status, it was not visible in the grid mode. We've now ensured that component is visible, just scroll down! The ability to now scroll the main ship status also helps with a few other overflow issues that have cropped up throughout the game. Those ships with lots of special effects from their ship components could possibly have that content run off the bottom of the screen and that is now resolved. This also means that modders now have the ability to add beyond 14 small components (up to 28 should work steamhappy) to the game now.
As ship component prices shift through rebalances, we're always keeping an eye on ship prices and working to keep the buy and sell economy working nicely, even including all the discounts you can earn from contacts and talents. We've adjusted and raised a few ship prices to help keep these prices in line with the rules.
- Added 2 new outfits - Allow scrolling of main ship status screen to view any overflow of ship effects, components - Fixed small component display for Acheron Battlecarrier to show 15th small component correctly - Adjusted/raised some ship prices to avoid resell possible loops - Fixed reports typos and crashes
[ 2023-06-25 23:24:24 CET ] [ Original post ]
It is Update #319! We've got 2 new character outfits and have completed some important work to make it easy to access the 15th small ship component on your Acheron Battlecarrier (or any ship that a modder adds who has 14+ small ship components!). As always -- huge thanks goes out to everyone playing, posting feedback and especially leaving a review!
Have You Played Cyber Knights Demo?
Our next title will be out later this year and we're excited to share a demo in Steam Next Fest this year - we hope you'll check it out, wishlist and follow. All the same deep systems, extreme replay and maniac update styles you've come to expect and love! Explore the dark future of 2231 as you run your crew of underworld mercenaries, pulling off high-stakes heists you choose from faction power players to survive. Cyber Knights wraps a world full of consequential story choices and character development around an extensive core of classic and new tactical RPG mechanics. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Added 2 New Outfits
It's always a joy to find some art time to sit down and work on new outfits for Star Traders: Frontiers. I'm very excited to have finished this pairing - both dapper, cool and stylish looks. Is this a space diplomat or a soldier who just knows how to dress? And of course, you can mix and match these outfits to great effect with all of the other outfits in the game.
The 15th Component
With the release of the 9000 Mass Acheron Battlecarrier, we introduced the first ship into the game that had 15 small ship components. While this worked nicely in ship upgrading and if you use the tabular style of viewing components in ship status, it was not visible in the grid mode. We've now ensured that component is visible, just scroll down! The ability to now scroll the main ship status also helps with a few other overflow issues that have cropped up throughout the game. Those ships with lots of special effects from their ship components could possibly have that content run off the bottom of the screen and that is now resolved. This also means that modders now have the ability to add beyond 14 small components (up to 28 should work steamhappy) to the game now.
Ship Prices
As ship component prices shift through rebalances, we're always keeping an eye on ship prices and working to keep the buy and sell economy working nicely, even including all the discounts you can earn from contacts and talents. We've adjusted and raised a few ship prices to help keep these prices in line with the rules.
v3.3.45 - 6/25/2023
- Added 2 new outfits - Allow scrolling of main ship status screen to view any overflow of ship effects, components - Fixed small component display for Acheron Battlecarrier to show 15th small component correctly - Adjusted/raised some ship prices to avoid resell possible loops - Fixed reports typos and crashes
Update #318: It's Over 9000!
Captains, we are thrilled to announce that our next sci-fi game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, will be including the upcoming Steam Next Fest, the free online demo festival running from June 19th - 26th. We hope you'll take a break from your ship's bridge to plug in and join us in New Boston, 2231 for an RPG experience offering a mix of stealth, combat and hacking. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
We've been battling the latest mac OS update Ventura which caused some havoc to our aging game engine (sometimes hard to believe, 318 updates = game published in 2017!) and its ability to fully support mac OS. With Update #318, we're aiminng to put those issues behind us. Internally on our test sets of hardware, this patch fixes all of the reported issues. :fingerscrossed: we'll be waiting to hear from you!
The Acheron Battlecarrier had a issue with the wrong hyperwarp drive plus being over Mass if it had the right one. We have now reconfigured any new Acheron you purchase at the starport to be all setup correctly. We are still pending the fix to allow you to view and modify the 15th component without switching to the list view. If you want to upgrade the 15th small component for now, you just need to swap over to list view.
With a new redesign, the Wolf Vector has joined the S-tier of ships as the sole Mass 3400 ship to offer a full set of 6 officers. Any new purchase of a Wolf Vector will offer this sleek new configuration, boasting a new engine, major upgrade to its components and a price tag boost to almost $2,000,000. If you've bought a Wolf Vector before it is unaffected by the changes. We wary if you bump into an enemy captain flying a Wolf Vector, they also get these changes! You might be surprised by just what type of punch the 3400 class ship can throw!
We're always looking for new ways to interconnect systems. The more recently added Contact service to sell Rumors is a powerful angle for certain types of captains. Now, if the contact's faction are involved in a Spy War, there is a discount on all sales of rumors.
- Redesigned "Wolf Vector" 3400 Mass (now S-tier, 6 officer) - Contacts receive discounts on Rumor purchases during Spy Wars - Fixes Hyperwarp Drive on "Acheron Battlecarrier" - Rare Relic, Zendu Deathward (Level 10) is even more rare - Performance improvements and rendering fixes - Fixes a data synchronization bug when hyperwarp gates were very close to planets - Fixes fullscreen and resize window bugs in Mac OS X builds
[ 2023-06-08 15:25:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to Update #318! News from the starports is that the Acheron Battlecarrier was over Mass 9000 and needed its design tweaked a bit to fit the proper Hyperwarp drive. We've also redesigned the Wolf Vector, the sleek and deadly 3400 Mass ship and raised its officer cap to an amazing 6. Spy Wars have more impact on Contact services, the Zendu Deathward is even harder to find, and we fixed the Mac OS fullscreen / resize window issues
Demo Our Upcoming Sci-Fi Game
Captains, we are thrilled to announce that our next sci-fi game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, will be including the upcoming Steam Next Fest, the free online demo festival running from June 19th - 26th. We hope you'll take a break from your ship's bridge to plug in and join us in New Boston, 2231 for an RPG experience offering a mix of stealth, combat and hacking. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Mac OS Fixes
We've been battling the latest mac OS update Ventura which caused some havoc to our aging game engine (sometimes hard to believe, 318 updates = game published in 2017!) and its ability to fully support mac OS. With Update #318, we're aiminng to put those issues behind us. Internally on our test sets of hardware, this patch fixes all of the reported issues. :fingerscrossed: we'll be waiting to hear from you!
Acheron Hyperwarp
The Acheron Battlecarrier had a issue with the wrong hyperwarp drive plus being over Mass if it had the right one. We have now reconfigured any new Acheron you purchase at the starport to be all setup correctly. We are still pending the fix to allow you to view and modify the 15th component without switching to the list view. If you want to upgrade the 15th small component for now, you just need to swap over to list view.
Wolf Vector Joins S-Tier
With a new redesign, the Wolf Vector has joined the S-tier of ships as the sole Mass 3400 ship to offer a full set of 6 officers. Any new purchase of a Wolf Vector will offer this sleek new configuration, boasting a new engine, major upgrade to its components and a price tag boost to almost $2,000,000. If you've bought a Wolf Vector before it is unaffected by the changes. We wary if you bump into an enemy captain flying a Wolf Vector, they also get these changes! You might be surprised by just what type of punch the 3400 class ship can throw!
Spy Wars
We're always looking for new ways to interconnect systems. The more recently added Contact service to sell Rumors is a powerful angle for certain types of captains. Now, if the contact's faction are involved in a Spy War, there is a discount on all sales of rumors.
v3.3.43 - 6/8/2023
- Redesigned "Wolf Vector" 3400 Mass (now S-tier, 6 officer) - Contacts receive discounts on Rumor purchases during Spy Wars - Fixes Hyperwarp Drive on "Acheron Battlecarrier" - Rare Relic, Zendu Deathward (Level 10) is even more rare - Performance improvements and rendering fixes - Fixes a data synchronization bug when hyperwarp gates were very close to planets - Fixes fullscreen and resize window bugs in Mac OS X builds
A new Cyber Knights demo is coming!
We'll be sharing some lore, extras, and maybe even some dev streams over the next couple of weeks. Join our Discord or follow @CyberKnightsRPG on twitter to stay in the loop. We can't wait to show how far the game has come. While we're still hard at work fine-tuning and polishing the full game ahead of our Early Access release, it's already a thrill to offer the best-looking and most advanced set of tactical combat capabilities we've ever featured in a Trese Brothers game. Especially if you're new to our games, as you try the demo we want you to know we are listening to feedback! We're active every day in the Steam forums and in our Discord, and we love making improvements and additions based on player feedback. This demo isn't just an opportunity for us to show the game off; it's your opportunity to make a mark on it. We'll see you on June 19th! If you haven't already, wishlist & follow Cyber Knights of course! <3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
[ 2023-06-07 03:11:53 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, we're excited to announce Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be included in the upcoming Steam Next Fest, an online demo festival running June 19th - 26th.
This will be the first new demo we've offered for the game in over a year, and it's the first big milestone on our road to release later in 2023. All of the game-shaping feedback our alpha players have given us, all of the new design & UX work to make this our best-looking game yet, and several features even our alpha players haven't seen yet are all waiting for you to try.
The demo will offer:
- Your first big heist to pull off! Find out how our turn-based squad tactics plays. See if you have the skills to use creative stealth, a variety of weapons, and the turn order itself to accomplish objectives in each map and get your crew out alive.
- Six squad members in your roster; each brings a unique set of talents to your crew. In the full game you'll have opportunities to recruit new members, as well as access to multi-classing, extensive skill trees, weapon modding, cybernetics -- everything you need to build out the perfect squads for your playstyle and the needs of the jobs you're taking on.
- A glimpse of your main character's origins as a Cyber Knight. These elites of our dark future's underworld are rare and highly sought after. Knights have capabilities no one else in this world does -- but it comes at a cost.
- A first look at your safehouse; in the full game you'll have access to base-building features to expand this underground hideout, providing more opportunities to upgrade your team and expand your capabilities to take on bigger jobs as you make a name for yourself.
- A preview of the choices you'll need to make in this shadowy world of mercenaries, secrets, and cyberpunks. How far will you go for a chance at a better life? What are you willing to risk for the extra credits or knowledge that could make a big difference for your crew? Who will you stay loyal to? Who can you trust?
Don't miss it!
We'll be sharing some lore, extras, and maybe even some dev streams over the next couple of weeks. Join our Discord or follow @CyberKnightsRPG on twitter to stay in the loop. We can't wait to show how far the game has come. While we're still hard at work fine-tuning and polishing the full game ahead of our Early Access release, it's already a thrill to offer the best-looking and most advanced set of tactical combat capabilities we've ever featured in a Trese Brothers game. Especially if you're new to our games, as you try the demo we want you to know we are listening to feedback! We're active every day in the Steam forums and in our Discord, and we love making improvements and additions based on player feedback. This demo isn't just an opportunity for us to show the game off; it's your opportunity to make a mark on it. We'll see you on June 19th! If you haven't already, wishlist & follow Cyber Knights of course! <3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Update #317: Battlecarriers in the 9000s
Throughout the last year, weve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With 1,000 in the game now, development pace has picked up and were marching to the launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
The Acheron Battlecarrier is a sprawling ship weighing in at 9000 Mass and kitted out as a battle-hardened carrier perfect for taking on Jyeeta xeno carriers head-to-head. It boasts best-in-class maximum craft defense at 78% and a unusual slot configuration that preferences Small (15) and Large (8) sized slots over medium (8). With 7 officers and 42 crew, it can sustain 5 craft and is a new contender in the most expensive and largest weight class for ships. We'll keep the Acheron in player's only hands for a bit and shake out any balance issues before considering letting high level captains on high difficulty take this thing for a spin!
We've applied a fix to bring the venerable M101 Tracker Cannon up to the level it needs to be to stay competitive with other autocannons, granting it a +3% Craft Defense. On the enemy's side, the L2 Terrox Xeno Autocannon has also gained a +3% Craft Defense, making their close-in short range ships more challenging to fight with carriers. The miasmatic death haze that floats close to the hull of the Terrox Spines makes it hellish for any wing pilot to come that close to the hull!
A new "Reactor Accident" card has been added to Orbital Salvage with a nasty -5 weighting. Take your time considering if you want to prioritize knocking this card out of the hand because it can leave your engine in a bad way, which can both cause heightened combat risk as you limp back for repairs and a hefty repair bill to boot. We've increased the weight of the "Web of Conspiracy" card, fully doubling it, as the card has so many cool permutations and after-effects that are great in the galactic simulation.
With Update #317, we've tweaked the appearance rates for the Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress to make them less common opponents. We've also fixed a longstanding bug that was allowing the AI to promote too many officers on the Caliga Vindex for an unfair advantage.
- New 9000 Mass Battlecarrier, the Acheron - Balanced "M101 Tracker Cannon" adding +7% Craft Defense - L2 Xeno Autocannon adds "Miasmatic Death Haze" granting +3% Craft Defense - Added a new "Reactor Accident" Salvage Result Card (-5) - The "Web of Conspiracy" Card is now twice as common (because it is fun) - Reduced chance of Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress enemies spawning - Fixed too many enemy officers spawning on Caliga Vindex - Fixed performance issues on huge maps with large numbers of living Contacts
[ 2023-05-14 04:53:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
It's Update #317 with a new Mass 9000 ship, autocannon rebalances, new Oribtal Salvage card (watch out!) and more. Starports all across the galaxy have started on hulls for the new Acheron Battlecarrier, so start saving, captains.
A huge thanks goes out to all of the community members posting on the forum, helping new players, and sharing their thoughts in reviews. We're excited to keep Star Traders: Frontiers growing with new content and additions, so you're loving the 300+ free updates be sure to drop a review and tell a friend.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Throughout the last year, weve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With 1,000 in the game now, development pace has picked up and were marching to the launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New 9000 Mass Battlecarrier
The Acheron Battlecarrier is a sprawling ship weighing in at 9000 Mass and kitted out as a battle-hardened carrier perfect for taking on Jyeeta xeno carriers head-to-head. It boasts best-in-class maximum craft defense at 78% and a unusual slot configuration that preferences Small (15) and Large (8) sized slots over medium (8). With 7 officers and 42 crew, it can sustain 5 craft and is a new contender in the most expensive and largest weight class for ships. We'll keep the Acheron in player's only hands for a bit and shake out any balance issues before considering letting high level captains on high difficulty take this thing for a spin!
M101 Autocannon Update & Xeno Autocannon
We've applied a fix to bring the venerable M101 Tracker Cannon up to the level it needs to be to stay competitive with other autocannons, granting it a +3% Craft Defense. On the enemy's side, the L2 Terrox Xeno Autocannon has also gained a +3% Craft Defense, making their close-in short range ships more challenging to fight with carriers. The miasmatic death haze that floats close to the hull of the Terrox Spines makes it hellish for any wing pilot to come that close to the hull!
New Salvage Card and Updated Weights
A new "Reactor Accident" card has been added to Orbital Salvage with a nasty -5 weighting. Take your time considering if you want to prioritize knocking this card out of the hand because it can leave your engine in a bad way, which can both cause heightened combat risk as you limp back for repairs and a hefty repair bill to boot. We've increased the weight of the "Web of Conspiracy" card, fully doubling it, as the card has so many cool permutations and after-effects that are great in the galactic simulation.
AI Captain + Crew Build Improvements
With Update #317, we've tweaked the appearance rates for the Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress to make them less common opponents. We've also fixed a longstanding bug that was allowing the AI to promote too many officers on the Caliga Vindex for an unfair advantage.
v3.3.41 - 5/13/2023
- New 9000 Mass Battlecarrier, the Acheron - Balanced "M101 Tracker Cannon" adding +7% Craft Defense - L2 Xeno Autocannon adds "Miasmatic Death Haze" granting +3% Craft Defense - Added a new "Reactor Accident" Salvage Result Card (-5) - The "Web of Conspiracy" Card is now twice as common (because it is fun) - Reduced chance of Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress enemies spawning - Fixed too many enemy officers spawning on Caliga Vindex - Fixed performance issues on huge maps with large numbers of living Contacts
Contact Champion May 2023 Community Challenge
Some ideas for what wed love to see:
Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post on the discord, post in the #faction_champion_challenge channel found in the STF category. Good luck, Captains! Choose your friends wisely!
[ 2023-05-10 18:27:17 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello, Captains. Its time for another STF challenge. Loyalty is important and in this challenge you will be fiercely loyal to two contacts of your choice. How will you help them meet their goals? How will you crush their enemies and those who work against them?
As always there are a few requirements for this challenge, including for the first time in a Community Challenge a specific map seed to use for your playthrough. The requirements for this challenge are:
- When you pick your two contacts to champion, Faen cannot be one of them.
- Drive your reputation to -100 of lower with all other contacts. It may not be possible to fully meet this requirement due to faction politics, but the goal is to get all other contact reps as low as possible.
- This specific map seed must be used: st-v02-28-12-95189000
Some ideas for what wed love to see:
- Screenshots of your chosen contacts, your reputation screens
- Stories of how you built up your chosen contacts and the challenges of having (and making) so many people very angry at you
- Your strategies for hitting the reputation requirements, choosing your particular contacts
- Any other creative ways you want to share to tell us about the risks and rewards of being fiercely loyal: memes, interpretive dance, gifs, etc
Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post on the discord, post in the #faction_champion_challenge channel found in the STF category. Good luck, Captains! Choose your friends wisely!
Update #316: Hunters of the Deep
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Newly trained captain AI have taken command of some powerful ships -- the Dreadnought Battlecruiser and the Shizari Huntress. These new enemy challengers will show up in the later stages of the game and their captain's have new upgrade plans for them to ensure they are as threatening as they sound. If you encounter such a ship in the void, be sure to check your scopes, consider your options and choose wisely.
In this update, we've spent some hours digging into the rules and decisions by which Terrox and Jyeeta Xeno build their ships. It was a good opportunity to check the systems against current human AI as well as the latest technologies available to you, the human Star Traders. This review has led to some exciting improvements that should help create a wider variety of xeno ships including a better mix of weaponry and defensive components.
With Update #316, we've added 2 new high level pieces of gear - the Edgebane Tincture and the Bexian Synthserum. Respectively at level 8 and 9, these are not likely to be easy to find and will require multiple runs into high risk Orbital Salvage operations to turn them up. Also, the Zendu Deathward has bee reduced in level from 10 to 8 in order to make it appear more frequently in Salvage loot drops.
Some new rules have been added to extend Contact's lifespans on worlds with either high Spice rating or high Military Rating. For those on high Spice rating worlds, the natural lifespan has been extended even farther. For those on high military worlds, they have gained a higher chance to be able to resist an attempt by an enemy Contact to have them killed by assassins. In addition, we've increased the variety and clarity of the death reasons that are included in Contact's death log, specifically if they were killed by some kind of violence or faction violence. We hope you enjoy these tidbits of information which can offer glimpses into the game's simulation as well as provide key details to your story as you sail the galaxy.
- Newly trained AIs using Dreadnought Battlecarrier, Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress - Reduced 'Zendu Deathward' Gear from Level 10 to Level 8 (more frequent drops) - New level 8 Gear 'Edgebane Tincture' - New level 9 Gear 'Bexian Synthserum' - Revised some aspects of Xeno Ship Combat AI to add variety - Contacts on zones with higher Spice Rating live even longer - Contacts on zones with higher Military Rating more resistant to Assassins - Added more descriptive "death reason" to Logs for Contacts that died in Faction violence - Fixed a bunch of reported crashes, thanks for sending those
[ 2023-05-08 14:24:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
It's Update #316 with some new deadly enemy captain + ship combos, a new round of variations to how Xeno will build their ships, new gear and even better Contact death logs. The pre-Summer scramble has dragged our usual update schedule a bit, but we're excited to be getting back to the update roadmap here!
If you are enjoying the pace of updates and new free content, be sure to drop a review and post some feedback! We're always here and listening.
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New AI Captains in Dangerous Ships
Newly trained captain AI have taken command of some powerful ships -- the Dreadnought Battlecruiser and the Shizari Huntress. These new enemy challengers will show up in the later stages of the game and their captain's have new upgrade plans for them to ensure they are as threatening as they sound. If you encounter such a ship in the void, be sure to check your scopes, consider your options and choose wisely.
Xeno Variety
In this update, we've spent some hours digging into the rules and decisions by which Terrox and Jyeeta Xeno build their ships. It was a good opportunity to check the systems against current human AI as well as the latest technologies available to you, the human Star Traders. This review has led to some exciting improvements that should help create a wider variety of xeno ships including a better mix of weaponry and defensive components.
New Gear, More Available Deathward
With Update #316, we've added 2 new high level pieces of gear - the Edgebane Tincture and the Bexian Synthserum. Respectively at level 8 and 9, these are not likely to be easy to find and will require multiple runs into high risk Orbital Salvage operations to turn them up. Also, the Zendu Deathward has bee reduced in level from 10 to 8 in order to make it appear more frequently in Salvage loot drops.
Contact Death Rules and Logs
Some new rules have been added to extend Contact's lifespans on worlds with either high Spice rating or high Military Rating. For those on high Spice rating worlds, the natural lifespan has been extended even farther. For those on high military worlds, they have gained a higher chance to be able to resist an attempt by an enemy Contact to have them killed by assassins. In addition, we've increased the variety and clarity of the death reasons that are included in Contact's death log, specifically if they were killed by some kind of violence or faction violence. We hope you enjoy these tidbits of information which can offer glimpses into the game's simulation as well as provide key details to your story as you sail the galaxy.
v3.3.39 - 5/8/2023
- Newly trained AIs using Dreadnought Battlecarrier, Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress - Reduced 'Zendu Deathward' Gear from Level 10 to Level 8 (more frequent drops) - New level 8 Gear 'Edgebane Tincture' - New level 9 Gear 'Bexian Synthserum' - Revised some aspects of Xeno Ship Combat AI to add variety - Contacts on zones with higher Spice Rating live even longer - Contacts on zones with higher Military Rating more resistant to Assassins - Added more descriptive "death reason" to Logs for Contacts that died in Faction violence - Fixed a bunch of reported crashes, thanks for sending those
Update #315: Commodities Trader
After five years of updates, Star Traders has received a lot of love, long past release. To keep it going, Andrew & I rely on two things: reviews for this game, and wishlists for our next! Reviews for Star Traders keep the game visible on Steam, please write a few words for us if you have a minute. Meanwhile, wishlists for our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG help us plan for the studios future (which includes future Star Traders games ). If turn-based squad tactics, creative stealth & hacking, and a unique 23rd-century dark future world sound like your thing, add to your wishlist today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Cargo and Stash Missions now display the required cargo icon above the mission step! This is a huge help for everyone doing these types of missions as you can both skim the mission with overall less reading but you're less likely to accidentally buy the wrong cargo as well. Thanks to everyone making these great suggestions in the community!
The ship encounter report about the enemy ship mistakenly used the regular math (that which is appropriate for big dice pools like Attack and Defense) when discussing your Engine's Agility and Speed stats. We've now made significant improvements to the comparison of Engine stats so that the displayed bonuses are very specific and match the game rules exactly as you'd find them on the wiki. This should be a big help in understanding how your Engine stats affect your outcomes and when you truly outclass an enemy or not.
With the help of some sharp players, we discovered a rare issue where enemy craft pilots on a Flight Plan could be forced into boarding crew combat defending their ship. This case where they were in 2 places at once is unfair and problematic -- because after the combat they are dead but ... flying a craft? The fix is simple - to remove them from the list of viable defenders during a boarding operation!
There were some inconsistencies in post-combat Talents being overly available during post-boarding -- where Macabre Harvest and Genetic Sequencing could appear unfairly even if the character who owned them was not in the boarding party and the boarding did not occur at range 1. We have now fixed Post Boarding Talents to ensure that the list is always accurate to who was in the party, reducing these unfair advantages. Your Scientist and Xeno Hunter are going to have to work harder for their Intel and Artifacts! At the same time we also resolved an issue where the Scientist's Genetic Sequencing might not always create Scientific Intel after xeno battle. And finally, we have added a missing SFX to Shock Trooper's "Stand Strong" Talent -- that's nice.
- Cargo and Stash Missions now display the required cargo icon above the mission step - Improved Ship Encounter comparison of Engine stats (Speed/Agility) to be very specific about game bonuses - Added missing SFX for Shock Trooper's "Stand Strong" Talent - Fixed rare issue where enemy craft pilots on a Flight Plan could be forced into boarding crew combat - Fixed issue with Genetic Sequencing not always creating Scientific Intel after xeno battle - Fixed Post Boarding Talent inconsistencies where Macabre Harvest and Genetic Sequencing could appear incorrectly
[ 2023-03-29 19:49:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #315 rolls out a list of community-driven enhancements. A huge thanks to everyone posting their feedback, frustrations and questions to the Steam forums and to Discord to help us keep improving. This update has an especially helpful update to Mission icons as well as a key refinement of the ship comparison report that was throwing many players and selling them on their engine superiority when it might not really be the case. Here's Update #315, let's check it out!
I'm sure when we get to Update #400, you'll know that we're serious about this game :P
Keep this game growing!
After five years of updates, Star Traders has received a lot of love, long past release. To keep it going, Andrew & I rely on two things: reviews for this game, and wishlists for our next! Reviews for Star Traders keep the game visible on Steam, please write a few words for us if you have a minute. Meanwhile, wishlists for our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG help us plan for the studios future (which includes future Star Traders games ). If turn-based squad tactics, creative stealth & hacking, and a unique 23rd-century dark future world sound like your thing, add to your wishlist today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Cargo and Stash Icons
Cargo and Stash Missions now display the required cargo icon above the mission step! This is a huge help for everyone doing these types of missions as you can both skim the mission with overall less reading but you're less likely to accidentally buy the wrong cargo as well. Thanks to everyone making these great suggestions in the community!
Engine Comparison
The ship encounter report about the enemy ship mistakenly used the regular math (that which is appropriate for big dice pools like Attack and Defense) when discussing your Engine's Agility and Speed stats. We've now made significant improvements to the comparison of Engine stats so that the displayed bonuses are very specific and match the game rules exactly as you'd find them on the wiki. This should be a big help in understanding how your Engine stats affect your outcomes and when you truly outclass an enemy or not.
Sneaky Enemy Craft Pilots
With the help of some sharp players, we discovered a rare issue where enemy craft pilots on a Flight Plan could be forced into boarding crew combat defending their ship. This case where they were in 2 places at once is unfair and problematic -- because after the combat they are dead but ... flying a craft? The fix is simple - to remove them from the list of viable defenders during a boarding operation!
Talent Fixes
There were some inconsistencies in post-combat Talents being overly available during post-boarding -- where Macabre Harvest and Genetic Sequencing could appear unfairly even if the character who owned them was not in the boarding party and the boarding did not occur at range 1. We have now fixed Post Boarding Talents to ensure that the list is always accurate to who was in the party, reducing these unfair advantages. Your Scientist and Xeno Hunter are going to have to work harder for their Intel and Artifacts! At the same time we also resolved an issue where the Scientist's Genetic Sequencing might not always create Scientific Intel after xeno battle. And finally, we have added a missing SFX to Shock Trooper's "Stand Strong" Talent -- that's nice.
v3.3.35 - 3/29/2023
- Cargo and Stash Missions now display the required cargo icon above the mission step - Improved Ship Encounter comparison of Engine stats (Speed/Agility) to be very specific about game bonuses - Added missing SFX for Shock Trooper's "Stand Strong" Talent - Fixed rare issue where enemy craft pilots on a Flight Plan could be forced into boarding crew combat - Fixed issue with Genetic Sequencing not always creating Scientific Intel after xeno battle - Fixed Post Boarding Talent inconsistencies where Macabre Harvest and Genetic Sequencing could appear incorrectly
Update #314: Clawing at Lifeline
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
If you reach the rare air of the late era epic boss battles and find yourself side by side with a Templar Leviathan, know that its armor is stronger with higher Hardness and Ballistic % to help is soak up Damage and live up to its place in the lore.
To further balance out the loot tables within the orbital Salvage operation, we've added 3 new defensive mid-level gear. These are more common to find with regular Salvage Gear cards, making the Dermlink Weave, Orgin Plate, Inkscale Mesh all pretty good options to perhaps replace expensive gear you might have instead purchased at from a Contact.
The Zendu Deathward is a rare find when Salvaging but its powerful bonuses will help any who bear it stave off deaths and pass those cursed Death Saves.
Some of the Contact Death logs were including some really weird numbers. Some were really big, some were really small, all of them were wrong. We've fixed it! Thanks to everyone report this issue.
- Buffed Templar Leviathan's armor (Exemplar Command) Hardness, Ballistic - Added Medical Relics (Level 4) Dermlink Weave, Orgin Plate, Inkscale Mesh - Added Ultra Rare Relic, Zendu Deathward (Level 10) - Clarified Contact Death Log Entries - Data handling performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
[ 2023-03-09 04:38:20 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #313 rounds out some of the orbital Salvage loot tables, improves one of the heroic allies you can get in the game, adds a new rare Zendu relic and fixes some pesky numbers (wrong numbers, not right numbers) in the recently updated Contact Death captain's log entries.
Thanks to everyone posting feedback and suggestions, from the big to the small!
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Templar Buffing
If you reach the rare air of the late era epic boss battles and find yourself side by side with a Templar Leviathan, know that its armor is stronger with higher Hardness and Ballistic % to help is soak up Damage and live up to its place in the lore.
Mid-level Medical Relics
To further balance out the loot tables within the orbital Salvage operation, we've added 3 new defensive mid-level gear. These are more common to find with regular Salvage Gear cards, making the Dermlink Weave, Orgin Plate, Inkscale Mesh all pretty good options to perhaps replace expensive gear you might have instead purchased at from a Contact.
Rare Deathward
The Zendu Deathward is a rare find when Salvaging but its powerful bonuses will help any who bear it stave off deaths and pass those cursed Death Saves.
Contact Death Logs
Some of the Contact Death logs were including some really weird numbers. Some were really big, some were really small, all of them were wrong. We've fixed it! Thanks to everyone report this issue.
v3.3.33 - 3/7/2023
- Buffed Templar Leviathan's armor (Exemplar Command) Hardness, Ballistic - Added Medical Relics (Level 4) Dermlink Weave, Orgin Plate, Inkscale Mesh - Added Ultra Rare Relic, Zendu Deathward (Level 10) - Clarified Contact Death Log Entries - Data handling performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
Update #313: Mighty Dynasties
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
It's an exciting moment to light the spark that starts an arc. News has flashed out across the galaxy of an shiny new ship technology offered at the starports of the Char faction. The new Adv Mass Dampener 5 and 6 both boast extreme Mass offsets (-460 and -520), already defying modern expectations of science before discussing the deflective field (+Shield) that they are able to produce. Everyone is interested in these new secrets. Will the Faen respond in kind? With Update #313, these new ship components are dynamically linked to the faction of Aetaan Char which is determined at the beginning of the game by your starting faction and the specifics of your map and starting quadrant. Every game may have a slightly different result here, which is very cool dynamic. If Mass Dampeners aren't your jam, it won't be the last tech from the research labs of the Char, so buckle up. If they are your kind of tech, the repair times for high level Dampeners and Reducers has been cut down by 15%.
For those salvagers picking over old military relics and hulks, there are new powerful level 6 relics in your loot tables. Look for those Relic cards and hope to see the new Crysplate Weave, Drak Ops Heavy and Dusk Stalker. It's always best to find a high Danger salvage spot if you can, just to give yourself that extra edge.
With Update #313, we've made an important balance adjustment and fix to ship combat. First, while we granted the player's officers the ability to add bonus Electronics, Ship Ops, Nav and Pilot from their bonus Skills some time ago, the AI had not received this feature. In the early game, it has no impact but over time but over time it should help keep some enemy ship types -- based on the captain's officer selection -- more (fairly) dangerous or at least competitive. Second, there was a bug with how debuffed Escape dice were applied that were not giving the correct advantage to player or enemy ship. Now, correctly -- if you are attempting to Escape, you get your Escape dice whether they are positive or negative. If you are attempting to resist an Escape, you get no Escape dice whether positive or negative. Therefore, if you want to prevent your enemies from Escaping, debuff them with either -Escape or -Move Change. If you are trying to Escape yourself, you can debuff your enemy's Move Chance.
We've caught Garner Favor up so that it now has the same improved rules when buying goods at the Exchange as it does when selling. We've improved the rules for Healer's Intuition and Perceptive Boss Talents to match their Talent description, ensuring that they get only Skill + 20% where they were getting a Skill + 30% before.
Thanks to the players posting feedback daily! We've improved the captain's log to make a clear difference between trades made at $5,000 to $500,000 and then trades made over $500,000. If you see other issues in the captains log or any part of the game, please share! We fix :D
- New story event - Aetaan Char's scientist release new Adv Mass Dampeners 5 and 6 with mysterious tech - Added Military Relics (level 6) Crysplate Weave, Drak Ops Heavy, Dusk Stalker - Fixes nasty crash in Salvage - Synchronized Garner Favor Talent effect between buying / selling - Enemy ship officers now gain the correct bonuses for their officers with bonus Electronics, Pilot, Nav or Ship Ops in ship combat - Reduced repair time of some Mass Reducers and Mass Dampeners - Fixed bugs with Escape debuffs incorrectly applied when resisting other ship Escaping - Fixed issues with Healer's Intuition and Perceptive Boss rolling 20% + Skill instead of 30% + Skill - Fixed captain's log scores and stats to clarify $50,000 and $500,000 trade counts
[ 2023-03-01 16:38:26 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #313 ... released on 3/1/23. Ignore the 2. We've spent a decade planning this!
Update #313 breathes some life back into an ancient feud with a new story event. The rumor-mongers are jawing in the spice hall, Aetaan Char's dynasty has released new ship component technology with hard-to-believe properties. On top of that, there are new and powerful level 6 military relics to hunt in Salvage, improvements to the repair times for high level Mass Reducers and Dampeners, fixed Talents for consistency and better captain's log entries.
If you're enjoying the continued updates to the game, please leave a review and tell a friend!
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Char Technology
It's an exciting moment to light the spark that starts an arc. News has flashed out across the galaxy of an shiny new ship technology offered at the starports of the Char faction. The new Adv Mass Dampener 5 and 6 both boast extreme Mass offsets (-460 and -520), already defying modern expectations of science before discussing the deflective field (+Shield) that they are able to produce. Everyone is interested in these new secrets. Will the Faen respond in kind? With Update #313, these new ship components are dynamically linked to the faction of Aetaan Char which is determined at the beginning of the game by your starting faction and the specifics of your map and starting quadrant. Every game may have a slightly different result here, which is very cool dynamic. If Mass Dampeners aren't your jam, it won't be the last tech from the research labs of the Char, so buckle up. If they are your kind of tech, the repair times for high level Dampeners and Reducers has been cut down by 15%.
Military Relics
For those salvagers picking over old military relics and hulks, there are new powerful level 6 relics in your loot tables. Look for those Relic cards and hope to see the new Crysplate Weave, Drak Ops Heavy and Dusk Stalker. It's always best to find a high Danger salvage spot if you can, just to give yourself that extra edge.
Ship Combat Adjustments
With Update #313, we've made an important balance adjustment and fix to ship combat. First, while we granted the player's officers the ability to add bonus Electronics, Ship Ops, Nav and Pilot from their bonus Skills some time ago, the AI had not received this feature. In the early game, it has no impact but over time but over time it should help keep some enemy ship types -- based on the captain's officer selection -- more (fairly) dangerous or at least competitive. Second, there was a bug with how debuffed Escape dice were applied that were not giving the correct advantage to player or enemy ship. Now, correctly -- if you are attempting to Escape, you get your Escape dice whether they are positive or negative. If you are attempting to resist an Escape, you get no Escape dice whether positive or negative. Therefore, if you want to prevent your enemies from Escaping, debuff them with either -Escape or -Move Change. If you are trying to Escape yourself, you can debuff your enemy's Move Chance.
Talent Fixes
We've caught Garner Favor up so that it now has the same improved rules when buying goods at the Exchange as it does when selling. We've improved the rules for Healer's Intuition and Perceptive Boss Talents to match their Talent description, ensuring that they get only Skill + 20% where they were getting a Skill + 30% before.
Log Clarity
Thanks to the players posting feedback daily! We've improved the captain's log to make a clear difference between trades made at $5,000 to $500,000 and then trades made over $500,000. If you see other issues in the captains log or any part of the game, please share! We fix :D
v3.3.31 - 3/1/2023
- New story event - Aetaan Char's scientist release new Adv Mass Dampeners 5 and 6 with mysterious tech - Added Military Relics (level 6) Crysplate Weave, Drak Ops Heavy, Dusk Stalker - Fixes nasty crash in Salvage - Synchronized Garner Favor Talent effect between buying / selling - Enemy ship officers now gain the correct bonuses for their officers with bonus Electronics, Pilot, Nav or Ship Ops in ship combat - Reduced repair time of some Mass Reducers and Mass Dampeners - Fixed bugs with Escape debuffs incorrectly applied when resisting other ship Escaping - Fixed issues with Healer's Intuition and Perceptive Boss rolling 20% + Skill instead of 30% + Skill - Fixed captain's log scores and stats to clarify $50,000 and $500,000 trade counts
Save 40% and Update #312: Penta-Relics
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Salvaging Armor has received some major improvements with Update #312, adding both 3 new types of high-level armor that can be found via the Relic card as well as improving the overall progression of armor salvage cards - including Relic - to include fewer duplicates and present a better progression of loot chance.
... "killed by faction assassins" ... "killed in a suspicious accident" -- the Captain's log entries detailing the death of a Contact now include colorful descriptions giving some clues to the Contact actions and direct causes that might be behind their demise -- faction infighting, questionable accidents and outright assassinations! For those lucky Contacts who reside on zones where the Spice Rating is high, such opportunity to access such a rich spice flow can increase their longevity and help them live longer natural lives.
The new Backroom Deals card that can appear in the Black Market has the opportunity to add new sneaky and conniving Traits to your criminal records, helping further develop your crew based on your actions. Traits like Discreet, Fearless and Menacing are some of the possible results from this card.
If you hit the Shipyard Parts card during Salvage, the resulting stashes are larger and with more varied results between capital ship components, weaponry and small craft components which will make your life as a merchant perhaps more interesting but also more profitable if you can find the right outlets to sell.
- New Relic Armor (Level 9) : Pentaweave Mesh, Ranger Nine-Plate, Razorbright Stealth - Improved behavior of Armor Relic Salvage Card (better filter, less duplicates) - Improved Stash generation logic for "Shipyard Parts" salvage card (larger, more interesting stashes) - New Black Market card that generates sneaky Traits (Discreet, Fearless, Menacing) - Contacts on zones with higher Spice Rating live longer - Added colorful "death reason" to Logs for Contacts that died in Faction violence
[ 2023-02-15 22:29:33 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome new captains to the void -- everything is on sale right now and the updates, well they're free. They're always free. Here's #312 - new Salvage Relic armor, more colorful hints in the captain's log, new Black Market card, improved Salvage Shipyard Parts and new impact for high Spice zones on Contact longevity.
If you're new to the void and have questions, the community forum our Discord are great places to get help. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please consider telling a friend and leaving a review!
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Pentaweave Armor and More
Salvaging Armor has received some major improvements with Update #312, adding both 3 new types of high-level armor that can be found via the Relic card as well as improving the overall progression of armor salvage cards - including Relic - to include fewer duplicates and present a better progression of loot chance.
Contact Life & Death
... "killed by faction assassins" ... "killed in a suspicious accident" -- the Captain's log entries detailing the death of a Contact now include colorful descriptions giving some clues to the Contact actions and direct causes that might be behind their demise -- faction infighting, questionable accidents and outright assassinations! For those lucky Contacts who reside on zones where the Spice Rating is high, such opportunity to access such a rich spice flow can increase their longevity and help them live longer natural lives.
Backroom Deals - Traits!
The new Backroom Deals card that can appear in the Black Market has the opportunity to add new sneaky and conniving Traits to your criminal records, helping further develop your crew based on your actions. Traits like Discreet, Fearless and Menacing are some of the possible results from this card.
Shipyard Parts Salvage
If you hit the Shipyard Parts card during Salvage, the resulting stashes are larger and with more varied results between capital ship components, weaponry and small craft components which will make your life as a merchant perhaps more interesting but also more profitable if you can find the right outlets to sell.
v3.3.27 - 2/15/2023
- New Relic Armor (Level 9) : Pentaweave Mesh, Ranger Nine-Plate, Razorbright Stealth - Improved behavior of Armor Relic Salvage Card (better filter, less duplicates) - Improved Stash generation logic for "Shipyard Parts" salvage card (larger, more interesting stashes) - New Black Market card that generates sneaky Traits (Discreet, Fearless, Menacing) - Contacts on zones with higher Spice Rating live longer - Added colorful "death reason" to Logs for Contacts that died in Faction violence
Captain Showcase February 2023
Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post on the discord, post in the #captain_showcase channel found in the STF category. We look forward to hearing all about your captains and their first mates!
[ 2023-02-06 17:00:22 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello, Captains. We are going to do something a little bit different from the standard STF Community Challenges. We want to give you a chance to show off your captains and their first mates in our Captain Showcase. As always, you can participate here on Steam or on our Discord!
These showcases can take whatever form you would like. There are no required screenshots or similar like the challenges have. But here are some ideas for things you could share:
- Screenshots of your captain and first mate, showing off their outfits, traits, and stats
- Stories of their exploits in battle
- Tell us how your first mate became your captains number one
- Any other creative ways you want showcase your captain and first mate
Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post on the discord, post in the #captain_showcase channel found in the STF category. We look forward to hearing all about your captains and their first mates!
Update #311: Back Alley Deals
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the games private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. We also have some public demos on our roadmap for events coming up this fall. Make sure youve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when its released! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
The Black Market is now much better connected and influenced by local zone, system and event quadrant Rumors.
During rumors where illegal trade would naturally spike -- such as Pirates harassing shipping lanes or Xeno running amok in the quadrant -- Black Market confiscation of goods is reduced by 50%, making it easier to get your illegal goods to the market. For Rumors where Trade Law and all types of law would be lax -- such as Spice Festival and during the scourge of local system Xeno Rumors -- the odds of reaching the Black Market and reaching it with a high level of access are greatly increased.
In the Black Market, we've also reduced the chance of the "Deadly Encounter" card being pulled, it was simply too heavily weighted for the mini-game. And in Salvage where the Trait Conditioning card appears, we've further increased the XP bonus if there is no character who has a Trait that can be conditioned.
For those intrepid captains willing to risk salvage operations in the void, there is a new gear results possible on military salvage. The Hexbolt Injector is a rare piece of gear that can increase combat Initiative.
- During Pirate and Xeno Quadrant Rumors, Black Market confiscation risk reduced by 50% - Reduced the chances of "Deadly Encounter" card being drawn in Black Market - Substantially improved Black Market odds during Spice Festival, Xeno Fleet Rumors - Increased XP bonus when Trait Conditioning Cards cannot be triggered - New Level 5 Military Salvage Gear: Hexbolt Injector (Init Bonus Gear) - Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
[ 2023-02-04 22:17:43 CET ] [ Original post ]
Trade, credits, money! Trade must flow across the galaxy, even when the local Princes think they can stop it. Trade must flow even when the local law forbids it. Here, come this way -- the Black Market awaits! Update #311 is dedicated to the crossing of Rumors and the Black Market. And a new piece of +Init gear to boot!
If you like the on-going free updates to a game original shipped in 2017 or if you just think the number 311 is crazy, please take a minute to leave a review of tell a friend about our studio.
Our upcoming heist RPG is on the way!
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the games private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. We also have some public demos on our roadmap for events coming up this fall. Make sure youve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when its released! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Black Market X Rumors
The Black Market is now much better connected and influenced by local zone, system and event quadrant Rumors.
During rumors where illegal trade would naturally spike -- such as Pirates harassing shipping lanes or Xeno running amok in the quadrant -- Black Market confiscation of goods is reduced by 50%, making it easier to get your illegal goods to the market. For Rumors where Trade Law and all types of law would be lax -- such as Spice Festival and during the scourge of local system Xeno Rumors -- the odds of reaching the Black Market and reaching it with a high level of access are greatly increased.
Other Card Improvements
In the Black Market, we've also reduced the chance of the "Deadly Encounter" card being pulled, it was simply too heavily weighted for the mini-game. And in Salvage where the Trait Conditioning card appears, we've further increased the XP bonus if there is no character who has a Trait that can be conditioned.
New Init Gear
For those intrepid captains willing to risk salvage operations in the void, there is a new gear results possible on military salvage. The Hexbolt Injector is a rare piece of gear that can increase combat Initiative.
v3.3.25 - 2/1/2023
- During Pirate and Xeno Quadrant Rumors, Black Market confiscation risk reduced by 50% - Reduced the chances of "Deadly Encounter" card being drawn in Black Market - Substantially improved Black Market odds during Spice Festival, Xeno Fleet Rumors - Increased XP bonus when Trait Conditioning Cards cannot be triggered - New Level 5 Military Salvage Gear: Hexbolt Injector (Init Bonus Gear) - Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
Update #310: Refueling for the Year
For anyone playing on an ultrawide with a 21:9 aspect ratio, we've fixed the issues with ship combat to ensure that you get a good combat experience.
We've fixed a bug with some debuffs like Unfaltering Ire where the Talent name was appearing over a randomized enemy instead of the actual target. For all Ship Combat Talents that increased Morale, we've fixed their implementation to be sure to always heal the right number of crew (if the healing is needed) -- so the Quartermaster's Rallying Cry correctly targets up to 20 crew and heals them by their Skill. Finally, we resolved some issues with Talents that added Plasma / FIre / Radiation Resistance working in reverse of the expected rules in some cases, where they could increase damage. This is a bug that slipped in during the upgrade to Auto-Combat so we're thankful to have it fixed now.
With this update, we've fixed the mislink of data for Interlocking Sensor Matrix 5 and 6 which resulted in them having duplicated stats. Now they are properly differentiated. We've correctly linked the Neutiquam Cruiser to the Speciality Acquisitions achievement and lock. Remember, if you dislike playing with locks just play the modded version of the game without any mods. And of course, thanks for reporting typos in the game and in Steam achievements -- we fixed many!
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Improved ship combat screen for ultrawide screens (21:9 aspect ratio) - Fixed bugs with Plasma / Fire / Radiation resistance working in reverse or using wrong type - Fixed bug with debuffs like Unfaltering Ire printing Talent name over wrong target - Fixed Quartermaster's "Rallying Cry" to correctly healing the right number of crew (20) - Correctly locked Neutiquam Cruiser behind Specialty Acquisitions achievement - Fixed Interlocking Sensor Matrix 6 having duplicate stats with ISM 5 - Fixed typos in dialog, component descriptions and Steam achievements
[ 2023-01-27 19:20:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, the spice hall is re-opening and let's get some updates in here! We took a much needed break over and after the holidays but it is time to ramp up the pace of updates again for our favorite space captain simulator.
To get things warmed back up, we're catching up on the community reports of bugs and improvement requests that came in over the last month. A nice quality of life update to kick it off!
Ultrawide Support (21:9)
For anyone playing on an ultrawide with a 21:9 aspect ratio, we've fixed the issues with ship combat to ensure that you get a good combat experience.
Talent Fixes
We've fixed a bug with some debuffs like Unfaltering Ire where the Talent name was appearing over a randomized enemy instead of the actual target. For all Ship Combat Talents that increased Morale, we've fixed their implementation to be sure to always heal the right number of crew (if the healing is needed) -- so the Quartermaster's Rallying Cry correctly targets up to 20 crew and heals them by their Skill. Finally, we resolved some issues with Talents that added Plasma / FIre / Radiation Resistance working in reverse of the expected rules in some cases, where they could increase damage. This is a bug that slipped in during the upgrade to Auto-Combat so we're thankful to have it fixed now.
Ships and Components
With this update, we've fixed the mislink of data for Interlocking Sensor Matrix 5 and 6 which resulted in them having duplicated stats. Now they are properly differentiated. We've correctly linked the Neutiquam Cruiser to the Speciality Acquisitions achievement and lock. Remember, if you dislike playing with locks just play the modded version of the game without any mods. And of course, thanks for reporting typos in the game and in Steam achievements -- we fixed many!
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.3.21 - 1/27/2022
- Improved ship combat screen for ultrawide screens (21:9 aspect ratio) - Fixed bugs with Plasma / Fire / Radiation resistance working in reverse or using wrong type - Fixed bug with debuffs like Unfaltering Ire printing Talent name over wrong target - Fixed Quartermaster's "Rallying Cry" to correctly healing the right number of crew (20) - Correctly locked Neutiquam Cruiser behind Specialty Acquisitions achievement - Fixed Interlocking Sensor Matrix 6 having duplicate stats with ISM 5 - Fixed typos in dialog, component descriptions and Steam achievements
Update #309: Flashing Signals
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Update #309 follows up on a great player suggestion to include the results of the dice rolls for movement, attack and boarding rolls inline in the on-screen display for each ship combat action. While all of this data is available in longform in the ship combat log, it is very helpful and educational to be able to see the numbers for the different actions flashing by. It immediately makes it far easier to get a sense of the tip of the balance and the sudden changes that a powerful buff or critical hit can have on the dice pools.
While the numbers flash by quickly, you can get the sense of the combat situation in a single series of salvos, seeing your own firing crew piling up 34+ successes on each attack and then enemy ranging from 19-28 gives you a strong sense of your own ability to land hits without having to dig through the full report of the combat log.
The Merchant's Garner Favor has long been a power Talent which yielded outside results rapidly -- granting a Reputation bonus up to your Negotiation Skill (!!) for a trade over $5,000. Previously, the balance on this power Talent was to cap its Rep gain once you hit positive 80 which reduces the overall usefulness of the Talent and targets it for Respec once it has outlived its usefuless. With Update #309, Garner Favor has been rewritten to be useful more broadly. Now, featuring a 10% + Negotiation Skill chance to granting a Reputation bonus on a $5,000+ trade it no longer needs a cap and can be evergreen beneficial. In addition, the possible Reputation bonus is based on the size of the trade, with each extra $2,500 in profit yielding a potential Rep bonus point. While this can cap out around 20 Rep per trade, the low level Talent now has room to grow and be useful in the Merchant's long-term kit.
With Update #309, we've rebalanced Prize Ship Talents to improve their profitability. The spread of Talent results has increased allowing a wider range for more profit balanced against more Reputation damage. In all, the profit %s are up and the Reputation damage numbers are down, so Prize Ship Talents are more competitive even as we widen their results range within the set.
Those ship components which are faction specific now have their faction origin displayed prominently in ship status and in the starport screen when you are considering replacing components. This can help you differentiate between icons with the same component, remember which specialized components you have and generally speed up shopping and ship analysis. Thanks to the players suggestion this one!
- In Ship Combat, results of dice rolls for move, escape, boarding and attacks are shown in results - Rebalanced Merchant's "Garner Favor" to use 10% + Negotiation chance to gain Rep Bonus, removed cap on Rep - Improved balance and profitability of prize ship talents, wider range of results enabling high profit or no Rep loss - Faction flags are now shown over ship components in all instances (ship status, starport ship layout, etc) - Clarified that reductions in Hyperwarp Jump time can never exceed 50% - Fixed crash in Auto-Battle for crew combat if character carried Sniper Rifle and trained AOE Talent - Fixed HUD overlap issues on iOS devices with white bar
[ 2022-12-24 22:05:25 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hey all, hope your quarters are cozy and your cargo holds full this season. :christmas_tree: :fire: :star: For all our captains in the void, our gift to you is a fresh update, #309: Flashing Signals. This year, we've taken a trip through the community suggestions and feedback and cherry picked a number of great quality of life suggestions and balance improvements to help us prepare for the new year.
Thank you all for your support, feedback, posts, shares and reviews. We would not be here without all of you, so thank you, happy gaming and happy holidays!
New Year, New Game Coming!
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Inline Combat Dice Results
Update #309 follows up on a great player suggestion to include the results of the dice rolls for movement, attack and boarding rolls inline in the on-screen display for each ship combat action. While all of this data is available in longform in the ship combat log, it is very helpful and educational to be able to see the numbers for the different actions flashing by. It immediately makes it far easier to get a sense of the tip of the balance and the sudden changes that a powerful buff or critical hit can have on the dice pools.
While the numbers flash by quickly, you can get the sense of the combat situation in a single series of salvos, seeing your own firing crew piling up 34+ successes on each attack and then enemy ranging from 19-28 gives you a strong sense of your own ability to land hits without having to dig through the full report of the combat log.
Merchant's Garner Favor
The Merchant's Garner Favor has long been a power Talent which yielded outside results rapidly -- granting a Reputation bonus up to your Negotiation Skill (!!) for a trade over $5,000. Previously, the balance on this power Talent was to cap its Rep gain once you hit positive 80 which reduces the overall usefulness of the Talent and targets it for Respec once it has outlived its usefuless. With Update #309, Garner Favor has been rewritten to be useful more broadly. Now, featuring a 10% + Negotiation Skill chance to granting a Reputation bonus on a $5,000+ trade it no longer needs a cap and can be evergreen beneficial. In addition, the possible Reputation bonus is based on the size of the trade, with each extra $2,500 in profit yielding a potential Rep bonus point. While this can cap out around 20 Rep per trade, the low level Talent now has room to grow and be useful in the Merchant's long-term kit.
Prize Ship Talents Improvements
With Update #309, we've rebalanced Prize Ship Talents to improve their profitability. The spread of Talent results has increased allowing a wider range for more profit balanced against more Reputation damage. In all, the profit %s are up and the Reputation damage numbers are down, so Prize Ship Talents are more competitive even as we widen their results range within the set.
Ship Components Flagged
Those ship components which are faction specific now have their faction origin displayed prominently in ship status and in the starport screen when you are considering replacing components. This can help you differentiate between icons with the same component, remember which specialized components you have and generally speed up shopping and ship analysis. Thanks to the players suggestion this one!
v3.3.19 - 12/24/20222
- In Ship Combat, results of dice rolls for move, escape, boarding and attacks are shown in results - Rebalanced Merchant's "Garner Favor" to use 10% + Negotiation chance to gain Rep Bonus, removed cap on Rep - Improved balance and profitability of prize ship talents, wider range of results enabling high profit or no Rep loss - Faction flags are now shown over ship components in all instances (ship status, starport ship layout, etc) - Clarified that reductions in Hyperwarp Jump time can never exceed 50% - Fixed crash in Auto-Battle for crew combat if character carried Sniper Rifle and trained AOE Talent - Fixed HUD overlap issues on iOS devices with white bar
Update #308: Economics of Cloth
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the games private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. Make sure youve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when its released! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #308, we've expanded the options for lootable items while Salvaging. These new items focus on survivability builds, increasing Armor, Fortitude and Initiative and are great starters but will likely be phased out by future purchases and discoveries during Salvage or stories. The new items include the Tarbax Plate (+Armor, +Debuff Res), Penta Scale (+Armor, +Dodge, +Fortitude), Galbreth Bright (+Resilience, +Debuff Res, +Deflection) and Memret Scale (+Armor, +Init).
The life of a cloth merchant has gotten more interesting with Update #308 as the flow of both regular Clothing and Luxury Clothing has seen overhaul. There are minor and major changes to demand and production -- Farming zones are now major producers of Clothing while Industrial and Hi-Tech Orbitals have had minor increases to Luxury Clothing production. Population and Tradeway demand for clothing has increased. The voracious Luxury Population zones want Luxury Clothing even more than before. And there are some new vectors altogether -- Hi-Tech Orbitals no longer manufacture Clothing and Tradeways are now interested in Luxury Clothing where they were not before. And remember, all of these demand factors are scaled by the zone's Population, so the highly populous Lux Pop zones -- so seek out those large pop worlds for the best trade triangles.
Salvaging under dangerous conditions -- with disastrous Radiation Storms threatening on the horizon -- has become even more risky. Now, the "Reduce Duration" card which will slash the durations of other positive Rumors in the area savagely are even more likely to appear when you have Radiation Storm Rumors in the Quadrant. This is another way that the risk in Salvaging ticks up and that the local context is even more important to your choice of when and where to take these risks.
- Economy adjustments for Clothing, Luxury Clothing to improve trade flow - During Quadrant-wide Radiation Storms, Orbital Rumors will draw 50% more Rumor Duraction Reduction cards - Added 4 additional early-game Salvage loot items focused on combat survivability - New Military Gear: Tarbax Underplate - New Relic Gear: Penta Scale - New Medical Gears: Galbreth Bright, Memret Scaling - Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
[ 2022-12-06 20:05:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #308 adds 4 new pieces of gear you find in early-game Orbital Salvage and rebalances the life of the clothing merchant -- both regular Clothing and Luxury Clothing and increased the risks of Salvaging while Radiation Storms hover over the quadrant.
Thanks to everyone posting feedback, reviews and sharing the game with friends this wintery season. The Pirate's Life Community Challenge is still on-going so be sure to join up and we'll see you on the boards --
Our upcoming heist RPG is on the way!
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the games private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. Make sure youve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when its released! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Early Game Salvage Loot
With Update #308, we've expanded the options for lootable items while Salvaging. These new items focus on survivability builds, increasing Armor, Fortitude and Initiative and are great starters but will likely be phased out by future purchases and discoveries during Salvage or stories. The new items include the Tarbax Plate (+Armor, +Debuff Res), Penta Scale (+Armor, +Dodge, +Fortitude), Galbreth Bright (+Resilience, +Debuff Res, +Deflection) and Memret Scale (+Armor, +Init).
Economics of Cloth
The life of a cloth merchant has gotten more interesting with Update #308 as the flow of both regular Clothing and Luxury Clothing has seen overhaul. There are minor and major changes to demand and production -- Farming zones are now major producers of Clothing while Industrial and Hi-Tech Orbitals have had minor increases to Luxury Clothing production. Population and Tradeway demand for clothing has increased. The voracious Luxury Population zones want Luxury Clothing even more than before. And there are some new vectors altogether -- Hi-Tech Orbitals no longer manufacture Clothing and Tradeways are now interested in Luxury Clothing where they were not before. And remember, all of these demand factors are scaled by the zone's Population, so the highly populous Lux Pop zones -- so seek out those large pop worlds for the best trade triangles.
Dangerous Salvage
Salvaging under dangerous conditions -- with disastrous Radiation Storms threatening on the horizon -- has become even more risky. Now, the "Reduce Duration" card which will slash the durations of other positive Rumors in the area savagely are even more likely to appear when you have Radiation Storm Rumors in the Quadrant. This is another way that the risk in Salvaging ticks up and that the local context is even more important to your choice of when and where to take these risks.
v3.3.17 - 12/6/2022
- Economy adjustments for Clothing, Luxury Clothing to improve trade flow - During Quadrant-wide Radiation Storms, Orbital Rumors will draw 50% more Rumor Duraction Reduction cards - Added 4 additional early-game Salvage loot items focused on combat survivability - New Military Gear: Tarbax Underplate - New Relic Gear: Penta Scale - New Medical Gears: Galbreth Bright, Memret Scaling - Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
Update #307: Far From Home
We've been thrilled by the number of captains jumping into the Pirate's Life Challenge and have decided to extend it through January of 2023. To keep it spicey and dicey, we've added two new wrinkles for you to try out if you want to -- or just play it under the original challenge rules! [olist] Be a pirate against only a single faction. Pick one and be merciless.
Be a pirate against everyone. Be an indie pirate and go after every faction. How will you make it when everyone is turned against you?
[/olist]
A new +5 Salvage card has appeared in Update #307, the "Far From Home" card grants a rare chance to gain a positive Trait from a short list of Traits that all improve Death Save, such as Durable, Lucky, Revenant and Life-Spark. Also, for all other cards that add Traits, we have improved the rules for how they seek and find crew to give those Traits to as well as ensuring that in the case that Traits can't be granted (everyone has all the Traits!) then large XP bonuses are granted instead and the result text is more clear.
With Update #307, we've improved the position in the meta for 3 wide categories of ship component types: Coatings, Weaves and Meshes. These components now help buff either Radiation or Void Resistance, making them more useful to a wider variety of ships.
A number of components have been repriced and rebalanced in Update #307 as we are taking a moment to sweep the ship component catalog, improve balance, pricing and progression as we prepare for future adjustments. Water-Fuel Reclamation 4 now adds +18 more Water-Fuel (up to 48 now), reduces 4 more fuel when jumping (up to -16 now) and adds +2 more Navigation skill pool (up to 4 now). It is a significantly more appealing component and a more viable step up from WFR 3 now.
Update #307 also fixed an issue that was identified by the help of some highly experienced captains. In games with far advanced dates that had completed the final story Era, a bug introduced by modding support could prevent certain sets of new storylines from starting in the game. This bug did cover the recently added Zucho Mil-Accords and the follow-on story event we added for Consolidation / Dissension in Update #305. We also fixed a bug with the Research Lead contact added in Update #305 to fix the useless "Special Service" to a service offering Specialist Wing Gear.
- Improved trait-granting rules for "Impactful Expedition" Orbital Card - Added new rare trait-granting card focused on Death Save Traits (+5 Salvage Reward Card) - Hull Coating, Weaves and Meshes now grant some Radiation & Void Resistance - Completely Rebalanced "Water-Fuel Reclamation 4" - Repriced & rebalanced "Ferrochromium Plating" - Repriced & rebalanced "Iridlaentine Weave-Coating" - Fixed dead-end "Special Service" in Research Lead Contact to be Wing Gear - Fixed bug preventing new stories from proccing into very old saved games beyond the last Era - Minor platform support patches, fixed report crashes & text issues
[ 2022-11-30 19:43:59 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #307 follows on the Zucho Mil-Accords with an addititional positive Trait reward card for Salvaging, updated rules for all Trait cards from Salvaging, rebalances to key components like Water-Fuel Reclamation and a new useful bonus for all Meshes, Weaves and Coating ship components.
Thanks to everyone sharing the game, posting to the forums and leaving a review as we drop this newest update.
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Extended Pirate's Life Challenge
We've been thrilled by the number of captains jumping into the Pirate's Life Challenge and have decided to extend it through January of 2023. To keep it spicey and dicey, we've added two new wrinkles for you to try out if you want to -- or just play it under the original challenge rules! [olist]
New Salvage Card: Far From Home
A new +5 Salvage card has appeared in Update #307, the "Far From Home" card grants a rare chance to gain a positive Trait from a short list of Traits that all improve Death Save, such as Durable, Lucky, Revenant and Life-Spark. Also, for all other cards that add Traits, we have improved the rules for how they seek and find crew to give those Traits to as well as ensuring that in the case that Traits can't be granted (everyone has all the Traits!) then large XP bonuses are granted instead and the result text is more clear.
Coating, Weaves and Meshes
With Update #307, we've improved the position in the meta for 3 wide categories of ship component types: Coatings, Weaves and Meshes. These components now help buff either Radiation or Void Resistance, making them more useful to a wider variety of ships.
Water-Fuel Reclamation 4
A number of components have been repriced and rebalanced in Update #307 as we are taking a moment to sweep the ship component catalog, improve balance, pricing and progression as we prepare for future adjustments. Water-Fuel Reclamation 4 now adds +18 more Water-Fuel (up to 48 now), reduces 4 more fuel when jumping (up to -16 now) and adds +2 more Navigation skill pool (up to 4 now). It is a significantly more appealing component and a more viable step up from WFR 3 now.
Late Era Stories
Update #307 also fixed an issue that was identified by the help of some highly experienced captains. In games with far advanced dates that had completed the final story Era, a bug introduced by modding support could prevent certain sets of new storylines from starting in the game. This bug did cover the recently added Zucho Mil-Accords and the follow-on story event we added for Consolidation / Dissension in Update #305. We also fixed a bug with the Research Lead contact added in Update #305 to fix the useless "Special Service" to a service offering Specialist Wing Gear.
v3.3.15 - 11/30/2022
- Improved trait-granting rules for "Impactful Expedition" Orbital Card - Added new rare trait-granting card focused on Death Save Traits (+5 Salvage Reward Card) - Hull Coating, Weaves and Meshes now grant some Radiation & Void Resistance - Completely Rebalanced "Water-Fuel Reclamation 4" - Repriced & rebalanced "Ferrochromium Plating" - Repriced & rebalanced "Iridlaentine Weave-Coating" - Fixed dead-end "Special Service" in Research Lead Contact to be Wing Gear - Fixed bug preventing new stories from proccing into very old saved games beyond the last Era - Minor platform support patches, fixed report crashes & text issues
Update #306: Zucho Mil
Earlier this year, we launched Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With 1,000 in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Following on other major Trade Alliance events, the Zucho Mil-Accords features a triple military Alliance event and usher in an era of grade 8 craft. These most powerful new craft to hit starports are available through Syndicate channels only as these factions harden their stance against the Great Houses and Clans late in the third century AE. Visit De Valtos for the newest Frostburn VX6 interdictor, Cadar with the Poseidon heavy bomber and Rychart with the Swordbreaker XV shuttle for daring boarding operations.
Late in the third century, it becomes more and more common for the factions to illegally deploy anti-ship mines in orbit to prevent piracy, protect salvage sites and try to ward off spies. Even those valiant militants patrolling to protect the void are at risk. The most famous of all types is the Zucho Anti-Ship Mine which begin to appear after the triple Alliance during certain types of Rumors including Terrox and Jyeeta Xeno rumors, Pirate and Solar War Conflicts. In additional, some types of Rumors -- both good and bad -- have become less likely to be ended early during Conflicts. The chance of any card that reduces Rumor duration such as Salvage or Blockade of cards that can reduce Salvage and Quarantine Rumors is now reduced during Conflicts. We've also addressed the recently reported crashes so a huge thanks goes out to everyone helping surface these issues.
- Added new story event -- Syndicate Zucho Mil-Accord -- which creates a triple military Alliance and releases grade 8 craft - New Interdictor: Frostburn VX6 (grade 8; De Valtos) - New Shuttle: Swordbreaker XV (grade 8; Rychart) - New Bomber: Poseidon Heavy (grade 8; Cadar) - After Zucho Mil-Accord, Zucho Anti-Ship Mines appear as Orbital Risks during Xeno, Jyeeta, Pirate and Syndicate Wars - During Conflicts Orbital Rumors will draw 50% fewer Rumor Duration Reduction cards - Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
[ 2022-11-24 04:19:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
What better way to welcome a 30% off deal for Autumn Sale than to launch update #306! Yes, that's update 3-0-6. A huge thanks to the community on Steam and Discord. for all the feedback and help improving the game and welcoming new captains to the void. If you're enjoying the game and the pace of updates, please take a moment to share it with a friend and post a review!
With Update #306: Zucho Mil, we've added a new story event that will usually occur in the second half of the 3rd century AE and makes a new grade of craft available as well as adding a new orbital operation card.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Earlier this year, we launched Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With 1,000 in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Zucho Mil-Accords & Grade 8 Craft
Following on other major Trade Alliance events, the Zucho Mil-Accords features a triple military Alliance event and usher in an era of grade 8 craft. These most powerful new craft to hit starports are available through Syndicate channels only as these factions harden their stance against the Great Houses and Clans late in the third century AE. Visit De Valtos for the newest Frostburn VX6 interdictor, Cadar with the Poseidon heavy bomber and Rychart with the Swordbreaker XV shuttle for daring boarding operations.
New Risks Arise in Orbital
Late in the third century, it becomes more and more common for the factions to illegally deploy anti-ship mines in orbit to prevent piracy, protect salvage sites and try to ward off spies. Even those valiant militants patrolling to protect the void are at risk. The most famous of all types is the Zucho Anti-Ship Mine which begin to appear after the triple Alliance during certain types of Rumors including Terrox and Jyeeta Xeno rumors, Pirate and Solar War Conflicts. In additional, some types of Rumors -- both good and bad -- have become less likely to be ended early during Conflicts. The chance of any card that reduces Rumor duration such as Salvage or Blockade of cards that can reduce Salvage and Quarantine Rumors is now reduced during Conflicts. We've also addressed the recently reported crashes so a huge thanks goes out to everyone helping surface these issues.
v3.3.13 - 11/23/2022
- Added new story event -- Syndicate Zucho Mil-Accord -- which creates a triple military Alliance and releases grade 8 craft - New Interdictor: Frostburn VX6 (grade 8; De Valtos) - New Shuttle: Swordbreaker XV (grade 8; Rychart) - New Bomber: Poseidon Heavy (grade 8; Cadar) - After Zucho Mil-Accord, Zucho Anti-Ship Mines appear as Orbital Risks during Xeno, Jyeeta, Pirate and Syndicate Wars - During Conflicts Orbital Rumors will draw 50% fewer Rumor Duration Reduction cards - Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes
Update #305: Science to the Stars
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
On the far end of the Consolidation / Dissension Era, there is already a story event in which a specific faction -- based on your actions or inaction -- gains a new technology that enables a powerful and unique ship component. As the years grind by and you continue to ply the void, these research advances are now allowed to further progress and in time, a second story event will occur which further improves the ship component category where the faction focused their advances -- Alta Mesa on the Battle Bridges, De Valtos on ECCM Screen Matrix and Thulun on Interlocking Sensor Matrix. Each component is the pinnacle of its chain of components and worthy of their high price tag. I'll skip further spoilers about the Era and the involved choices, but it is a new story event, ship component and even -- a new Contact type.
A new unique Contact will appear with the story event -- and this Research Lead has a great set of services, makes for a very powerful ally in a starport and recruits Pilots and a powerful secondary Job depending on the faction they are due to story choices. As some of the factions continue to develop their power centers around the Coalition, their research arms continue to break out ahead of the competition.
- Added new "Distant Glacier" Ice World outpost image - Added story event post Consolidation / Dissension, further research progress for factions - Meeting unique and powerful contact "Research Lead" - Gain access to new high-level component based on Era choices - Added new component: Alta Mesa stands to gain Battle Bridge 4 - Added new component: De Valtos can gain ECCM Screen Matrix 6 - Added new component: Thulun can gain Interlocking Sensor Matrix 6
[ 2022-11-15 03:37:24 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to Update #305, which adds new planetary artwork and a new set of late-game story events that further reward your story choices, show technological advancement in the factions and introduce unique components and Contact types.
We're also excited to share the November community challenge - it's a Pirate's Life (For Me!) - join in the fun and the silly hats!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3376037401308938450
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Post Consolidation / Dissension Tech Progress
On the far end of the Consolidation / Dissension Era, there is already a story event in which a specific faction -- based on your actions or inaction -- gains a new technology that enables a powerful and unique ship component. As the years grind by and you continue to ply the void, these research advances are now allowed to further progress and in time, a second story event will occur which further improves the ship component category where the faction focused their advances -- Alta Mesa on the Battle Bridges, De Valtos on ECCM Screen Matrix and Thulun on Interlocking Sensor Matrix. Each component is the pinnacle of its chain of components and worthy of their high price tag. I'll skip further spoilers about the Era and the involved choices, but it is a new story event, ship component and even -- a new Contact type.
New Research Lead Contact
A new unique Contact will appear with the story event -- and this Research Lead has a great set of services, makes for a very powerful ally in a starport and recruits Pilots and a powerful secondary Job depending on the faction they are due to story choices. As some of the factions continue to develop their power centers around the Coalition, their research arms continue to break out ahead of the competition.
v3.3.11 - 11/24/2022
- Added new "Distant Glacier" Ice World outpost image - Added story event post Consolidation / Dissension, further research progress for factions - Meeting unique and powerful contact "Research Lead" - Gain access to new high-level component based on Era choices - Added new component: Alta Mesa stands to gain Battle Bridge 4 - Added new component: De Valtos can gain ECCM Screen Matrix 6 - Added new component: Thulun can gain Interlocking Sensor Matrix 6
Update #304: Sensor Array Seeking
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the games private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. We also have some public demos on our roadmap for events coming up this fall. Make sure youve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when its released! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
The worlds of the Star Traders scattered across the quadrants are many, and we're excited to add two more art boards for landing zones to Garden world outposts.
With Update #304, we've revisited the catalog of Sensor Arrays and made some adjustments to ensure their progression is clearly expressed. Sensor Arrays provide more consistent bonuses across their progression from rank 1 to 4 and their installation and repair times are also correctly aligned with other small slot components. In addition, a new 5th rank Sensor Array 5 has come online granting best in class Navigation and attack bonuses as well as and matched Electronics with Sensor Array 4. The requirements for starports that can install Signature Dampeners have also been increased a bit as part of this rebalance.
The estimates for all Orbital Scoop components were slightly too high and have been adjusted for this update. This should help prevent players from expecting more during fuel returned during Orbital operations. A good thing, now there is an Orbital Scoop 5 component that can provide the best in class scooping for your reduced fuel cost. Install a few of these for free ops!
A new small slot Advanced Medical Chamber has joined the family and offers a superior +3 Medical Rating though it comes with neither Armor nor Shielding bonuses. The Shielded Medical Chamber now adds +2 Jump Cost to help keep it balanced within the small slot medical component options and keep it fairly weighted against the Reinforced Medical Chamber.
In another win of a long run of wins for carriers, the Advanced Hangar Bay is now for sale in Thulun starports across the galaxy. Built for those captains looking to take an aggressive stance, the Advance Hangar Bay provides a place for a craft, bonus fuel and aggressive bonuses against enemy craft.
With the changes to components and all the adjustments to costs over the last few months, we've taken a moment to correct some ship prices. The Caliga Vindex has been raised to $2.1m credits and the Shizari Huntress has gained a much needed bump to $1.2m. These changes match up to the components installed on the hulls and ensure prize ship and resale prices provide fair values in the starport market.
- Added two new "Valley View" Garden World outpost images - Added new component "Advanced Medical Chamber" (Size 1) - Added new component "Sensor Array 5" (Size 1) - Added new component "Orbital Fuel Scoop 5" (Size 2) - Added new Thulun component "Advanced Hangar Bay" (Size 2) - Added Hyperwarp Jump Cost to 'Shielded Medical Chamber' - Rebalanced Sensor Array 1-4 - Fixed issues with Orbital Fuel Scoop Estimates - Adjusted ship prices for 'Caliga Vindex' and 'Shizari Huntress'
[ 2022-11-04 20:12:39 CET ] [ Original post ]
As Update #304 installs itself into your local starport with some important component rebalances and a host of new high-level components to shop, we're also excited to share the November community challenge - it's a Pirate's Life (For Me!)
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3376037401308938450
Check out the full details of the update below and a huge thanks to everyone sharing the game, leaving a review and posting feedback and suggestions onto the Steam boards.
Our upcoming heist RPG is on the way!
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the games private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. We also have some public demos on our roadmap for events coming up this fall. Make sure youve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when its released! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Garden Outposts
The worlds of the Star Traders scattered across the quadrants are many, and we're excited to add two more art boards for landing zones to Garden world outposts.
Sensor Arrays Rebalances and Gain Lvl 5
With Update #304, we've revisited the catalog of Sensor Arrays and made some adjustments to ensure their progression is clearly expressed. Sensor Arrays provide more consistent bonuses across their progression from rank 1 to 4 and their installation and repair times are also correctly aligned with other small slot components. In addition, a new 5th rank Sensor Array 5 has come online granting best in class Navigation and attack bonuses as well as and matched Electronics with Sensor Array 4. The requirements for starports that can install Signature Dampeners have also been increased a bit as part of this rebalance.
Orbital Scoop 5
The estimates for all Orbital Scoop components were slightly too high and have been adjusted for this update. This should help prevent players from expecting more during fuel returned during Orbital operations. A good thing, now there is an Orbital Scoop 5 component that can provide the best in class scooping for your reduced fuel cost. Install a few of these for free ops!
Small Slot Medical Options
A new small slot Advanced Medical Chamber has joined the family and offers a superior +3 Medical Rating though it comes with neither Armor nor Shielding bonuses. The Shielded Medical Chamber now adds +2 Jump Cost to help keep it balanced within the small slot medical component options and keep it fairly weighted against the Reinforced Medical Chamber.
Advanced Hangar
In another win of a long run of wins for carriers, the Advanced Hangar Bay is now for sale in Thulun starports across the galaxy. Built for those captains looking to take an aggressive stance, the Advance Hangar Bay provides a place for a craft, bonus fuel and aggressive bonuses against enemy craft.
Ship Repricing
With the changes to components and all the adjustments to costs over the last few months, we've taken a moment to correct some ship prices. The Caliga Vindex has been raised to $2.1m credits and the Shizari Huntress has gained a much needed bump to $1.2m. These changes match up to the components installed on the hulls and ensure prize ship and resale prices provide fair values in the starport market.
v3.3.9 - 11/3/2022
- Added two new "Valley View" Garden World outpost images - Added new component "Advanced Medical Chamber" (Size 1) - Added new component "Sensor Array 5" (Size 1) - Added new component "Orbital Fuel Scoop 5" (Size 2) - Added new Thulun component "Advanced Hangar Bay" (Size 2) - Added Hyperwarp Jump Cost to 'Shielded Medical Chamber' - Rebalanced Sensor Array 1-4 - Fixed issues with Orbital Fuel Scoop Estimates - Adjusted ship prices for 'Caliga Vindex' and 'Shizari Huntress'
Pirate's Life November 2022 Community Challenge
Some ideas for what wed love to see:
Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post on the discord, post in the #pirates_life_challenge channel found in the STF category. Yarr, its time to plunder, Captain! Looking forward to hearing about your adventures and exploits!
[ 2022-11-01 17:01:13 CET ] [ Original post ]
Avast ye, Captains. Its time for the November 2022 STF challenge. Last time, we did a trade focused merchant challenge. This time, though, its all about piracy in the Pirates Life Challenge. Time to plunder, capture, and steal your way through the universe.
This challenge is very open for how you want to play being a Pirate, but there are a few requirements. The requirements for this challenge are:
- No buying from faction worlds. You can buy from Indie worlds and sell at any world, but as this is a pirate challenge, we want to emphasize plundering and capturing goods from other ships!
- 5 of your crew must be conscripted. This requirement will take time to complete, but by the end of the challenge at least 5 of your crew need to have been conscripted from another ship.
Some ideas for what wed love to see:
- Screenshots of your stats on cargo looted and crew conscripted, your crew, your stash of loot
- Stories of your conscripted crew and how they became part of your team, your favorite pirating adventure/encounter
- Your strategies for being a pirate: how do you find your next target, what do you do with your plundered loot
- Any other creative ways you want to share to tell us how you became the universes most notorious pirate
Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post on the discord, post in the #pirates_life_challenge channel found in the STF category. Yarr, its time to plunder, Captain! Looking forward to hearing about your adventures and exploits!
Update #303: Patchwork
We've added a new planetary artboard for the icy vastness of iceworld outposts. We've also tweaked and adjusted some of the recently added artboards for color and improved cropping.
WIth this update, we've tuned a number of Contact starting points for the betterment of the Contact ecosystem. The Retired Bodyguard and Racketeer Contacts have both had their starting Influence values reduced and their action pattern adjusted so that they are better at building Influence over time. On the other hand, we have increased the starting Influence for all Templar Contacts, including the Templar Militant, and also applied an additional Templar-only rule that slows their Influence pace changes, to reflect their Zendu ways.
- Added new 'Ice Outpost' planet artwork - Fixed bug with 'Zendu Lineage' Trait - Adjustment base influence for "Retired Bodyguard" & "Racketeer" - Revised influence equations for Templar / Templar Militant
[ 2022-10-19 03:35:22 CET ] [ Original post ]
After a short break, we're back warming up the update train with Update #303 Patchwork. With a new environmental artboard and some adjustments to the Contact simulation, this minor patch gets things moving again with more to come.
The last community challenge -- Merchant Mogul -- has wrapped up and the team is prepping the next exciting chapter of those challenges, so stay tuned.
Thanks to everyone for the on-going support, sharing feedback and sharing the game!
New Art Board
We've added a new planetary artboard for the icy vastness of iceworld outposts. We've also tweaked and adjusted some of the recently added artboards for color and improved cropping.
Starting Contact Influences
WIth this update, we've tuned a number of Contact starting points for the betterment of the Contact ecosystem. The Retired Bodyguard and Racketeer Contacts have both had their starting Influence values reduced and their action pattern adjusted so that they are better at building Influence over time. On the other hand, we have increased the starting Influence for all Templar Contacts, including the Templar Militant, and also applied an additional Templar-only rule that slows their Influence pace changes, to reflect their Zendu ways.
v3.3.7 - 10/18/2022
- Added new 'Ice Outpost' planet artwork - Fixed bug with 'Zendu Lineage' Trait - Adjustment base influence for "Retired Bodyguard" & "Racketeer" - Revised influence equations for Templar / Templar Militant
Update #302: Retribution Justice
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Your captain's scores page now keeps record of exactly how much you've influenced any of the retribution justice Conflicts within the game. The scores are factionless, so they are counting only how many points you've added to *any* Solar War over your career. But, for bragging rights as the ultimate assassin, faction warrior or peacemaker these new scores are exciting record of your actions. The latest community challenge -- Merchant Mogul -- is making good use of the some of the recently added captain's scores and we're looking at some ideas how a new challenge could be created around these 7 new scores as well. We're always open to additional community challenge ideas, so please do share :D https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3374906503254336022
Update #302 adds another 5 new landing backgrounds for small urban zones nestled in among the beautiful wilderness remote environments -- small heat-shielded city in molten mountains, towers rising from misty jungles and peaceful settlements spread across idyllic garden-world scapes.
We've received a number of posts recently on the Steam forums about improvements we could make to different buying and selling UIs in the game so we've started on some of those items with Update #302. When shopping for ship components, your sort order is now remembered and we are continuing to discuss the use cases for remembering filtering -- it is coming soon! In addition, the scroll position in your Selling Intel screen is kept so that you can much easier target and sell multiple sets of records without as much work.
- Added 7 new Contact Scores to track your career's impact on Conflict Scores by type - See your impact on Solar Wars, Trade Bans, etc from the Scores screen - Added 5 new environment backgrounds for oceanic and radioactive worlds - Sorting choice is remembered between shopping screens for components - When selling Intel to Contact, the scroll position in the list is correctly remembered - Fixed issues with oceanic world Urban zone artwork selection logic
[ 2022-09-21 01:26:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #302 continues to press on adding new scores to the game, adding new artwork for environments and addressing some quality of life UX work in buying ship components and selling Intel to Contacts. Most importantly, the new scores tracking for Conflicts opens up the possibility to add an entirely new type of player-direction mission where you're working to influence Conflicts directly -- any way you choose. That's an exciting future for a near-term update, but for now -- its Update #302!
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Conflict Scores
Your captain's scores page now keeps record of exactly how much you've influenced any of the retribution justice Conflicts within the game. The scores are factionless, so they are counting only how many points you've added to *any* Solar War over your career. But, for bragging rights as the ultimate assassin, faction warrior or peacemaker these new scores are exciting record of your actions. The latest community challenge -- Merchant Mogul -- is making good use of the some of the recently added captain's scores and we're looking at some ideas how a new challenge could be created around these 7 new scores as well. We're always open to additional community challenge ideas, so please do share :D https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3374906503254336022
Remote or Minor Outposts
Update #302 adds another 5 new landing backgrounds for small urban zones nestled in among the beautiful wilderness remote environments -- small heat-shielded city in molten mountains, towers rising from misty jungles and peaceful settlements spread across idyllic garden-world scapes.
Buying and Selling Improvements
We've received a number of posts recently on the Steam forums about improvements we could make to different buying and selling UIs in the game so we've started on some of those items with Update #302. When shopping for ship components, your sort order is now remembered and we are continuing to discuss the use cases for remembering filtering -- it is coming soon! In addition, the scroll position in your Selling Intel screen is kept so that you can much easier target and sell multiple sets of records without as much work.
v3.3.5 - 9/20/2022
- Added 7 new Contact Scores to track your career's impact on Conflict Scores by type - See your impact on Solar Wars, Trade Bans, etc from the Scores screen - Added 5 new environment backgrounds for oceanic and radioactive worlds - Sorting choice is remembered between shopping screens for components - When selling Intel to Contact, the scroll position in the list is correctly remembered - Fixed issues with oceanic world Urban zone artwork selection logic
Merchant Mogul September 2022 Community Challenge
No matter what you choose to share, please include one screenshot of your trade stats! Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post in the discord, post in the #merchant_mogul_challenge channel found in the STF category. Go make that money, Captain! Looking forward to hearing about your growing trade empire!
[ 2022-09-01 16:34:52 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello, Captains. Its time for the September 2022 STF challenge. This time its all about trade in our Merchant Mogul challenge. Brush up on your bartering skills and try to remember where you secretly stashed those valuable goods. How will you influence the universe through trade? How much money will you make?
This is a trade focused challenge. Update 301 added six new trade scores that will help you to tell the story about building your trade empire. Here are the requirements for this challenge:
- Build a respectable cargo ship with at least 100 cargo space
- Thats it. No really, just the one requirement. We want you to have the chance to play how you want as you grow your wealth through trade.
Some ideas for what wed love to see:
- Screenshots of your trading stats: highest single trade, number of trades over $500k
- Your strategies for making money, how you impacted trade conflicts
- Your favorite port to trade in, your most profitable trade triangle
- Your own creative way to tell us about how you became the greatest trader
No matter what you choose to share, please include one screenshot of your trade stats! Weve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post in the discord, post in the #merchant_mogul_challenge channel found in the STF category. Go make that money, Captain! Looking forward to hearing about your growing trade empire!
Update #301: Trader of Record
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #301, we're prepping for an upcoming community challenge and so added 6 new exciting scores for traders and smugglers. Your Captain Scores page will now report on the number of trades you made in the Exchange and Black Market that were up to the $50,000 and $500,000 thresholds in value. Rack up a couple of those and feel like a rich any mighty trader. In addition, the game is now tracking the value of your highest value trade in both Exchange and Black Market. Bragging rights activated -- make some hard earned credits and post up your scores!
For those players who have a touchscreen where right click is not easily accessible -- such as those using Microsoft Surface, ultrabooks, or PC tablets -- we've now added a new option to make the game easier to run with only a touchscreen. In the options menu, you can enable "Touch Screen" option and then make sure that the "Touch to Navigate" option is set and you should be able to play with a stylus or a finger more easily.
Update #301 adds another 6 new wilderness backgrounds for dangerous and remote environments -- desolate deserts, forgotten jungle clearings and towering mountain ranges. As you travel and explore the void, enjoy the new views.
Wing Commando profession launched with a few small bugs! Sometimes, they were not allowed to take command of a shuttle and the game just kept insinuating that they lacked the training to handle the high g-force. Insulting! Now fixed. Also, the Attributes from the Profession Trait were wrong, now also fixed!
- Added 6 new environment backgrounds for remote wilderness - Added new Captain Scores to track highest value Exchange and Black Market trades of your career - Added new Captain Scores to track Exchange and Black Market trades over $50K and $500K - Added new option "Touch Screen" for desktop platforms with touch screens (Surface, etc) - Fixed bug preventing Wing Commando from being put into a shuttle - Fixed wrong Attributes for Wing Commando's Traits
[ 2022-08-25 20:49:41 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #301 follows closely on the release of Wing Commando profession to fix 2 small bugs with the new Captain job as well as adding 6 new fun and competitive scores tracking your skill as a trader, a new option for easier play on laptops and PC tablets and 6 new art backgrounds for wilderness zones to make your time out of the void even more beautiful.
Our upcoming heist RPG is on the way!
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Exchange and Black Market Scores
With Update #301, we're prepping for an upcoming community challenge and so added 6 new exciting scores for traders and smugglers. Your Captain Scores page will now report on the number of trades you made in the Exchange and Black Market that were up to the $50,000 and $500,000 thresholds in value. Rack up a couple of those and feel like a rich any mighty trader. In addition, the game is now tracking the value of your highest value trade in both Exchange and Black Market. Bragging rights activated -- make some hard earned credits and post up your scores!
Touch Screens Option
For those players who have a touchscreen where right click is not easily accessible -- such as those using Microsoft Surface, ultrabooks, or PC tablets -- we've now added a new option to make the game easier to run with only a touchscreen. In the options menu, you can enable "Touch Screen" option and then make sure that the "Touch to Navigate" option is set and you should be able to play with a stylus or a finger more easily.
Mountains, Wild and Remote
Update #301 adds another 6 new wilderness backgrounds for dangerous and remote environments -- desolate deserts, forgotten jungle clearings and towering mountain ranges. As you travel and explore the void, enjoy the new views.
Wing Commando Fixes
Wing Commando profession launched with a few small bugs! Sometimes, they were not allowed to take command of a shuttle and the game just kept insinuating that they lacked the training to handle the high g-force. Insulting! Now fixed. Also, the Attributes from the Profession Trait were wrong, now also fixed!
v3.3.3 - 8/25/2022
- Added 6 new environment backgrounds for remote wilderness - Added new Captain Scores to track highest value Exchange and Black Market trades of your career - Added new Captain Scores to track Exchange and Black Market trades over $50K and $500K - Added new option "Touch Screen" for desktop platforms with touch screens (Surface, etc) - Fixed bug preventing Wing Commando from being put into a shuttle - Fixed wrong Attributes for Wing Commando's Traits
Update #300: Screaming out the Hangar Bay
Earlier this month, we launched Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a thousand players in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
When setting up a new captain, you can now opt in to the high-risk, semi-crazy Wing Commando Profession. You are signing up to leave the bridge in your officer's capable hands and get shot out of a hangar bay at extreme speeds, hurtling toward the enemy hull to lead a deadly boarding operation ... sounds like the life! Wing Commando requires the challenging "Xeno Slayer" unlock or you can play the modded version of the game without mods to skip unlocks entirely. There are no starting ships in the game that come free with a Boarding Shuttle, so before you really begin your perilous and possibly short-lived career, you'll need to be able to afford one.
Don't like the unlock, just launch the modded version for no unlocks at all.
Since Captains can now join the ranks of shuttle pilots, we've ripped the prohibition off all Wing jobs and now allow Captains to train into Wing Leader, Bomber or Command (as a Job, not your starting profession). Now your captain can mix with the best pilots on the crew and be a star in your Top Gun Community Challenge playthrough. Some may say it is unnecessary risk for the Captain to lead bombing runs but the Captain will tell you, there is nothing else in the void that feels quite like cracking a hull with a Buster or the pure fiery joy of intercepting a torpedo mid-flight.
Update #300 adds 6 new backgrounds for landed environments including 2 new desert wilderness locations, two new wilderness ice world locations, an ocean wilderness location and an idyllic garden outpost.
With Update #300, we have improved the hover over Fuel/AU to be clear that this value is an approximation which is heavily modified by travel conditions and tests. We've also fixed a bug where bonuses from Captian's Traits were not showing up in the ship status screen after ship upgrades.
- Added new unlockable Profession: Wing Commando! - Lead boarding assaults from your shuttle as a Captain Commando - Adjusted carrier-captain rules, Captain can now train as Wing Leader, Bomber or Commando (even without profession) - Added 6 new environment backgrounds for remote worlds and small settlements - Fixed display issue causing Captain's Trait not show in ship status after upgrading ship - Marked Fuel/AU for engines as approximation, clarified hovers - Fixed unlock typos
[ 2022-08-22 01:36:51 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #300 launches some exciting changes to the carrier meta right out of the hangar bay at screaming high speeds. Your Captain can now train to pilot an Interdictor, Shuttle or Bomber and lead your wing squadron against the enemy. it's rich territory for the recent Top Gun Community Challenge and a new and fun way to enjoy your carrier with even more on the line than ever before.
The update has also added new artwork for the worlds of the void, improved hovers and fixed bugs thanks to community input. Thanks to every captain for playing, posting reviews and telling a friend!
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Earlier this month, we launched Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a thousand players in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Wing Commando Profession
When setting up a new captain, you can now opt in to the high-risk, semi-crazy Wing Commando Profession. You are signing up to leave the bridge in your officer's capable hands and get shot out of a hangar bay at extreme speeds, hurtling toward the enemy hull to lead a deadly boarding operation ... sounds like the life! Wing Commando requires the challenging "Xeno Slayer" unlock or you can play the modded version of the game without mods to skip unlocks entirely. There are no starting ships in the game that come free with a Boarding Shuttle, so before you really begin your perilous and possibly short-lived career, you'll need to be able to afford one.
Don't like the unlock, just launch the modded version for no unlocks at all.
Captain, to the Hangar Bay!
Since Captains can now join the ranks of shuttle pilots, we've ripped the prohibition off all Wing jobs and now allow Captains to train into Wing Leader, Bomber or Command (as a Job, not your starting profession). Now your captain can mix with the best pilots on the crew and be a star in your Top Gun Community Challenge playthrough. Some may say it is unnecessary risk for the Captain to lead bombing runs but the Captain will tell you, there is nothing else in the void that feels quite like cracking a hull with a Buster or the pure fiery joy of intercepting a torpedo mid-flight.
Beautiful and Dangerous New Locales
Update #300 adds 6 new backgrounds for landed environments including 2 new desert wilderness locations, two new wilderness ice world locations, an ocean wilderness location and an idyllic garden outpost.
Fuel/AU Clarification and Bug Fixes
With Update #300, we have improved the hover over Fuel/AU to be clear that this value is an approximation which is heavily modified by travel conditions and tests. We've also fixed a bug where bonuses from Captian's Traits were not showing up in the ship status screen after ship upgrades.
v3.3.1 - 8/20/2022
- Added new unlockable Profession: Wing Commando! - Lead boarding assaults from your shuttle as a Captain Commando - Adjusted carrier-captain rules, Captain can now train as Wing Leader, Bomber or Commando (even without profession) - Added 6 new environment backgrounds for remote worlds and small settlements - Fixed display issue causing Captain's Trait not show in ship status after upgrading ship - Marked Fuel/AU for engines as approximation, clarified hovers - Fixed unlock typos
4 years of Star Traders: Frontiers! Celebration stream on Sunday!
[ 2022-08-05 15:51:14 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, it's been 4 years now since we launched Star Traders: Frontiers. Another year of expanding this universe, welcoming new players, fun new playthrough challenges, and booming Steam, Discord, and Reddit communities that continue to impress us with your ideas for us, helpfulness to each other, and creativity in your gameplay. Basically, we have a lot to celebrate! So this Sunday, at 8pm EDT, join us on Twitch for a celebration stream! Tune in for...
- dev chat!
- Cory seeing how far some of the cheat-ier mods you all have created can get him... on Impossible Difficulty ...
- a dive into the deep lore -- bring your questions and see what secrets you can get out of Andrew.
Top Gun July Community Challenge
While this is a carrier craft challenge, we want to hear about your Wing pilots. Tell us about their lives, their adventures, and their careers through screenshots, narrative write ups, stats, memes, etc. You can share them here or in our Discord. At the end of the challenge, we will highlight several of your Top Guns.
[ 2022-06-27 17:11:59 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello, Captains. Its time for the July (and a little bit of June) 2022 STF challenge. Ride the Highway to the Danger Zone in our Top Gun Challenge! We want to see and hear the stories of your hot shot pilots and their exploits. Who buzzed the bridge after a battle? What happened during their shore leave beach volleyball game? Do they have the need, the need for speed?
This is a carrier craft challenge. With the recent release of Update 299, you have access to a new starting carrier ship if you've completed the "Hunt the Hunter" unlock (or are playing the moddable version), in addition to all previously available options. Here is the outline of the guidelines for this challenge:
- Fly a carrier ship or install a launch bay onto the ship of your choice
- Have at least 3 wing pilots
- Use any mix of Bomber, Interceptor and Boarding Shuttles
- If you wish, use Custom Difficulty and max out Profit Boost to help accelerate getting ships, pilots, etc
While this is a carrier craft challenge, we want to hear about your Wing pilots. Tell us about their lives, their adventures, and their careers through screenshots, narrative write ups, stats, memes, etc. You can share them here or in our Discord. At the end of the challenge, we will highlight several of your Top Guns.
Show us your pilots and boast about their exploits with:
- Screenshots of your elite pilot team and (if they are lucky) their fabulous mustaches
- Stories of your pilots daring (perhaps dangerous) actions during battle, what they got up to at the spice hall, and how they came to be a part of your crack pilot team
- Stats on their battle prowess, battles won/lost
- Your own creative edits / showcases / celebrations of your pilots' adventures
Save 50% on Summer Sale + Update #299: Carrier Update
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the games private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. We also have some public demos on our roadmap for events coming up this fall. Make sure youve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when its released! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
When setting up a new captain, you can now start your game directly with the Shizari Huntress, a light-service carrier that bristles with long range weaponry as well as auto-cannons to augment its launch bay and dual hangar bays. This new priority (A) ship requires the challenging "Hunt the Hunter" unlock (or, you can play the modded version of the game without mods to skip unlocks entirely) but comes with an extra $60,000 of valuable craft installed in its hangars. The default configuration is a Wing Leader flying a Interdictor and a Wing Bomber flying a Bomber. For modders, ship components have also gained a new field "defaultCraft" which can be used to indicate what craft a component should slot when its being used for a starting ship, and the matching crew will join the ship as well.
Hanging around the spice hall, the presser is an unforgiving type of Contact, rounding up potential Pilots and helping them find their way to a captain who needs more hands. The Presser offers Pilot recruits, discounts on Spice and direct access to the Black Market. With the 4 new Contact types added in the last update, this latest push has greatly expanded the ability to get access to all the different recruit types you might need directly from Contacts, where the highest recruit levels and best Attribute bonuses are available.
When visiting a system's orbit screen, you can now hover over the Contacts icon over either of the zones to see exactly which Contacts are there. This can be especially useful on systems with 2 zones and multiple Contacts to avoid landing at the wrong spot.
As usual, we've got a pile of other fixes thanks to everyone posting daily here on the Steam forums:
- Added new starting carrier ship Shizari Huntress (unlock "Hunt the Hunter") to (A) priority - Light service carrier packs long range weaponry, auto-cannons and dual hangars - Added new Contact type "Spice Hall Presser" who recruits pilots, offers spice discounts and Black Market access - Contact hovers in system orbit screen list all Contacts by type and name - Fixed text overruns for new Starting Contacts on some screen resolutions - Fixed missing unlock image for Specialty Acquisitions - Screen flow when selling Intel or Scientific Intel to Contacts matches pattern for all services - Adjusted visual engine burners for Galtak and other ships during Hyperwarp jumps
[ 2022-06-26 03:43:56 CET ] [ Original post ]
It is a hot time of the year for sales, so sit down in the cool captain's chair in your air-conditioned bridge (you bought the AC upgrade, right?) and command your ship and crew across the icy void. Come one, come all, join us in Star Traders: Frontiers for the Steam Summer Sale. This is the best price you'll see until Cyber Knight's: Flashpoint launches, so don't miss this one.
Update #299 is a major carrier update, releasing the first and only starting carrier, the mighty Shizari Huntress. This also opens the door for modders to add their own starting carriers if they please. We've also added a new contact, improved the orbital UI to make spotting Contact's easier and fixed a small pile of other things suggested by community members.
If you're enjoy the game, the pace of updates and all the free (299 updates ... no DLC ... wut?) updates, please remember to share the game with a friend and leave a review!
Our upcoming heist RPG is on the way!
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the games private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. We also have some public demos on our roadmap for events coming up this fall. Make sure youve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when its released! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Starting Carrier
When setting up a new captain, you can now start your game directly with the Shizari Huntress, a light-service carrier that bristles with long range weaponry as well as auto-cannons to augment its launch bay and dual hangar bays. This new priority (A) ship requires the challenging "Hunt the Hunter" unlock (or, you can play the modded version of the game without mods to skip unlocks entirely) but comes with an extra $60,000 of valuable craft installed in its hangars. The default configuration is a Wing Leader flying a Interdictor and a Wing Bomber flying a Bomber. For modders, ship components have also gained a new field "defaultCraft" which can be used to indicate what craft a component should slot when its being used for a starting ship, and the matching crew will join the ship as well.
Spice Hall Presser
Hanging around the spice hall, the presser is an unforgiving type of Contact, rounding up potential Pilots and helping them find their way to a captain who needs more hands. The Presser offers Pilot recruits, discounts on Spice and direct access to the Black Market. With the 4 new Contact types added in the last update, this latest push has greatly expanded the ability to get access to all the different recruit types you might need directly from Contacts, where the highest recruit levels and best Attribute bonuses are available.
Contact Hover
When visiting a system's orbit screen, you can now hover over the Contacts icon over either of the zones to see exactly which Contacts are there. This can be especially useful on systems with 2 zones and multiple Contacts to avoid landing at the wrong spot.
More Fixes
As usual, we've got a pile of other fixes thanks to everyone posting daily here on the Steam forums:
- Resolved the text overruns that were showing up on some resolutions for the new starting Contacts added in #298.
- Fixed an unlock image for Specialty Acquisitions which was actually a ship but just showed a big ?.
- Improved the screen flow for selling Intel / Scientific Intel to match other Contact services (subscreen closes on use).
- Adjusted more engine burners to be bettered centered.
- Improved spawn rates for 4 new Contact types added in Update #298.
v3.2.49 - 6/25/2022
- Added new starting carrier ship Shizari Huntress (unlock "Hunt the Hunter") to (A) priority - Light service carrier packs long range weaponry, auto-cannons and dual hangars - Added new Contact type "Spice Hall Presser" who recruits pilots, offers spice discounts and Black Market access - Contact hovers in system orbit screen list all Contacts by type and name - Fixed text overruns for new Starting Contacts on some screen resolutions - Fixed missing unlock image for Specialty Acquisitions - Screen flow when selling Intel or Scientific Intel to Contacts matches pattern for all services - Adjusted visual engine burners for Galtak and other ships during Hyperwarp jumps
Update #298: Who You Know?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Four new unlockable Contacts have been added with Update #298, adding more options for key servicesl like Combat Armor and filling in missing melee recruit options. If you dislike playing with unlocks, keep in mind that you can just play the modded version without any mods and skip unlocks altogether. The Palace Guard (unlocked by Wraithful Corsair) is charged with defending palace visitors, royals and diplomats and can recruit Bodyguards, offer Introductions and has connections both for Edicts and Military Rank. Cruising the underground with a pack of ruffians and an eager blade, the Smuggler Rover (unlocked by Salvage Contractor) is likely to rob those they don't respect. If you can earn their respect, they recruit Blade Dancers, offer the Black Market, sell Rare Trade Goods, and have some connections above-the-shadows that allow them to offer low level Permits. Trained at the academy and hardened in fleet service, the Naval Doctor (unlocked by Pit Fighter V) has returned from their tour of duty and now works within the grav military. They can recruit Combat Medics, SellsArmor, Buy Intel and offer Military Rank as well.
The Retired Blademaster (unlocked by Master Adventurer) was once a deadly duelist or a revered Blade Dancer. Now, retired to their residence or school, eager fighters come to train at their feet or to hear the tales of their warrior days. The Retired Blademaster can recruit Swordsman, Sell Weapons and has their ear to th ground for Recruit Rumors.
With Update #298, we've also ensured completed a few more tasks for the community:
- Added 4 new unlockable Starting Contacts - Palace Guard (unlock Wraithful Corsair) recruits Bodyguards, offers Introductions, Discounts Fuel, Rank, Edict - Smuggler Rover (unlock Salvage Contractor) recruits Blade Dancers, Black Market, Rare Trade Goods, Permit - Naval Doctor (unlock Pit Fighter V) recruits Combat Medics, Sells Armor, Buys Intel, Rank - Retired Blademaster (unlock Master Adventurer) recruits Swordsman, Sells Weapons, Recruit Rumors - Hunna and Templar factions are now always shown in faction list - Fixed issue with ESC > Quit to Main Menu not working in ship or crew combat sometimes - Repositioned engine burners for some ships, including Longbolt, during Hyperwarp jumps - Fixed too many Officer Cabins on Caliga Vindex
[ 2022-06-20 20:07:28 CET ] [ Original post ]
Stemming from an excellent conversation on the Steam forums, Update #298 adds 4 new starting Contacts to help balance out the mix of starting Contact recruits and services. With these 4 new starting options, we've also addressed a number of requests and bugs posted by the community in the last week -- all rolling up into an exciting new release.
A huge thanks goes out to everyone posting on the Steam forums, sharing the game and leaving reviews. Your time and effort helps us keep developing and improving Star Traders: Frontiers as we near an exciting Update #300.
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
4 New Starting Contacts
Four new unlockable Contacts have been added with Update #298, adding more options for key servicesl like Combat Armor and filling in missing melee recruit options. If you dislike playing with unlocks, keep in mind that you can just play the modded version without any mods and skip unlocks altogether. The Palace Guard (unlocked by Wraithful Corsair) is charged with defending palace visitors, royals and diplomats and can recruit Bodyguards, offer Introductions and has connections both for Edicts and Military Rank. Cruising the underground with a pack of ruffians and an eager blade, the Smuggler Rover (unlocked by Salvage Contractor) is likely to rob those they don't respect. If you can earn their respect, they recruit Blade Dancers, offer the Black Market, sell Rare Trade Goods, and have some connections above-the-shadows that allow them to offer low level Permits. Trained at the academy and hardened in fleet service, the Naval Doctor (unlocked by Pit Fighter V) has returned from their tour of duty and now works within the grav military. They can recruit Combat Medics, SellsArmor, Buy Intel and offer Military Rank as well.
The Retired Blademaster (unlocked by Master Adventurer) was once a deadly duelist or a revered Blade Dancer. Now, retired to their residence or school, eager fighters come to train at their feet or to hear the tales of their warrior days. The Retired Blademaster can recruit Swordsman, Sell Weapons and has their ear to th ground for Recruit Rumors.
Quality Updates
With Update #298, we've also ensured completed a few more tasks for the community:
- Hitting ESC and then clicking to go to the Main Menu always works, it only worked sometimes before
- The Hunna and Templar factions are always visible in the faction list
- The new Caliga Vindex (if you buy a new one!) has a better setup with the correct number of officer cabins.
- Fixed position of engine burner for some ships during Hyperwarp jumps -- we appreciate the reports!
v3.2.47 - 6/21/2022
- Added 4 new unlockable Starting Contacts - Palace Guard (unlock Wraithful Corsair) recruits Bodyguards, offers Introductions, Discounts Fuel, Rank, Edict - Smuggler Rover (unlock Salvage Contractor) recruits Blade Dancers, Black Market, Rare Trade Goods, Permit - Naval Doctor (unlock Pit Fighter V) recruits Combat Medics, Sells Armor, Buys Intel, Rank - Retired Blademaster (unlock Master Adventurer) recruits Swordsman, Sells Weapons, Recruit Rumors - Hunna and Templar factions are now always shown in faction list - Fixed issue with ESC > Quit to Main Menu not working in ship or crew combat sometimes - Repositioned engine burners for some ships, including Longbolt, during Hyperwarp jumps - Fixed too many Officer Cabins on Caliga Vindex
Update #297: Shards of Kraesline
After four years of updates, Star Traders has received a lot of love, long past release. To keep it going, Andrew & I rely on two things: reviews for this game, and wishlists for our next! Reviews for Star Traders keep the game visible on Steam, please write a few words for us if you have a minute. Meanwhile, wishlists for our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG help us plan for the studios future (which includes future Star Traders games ). If turn-based squad tactics, creative stealth & hacking, and a unique 23rd-century dark future world sound like your thing, add to your wishlist today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
The Caliga Vindex is built for Steel Song bounty hunters and clan assassins -- and rumored to have been designed in the first place for use by Faug Daen operatives. Architected for boarding, the Caliga has light weapons, solid defense and extreme speed. Appointments for six private cabins make it very attractive to Captains who prize officer space over all else. Coming in at a cool $1.8M, this is a small fast, ship that is touchy to configure by standout for its officer capacity.
This update has added a new Rare Trade Good, the Kraesline Shards. Know to be highly unstable and dangerous to transport, these goods can only be sold at Orbital Stations or Tradeways. However, they are in high demand to be used in new and developing industrial processes to refine both spice and duranium and are know to boost both the quality and profits of such processes. Kraesline Shards are rare, expensive and highly illegal. In addition to their high profit margins, they an above average impact on a Contacts' Influence when they are sold. Outside of purchasing Kraesline Shards from a Contact, this RTG can also be found in stashes recovered while Salvaging. Kraesline Shards will only appear as Rare Trade Goods for a specific quadrant in newly generated maps. However, they will appear in recovered stashes from Salvage in any game regardless of when it was started.
While a little late for the Hunna Snakes challenge (if you haven't given it a try, its a ton of fun and never too late to join in!), we've updated all cards that can create Contacts during Salvage to have a chance to also reveal or create Hunna Contacts as well as making these cards overall more likely to appear.
With Update #297, we've increased the XP rewards from XP cards drawn during Salvage if you are crazy enough to salvage while under an Ion Storm or Radiation Storm Rumor. Also, in the cases when Jyeeta Debris Field cards can appear -- during the Jyeeta Era, during certain Rumor events, and afterwards -- we've increased the chance that these cards will appear to ensure their threatening presence is properly felt.
- Added all new Rare Trade Good: Kraesline Shards - Added 'Kraesline Shards' to loot tables for recovered stashes - Maps generated may now contain Quadrants that supply Kraesline Shards - New Ship: Caliga Vindex (Steel Song, 2400M Officer-Focused Space Yacht) - Salvage Cards that create Contacts can now create Hunna Contacts - Greatly increased spawn rate for 'Contact Rescue' Salvage Card - Increased XP bonus Cards for Salvaging during Radiation Storms - Increased spawn rate on 'Jyeeta Debris Field' Salvage Card
[ 2022-06-15 20:59:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #297 breaks out an all new Rare Trade Good, an all new 2400 Mass class ship with 6 officer slots and the long-requested option to gain more Hunna Contacts. Along with some key rebalances to improve Orbital Salvage, this one is full of exciting adds for your captain. Sell some Shards, buy a new ship, join the Hunna? Thanks to everyone posting feedback here on Steam and helping us continue to develop and improve this game.
Keep this game growing!
After four years of updates, Star Traders has received a lot of love, long past release. To keep it going, Andrew & I rely on two things: reviews for this game, and wishlists for our next! Reviews for Star Traders keep the game visible on Steam, please write a few words for us if you have a minute. Meanwhile, wishlists for our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG help us plan for the studios future (which includes future Star Traders games ). If turn-based squad tactics, creative stealth & hacking, and a unique 23rd-century dark future world sound like your thing, add to your wishlist today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Steel Song Caliga: 6 Officers at 2400M
The Caliga Vindex is built for Steel Song bounty hunters and clan assassins -- and rumored to have been designed in the first place for use by Faug Daen operatives. Architected for boarding, the Caliga has light weapons, solid defense and extreme speed. Appointments for six private cabins make it very attractive to Captains who prize officer space over all else. Coming in at a cool $1.8M, this is a small fast, ship that is touchy to configure by standout for its officer capacity.
New Rare Trade Good: Shards
This update has added a new Rare Trade Good, the Kraesline Shards. Know to be highly unstable and dangerous to transport, these goods can only be sold at Orbital Stations or Tradeways. However, they are in high demand to be used in new and developing industrial processes to refine both spice and duranium and are know to boost both the quality and profits of such processes. Kraesline Shards are rare, expensive and highly illegal. In addition to their high profit margins, they an above average impact on a Contacts' Influence when they are sold. Outside of purchasing Kraesline Shards from a Contact, this RTG can also be found in stashes recovered while Salvaging. Kraesline Shards will only appear as Rare Trade Goods for a specific quadrant in newly generated maps. However, they will appear in recovered stashes from Salvage in any game regardless of when it was started.
Hunna Contacts!
While a little late for the Hunna Snakes challenge (if you haven't given it a try, its a ton of fun and never too late to join in!), we've updated all cards that can create Contacts during Salvage to have a chance to also reveal or create Hunna Contacts as well as making these cards overall more likely to appear.
Salvage Cards
With Update #297, we've increased the XP rewards from XP cards drawn during Salvage if you are crazy enough to salvage while under an Ion Storm or Radiation Storm Rumor. Also, in the cases when Jyeeta Debris Field cards can appear -- during the Jyeeta Era, during certain Rumor events, and afterwards -- we've increased the chance that these cards will appear to ensure their threatening presence is properly felt.
v3.2.45 - 6/15/2022
- Added all new Rare Trade Good: Kraesline Shards - Added 'Kraesline Shards' to loot tables for recovered stashes - Maps generated may now contain Quadrants that supply Kraesline Shards - New Ship: Caliga Vindex (Steel Song, 2400M Officer-Focused Space Yacht) - Salvage Cards that create Contacts can now create Hunna Contacts - Greatly increased spawn rate for 'Contact Rescue' Salvage Card - Increased XP bonus Cards for Salvaging during Radiation Storms - Increased spawn rate on 'Jyeeta Debris Field' Salvage Card
Update #296: Interdiction Scourge
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #296, we've integrated some great feedback from the community (thanks @Innocent!) to help improve the balance in favor of defensive Interdictors having a better shot at really stopping enemy bombers from reaching your ship, even as they shoot down incoming capital ship long-range fire. First, defensive Interdictor Initiative has been adjusted to always trump that of Bombers. Therefore, defensive Interdictors always get an attack against an incoming Bomber before it can complete its bombing run, removing the chance that the Bomber wallops your capital ship and then your Interdictor shoots it down. Second, we've fixed a long-standing issue (which also could cause a crash at times) where the Wing Tech "Knock from the Void" Talent could conflict with an Interdictor's targeting choice and cause the Interdictor to miss its turn because its target was Knocked. Interdictors are now coordinating with your ship's Wing Tech to make their choices around this and will never waste a turn, assuming there is another Bomber target. If a target is Knocked from the Void, then it is not subject to any attacks for the turn (that has always been the rule).
Navigators, E-Techs, Engineers and Scientists all provide Talents to help shield your ship and crew from Radiation Storms (quadrant) and Ion Storm (system) Rumors. With this update, the balance on these Talents has adjusted a bit, as some can provide additional XP or even create Scientific Intel. All of the Talents now shield your ship and crew from the ravages of the storm while still capable of granting additional bonuses (the XP boosters / Intel creators used to not shield you...). In addition, while you have the Talents on cooldown, these have gone from a partial shielding (reducing damage) to a full shield (no damage). So, stocking up on a few crew members with these capabilities is even more helpful now for your ship than before. To offset this balance shift, we've adjusted the cooldown on these Talents by a small amount -- +1 week for the regular shields and +3 to +4 weeks for the ones that pack extra bonuses.
With #296, we've also fixed a search string issue with searching contacts (you could search "sells weapon" but needed to search "buy Intel") and updated the hover text to be clear -- buys / sells is correct in all searches. We've fixed a visual display issue in upgrading components where the bonuses from your components stacked every time you opened the screen (+4% ... then +8% ... then ...) -- now the values stay correct in the display all the time. Finally, thanks for the report on the broken hat -- the character's hair no longer sticks out through hats :D Derp!
- Defensive Interdictors always trump attacking Bombers Initiative - Knock from the Void Talent no longer crosses badly with defensive Interdictors and prevents bombing attacks - Improved effect of all anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents; when available they completely mitigate damage - Extended cooldowns of all anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents 10-30 Turns - Fixed issues with Scientist "Amplified Assay" and "Distortion Field Survey" not triggering for Ion Storms or Rad Storms - Fixed search string for contact to use buys/sells (Buys Intel, Sells Weaponry) instead of buy/sells - Fixed crash with small craft combat and Knock from the Void or Emergency Grounding - Fixed issue with ship bonus displays doubling and tripling upon multiple opens of upgrade components - Fixed issue with hair clipping around hat
[ 2022-06-01 21:28:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
You can hear the Interdictor engines screaming as they whip out of the launch day -- one, two, three rushing headlong into the void, rushing to meet the incoming torpedoes and bomber wings. Update #296 dives back into the high-adrenaline life of a defensive Wing Leader and helps buff up their ability to stop incoming Bombers from reaching the capital ship. Also, with this update, we've rebalanced and tweaked how all anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents work (better!) so check that out as well. A huge thanks to everyone posting feedback, the great discussions about balance.
If you are enjoying the on-going updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review.
Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, were telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Defensive Interdictors
With Update #296, we've integrated some great feedback from the community (thanks @Innocent!) to help improve the balance in favor of defensive Interdictors having a better shot at really stopping enemy bombers from reaching your ship, even as they shoot down incoming capital ship long-range fire. First, defensive Interdictor Initiative has been adjusted to always trump that of Bombers. Therefore, defensive Interdictors always get an attack against an incoming Bomber before it can complete its bombing run, removing the chance that the Bomber wallops your capital ship and then your Interdictor shoots it down. Second, we've fixed a long-standing issue (which also could cause a crash at times) where the Wing Tech "Knock from the Void" Talent could conflict with an Interdictor's targeting choice and cause the Interdictor to miss its turn because its target was Knocked. Interdictors are now coordinating with your ship's Wing Tech to make their choices around this and will never waste a turn, assuming there is another Bomber target. If a target is Knocked from the Void, then it is not subject to any attacks for the turn (that has always been the rule).
Anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents
Navigators, E-Techs, Engineers and Scientists all provide Talents to help shield your ship and crew from Radiation Storms (quadrant) and Ion Storm (system) Rumors. With this update, the balance on these Talents has adjusted a bit, as some can provide additional XP or even create Scientific Intel. All of the Talents now shield your ship and crew from the ravages of the storm while still capable of granting additional bonuses (the XP boosters / Intel creators used to not shield you...). In addition, while you have the Talents on cooldown, these have gone from a partial shielding (reducing damage) to a full shield (no damage). So, stocking up on a few crew members with these capabilities is even more helpful now for your ship than before. To offset this balance shift, we've adjusted the cooldown on these Talents by a small amount -- +1 week for the regular shields and +3 to +4 weeks for the ones that pack extra bonuses.
Additional Fixes
With #296, we've also fixed a search string issue with searching contacts (you could search "sells weapon" but needed to search "buy Intel") and updated the hover text to be clear -- buys / sells is correct in all searches. We've fixed a visual display issue in upgrading components where the bonuses from your components stacked every time you opened the screen (+4% ... then +8% ... then ...) -- now the values stay correct in the display all the time. Finally, thanks for the report on the broken hat -- the character's hair no longer sticks out through hats :D Derp!
v3.2.43 - 6/1/2022
- Defensive Interdictors always trump attacking Bombers Initiative - Knock from the Void Talent no longer crosses badly with defensive Interdictors and prevents bombing attacks - Improved effect of all anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents; when available they completely mitigate damage - Extended cooldowns of all anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents 10-30 Turns - Fixed issues with Scientist "Amplified Assay" and "Distortion Field Survey" not triggering for Ion Storms or Rad Storms - Fixed search string for contact to use buys/sells (Buys Intel, Sells Weaponry) instead of buy/sells - Fixed crash with small craft combat and Knock from the Void or Emergency Grounding - Fixed issue with ship bonus displays doubling and tripling upon multiple opens of upgrade components - Fixed issue with hair clipping around hat
Update #295: Navigating the Void
We've added 2 major improvements to the hovers over quadrants on the galactic map. The first is to display a list of all Contacts who reside in that quadrant and are known by name, where previously we gave a simple count. This can help you look for specific contacts by name or by type as you plan your way across the stars.
Second -- specifically for mission runners -- we've added some very important details about offered and accepted missions. Again, where previously there was simply a count ("3 offered missions") we are now showing the mission title and the Contact who gave or is offering the mission. Now, when previewing missions from your Contact mission screen, you can make sense of the larger spread of missions and make better choices, faster.
To help more players find and use search effectively, we've added a set of hovers over the Contact and Star Atlas search boxes. These give a pretty awesome set of examples you are not going to want to miss. With the right search terms, you can find what you're looking for faster with just search over filters but the two combine nicely.
In addition to combining with filters, you can now use up to 2 search phrases combined with either OR or AND logic. Search likes "edicts AND trade permits", "sells water pur AND sells advanced med" come into play and make looking for higher value combinations much easier and faster.
As always, we love working directly off some of the best feedback on the Steam forums. We're grinding through a cycle of QoL and UI improvements before diving back into a summer of story content, so post up your good ideas now :D
- Quadrant hover in galactic map now lists accepted and offered mission title and contact - Quadrant hover in galactic map now lists known Contact by title and name - Contact / System Atlas / Map Preview search now support use of one OR and AND per search (spy recruits AND edicts) - Contact / System Atlas / Map Preview search boxes now have hovers with useful examples included
[ 2022-05-16 19:16:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #295 focuses solely on UI improvements around a big part of any Star Traders job -- plotting routes through the void, from one quadrant to the next, sometimes running missions, sometimes seeking grav services and sometimes hunting deals on cargo.
These improvements all stem directly from requests here on the Steam boards, so thank you for posting them. Also, a big thanks goes out to everyone helping us share the game, leave a review or tell a friend.
The Hunna Snakes Rule! challenge is in mid swing this month, so if you're looking for a new way to play and experience the void, this is a great way to test your limits --
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3225150323270014742
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Galactic Map Hovers
We've added 2 major improvements to the hovers over quadrants on the galactic map. The first is to display a list of all Contacts who reside in that quadrant and are known by name, where previously we gave a simple count. This can help you look for specific contacts by name or by type as you plan your way across the stars.
Second -- specifically for mission runners -- we've added some very important details about offered and accepted missions. Again, where previously there was simply a count ("3 offered missions") we are now showing the mission title and the Contact who gave or is offering the mission. Now, when previewing missions from your Contact mission screen, you can make sense of the larger spread of missions and make better choices, faster.
Search Examples and Boolean Logic (AND, OR)
To help more players find and use search effectively, we've added a set of hovers over the Contact and Star Atlas search boxes. These give a pretty awesome set of examples you are not going to want to miss. With the right search terms, you can find what you're looking for faster with just search over filters but the two combine nicely.
In addition to combining with filters, you can now use up to 2 search phrases combined with either OR or AND logic. Search likes "edicts AND trade permits", "sells water pur AND sells advanced med" come into play and make looking for higher value combinations much easier and faster.
As always, we love working directly off some of the best feedback on the Steam forums. We're grinding through a cycle of QoL and UI improvements before diving back into a summer of story content, so post up your good ideas now :D
v3.2.41 - 5/15/2022
- Quadrant hover in galactic map now lists accepted and offered mission title and contact - Quadrant hover in galactic map now lists known Contact by title and name - Contact / System Atlas / Map Preview search now support use of one OR and AND per search (spy recruits AND edicts) - Contact / System Atlas / Map Preview search boxes now have hovers with useful examples included
Hunna Snakes Rule! May Community Challenge
[ 2022-05-04 16:21:06 CET ] [ Original post ]
Its been a while, but we are back with a new challenge for the month of May 2022!
Star Traders are independent and dont need the establishment to be successful. In this challenge, we want to see you reject those faction phonies. You play by your own rules, and if they don't like it: tough. Who will acquire success without ever being part of "the system" -- and who isnt afraid to make some enemies along the way?
To qualify for this challenge, your Captain must never acquire a military rank, edict, or even a trade permit with any faction. Your Captain must also never accept missions from any Contact representing "the man" -- Princes, Warrant Officers, Military Officers -- Only those who flaunt those rules are worth are consideration. No missions from ANY Contact unless:
- they also offer Black Market access
- are Hunna / Independents
- are Calagan Faen or Valencia, up to the point Valencia joins the Hunna
Show your indie stripes and boast about:
- Your favorite Indie Planet, your ship, your Indie crew with screenshots
- How you built your Indie crew, stories of missions from your favorite Indie/Hunna contact, and the challenges of working on the fringes
- Your strategies to survive outside the system: making money, finding supplies, trading partners, upgrading/buying ships
- Stats of your reputation with various factions, number of missions you complete
- Your own creative edits / showcases / celebrations of your adventures
Update #294: Stellar Rogues
We're recently back from Cyber Knights: Flashpoints demo stint on the floor at PAX East where we joined the PAX Rising showcase, a group of 12 indie dev's hand picked by the Penny Arcade team. With that exciting show behind us, we're back to the private alpha test for our 1,000+ Kickstarter backers and back on the long march to release on Steam. So, cyberpunk heist RPG lovers -- make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #294, we have removed the original (and confusing) rule that Skill points from Wing Jobs that involved getting into a craft -- such as Wing Leader, Bomber, Commado and Saboteur -- did not count toward the Skill pools to operate and run your capital ship. While this had some merit in the game's meta and balance, it is overly complicated especially in the case for Officers or Wing Bomber's Tactics Skill. With Update #294, we've removed the rule which is a net positive for carrier crew and craft -- the Skills of your craft pilots contribute to Ship pools like everyone else.
When previewing a ship in Dry Dock or looking to install a new component within the ship starport, a ship now correctly displays its bonuses stack like +Accuracy %, +Escape Dice, etc. This is especially helpful when shopping for ships to get a clear idea of what types of bonuses are coming out of the gate with the hull and its default components. We also fixed one reported crash while selling ships. Thanks to everyone reporting bugs!
A big thanks to everyone sharing feedback and posting bugs on the new Auto-Battle feature. We've now resolved the one class of bug that was reported -- that various movement Talents could feasibly move your own squad into the enemy ranks and just .... mess *everything* up! With this fix in #294, everything is looking clean for Auto-Battle to ride into the sunset and slay endless enemy combat crews!
We've provided a much needed clarification to the Smuggler's "Hideout" Talent with this update -- specifically that this Talent only protects mission packages, prisoners and passengers and not regular cargo from search and seizure. Based on the discussion around this clarification, we've started looking into how we could add some of the other possibility -- hidden smuggler compartments -- that would actually hide illegal *cargo* from search and seizure. We'd love to hear you thoughts on this one!
- Boost for Carrier-meta: all Wing Jobs (Leader, Bomber, Commando, Saboteur, Tech) now contribute their skill pools normally to ship - Ship Upgrade and Ship Dry Dock now correctly lists bonuses like +Accuracy and +Escape - Fixed Auto-Battle issue with Talents moving your team forward or backward would push them into enemy lines - Clarified description of Smuggler's "Hideout" Talent to be clear -- only protects mission items - Fixed bugs with some modal dialogs crashing on double click - Fixes issues with crash reporting
[ 2022-05-03 02:43:15 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #294, Star Traders: Frontiers joins the celebration of everything rogue-y on Steam with a 35% discount, improved carrier meta, better ship dry dock UI and improvements to the recently added auto battle option in crew combat. Thanks to everyone in the community for posting feedback and suggestions! Check out the full details below --
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
We're recently back from Cyber Knights: Flashpoints demo stint on the floor at PAX East where we joined the PAX Rising showcase, a group of 12 indie dev's hand picked by the Penny Arcade team. With that exciting show behind us, we're back to the private alpha test for our 1,000+ Kickstarter backers and back on the long march to release on Steam. So, cyberpunk heist RPG lovers -- make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Craft Meta Shift
With Update #294, we have removed the original (and confusing) rule that Skill points from Wing Jobs that involved getting into a craft -- such as Wing Leader, Bomber, Commado and Saboteur -- did not count toward the Skill pools to operate and run your capital ship. While this had some merit in the game's meta and balance, it is overly complicated especially in the case for Officers or Wing Bomber's Tactics Skill. With Update #294, we've removed the rule which is a net positive for carrier crew and craft -- the Skills of your craft pilots contribute to Ship pools like everyone else.
Better Dry Dock
When previewing a ship in Dry Dock or looking to install a new component within the ship starport, a ship now correctly displays its bonuses stack like +Accuracy %, +Escape Dice, etc. This is especially helpful when shopping for ships to get a clear idea of what types of bonuses are coming out of the gate with the hull and its default components. We also fixed one reported crash while selling ships. Thanks to everyone reporting bugs!
Auto-Battle Fixes
A big thanks to everyone sharing feedback and posting bugs on the new Auto-Battle feature. We've now resolved the one class of bug that was reported -- that various movement Talents could feasibly move your own squad into the enemy ranks and just .... mess *everything* up! With this fix in #294, everything is looking clean for Auto-Battle to ride into the sunset and slay endless enemy combat crews!
Hideout Clarification
We've provided a much needed clarification to the Smuggler's "Hideout" Talent with this update -- specifically that this Talent only protects mission packages, prisoners and passengers and not regular cargo from search and seizure. Based on the discussion around this clarification, we've started looking into how we could add some of the other possibility -- hidden smuggler compartments -- that would actually hide illegal *cargo* from search and seizure. We'd love to hear you thoughts on this one!
v3.2.39 - 5/2/2022
- Boost for Carrier-meta: all Wing Jobs (Leader, Bomber, Commando, Saboteur, Tech) now contribute their skill pools normally to ship - Ship Upgrade and Ship Dry Dock now correctly lists bonuses like +Accuracy and +Escape - Fixed Auto-Battle issue with Talents moving your team forward or backward would push them into enemy lines - Clarified description of Smuggler's "Hideout" Talent to be clear -- only protects mission items - Fixed bugs with some modal dialogs crashing on double click - Fixes issues with crash reporting
Trese Brothers at PAX East 2022!
You'll find us 10am-6pm in the PAX Rising section of the Expo Hall, booth #13091.
We'll have:
[ 2022-04-20 04:26:20 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hey Captains, we're back at PAX this year!
Our upcoming game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint was selected for the PAX Rising Showcase, a group of 12 indie games hand-picked by the PAX team for a spot in the Expo Hall.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Even if you're not going to PAX, this means more in store for you, including a new studio chat in Discord next week (Star Traders questions always welcome!), and a giveaway of one of these awesome Cyber Knights posters:
Follow @TreseBrothers on twitter for sights from the show! (You know Star Traders is on twitter and Facebook too, right?)
If you're also going to PAX...
You'll find us 10am-6pm in the PAX Rising section of the Expo Hall, booth #13091.
We'll have:
- a playable Cyber Knights demo level, with three different versions of the Vanguard for you to choose from
- at least two more chances to win a Cyber Knights poster
- a unique photo opportunity
- a ton of excitement to chat with anyone who's already a Trese Brothers fan!
Update #293: Rapid Takedown
Earlier this year, Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test went live for our Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a thousand players in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
When it comes time for the rapid takedown, we've made a lot of improvements over the last year to help combat captains play faster. An upgraded suite of keyboard shortcuts and the high speed combat option to skip animation and SFX have both helped. But compared to the newest Auto Battle option, these previous improvements are tepid spice beer compared to a heaping spice plate. Auto Battle --
With Update #293, Reputation mitigation Talents like the Diplomat's "Adept Mediation" or Spy's "Stealth Op" will activate before the Bounty Hunter's more generalist "Red Badge". This is a boon to captains who specialize in these skill-focused Talents, enabling you to save your Red Badge for a later mission step that might not have Stealth or Negotiation options. The Bounty Hunter bearing an Edict has always been able to use Red Badge to reduce Reputation loss on any type of mission step in urban zones (not Exploring). Historically, it always went first. Many captains found this to be a disadvantage to the newer Rep mitigation Talents and we've finally caught up with the change that activates Red Badge always as a last resort.
We have fixed the description of the Blade Dancer's "Ritualized Retreat" Talent to be much clearer about what Black Market cards it can protect against -- that is, only cards that include "Cargo Lost" in their title specifically. It does not protect against encountering hostile security squads.
In a recent Twitch stream on our Twitch channel, Cory hung out and chatted and gathered awesome suggestions from the community to improve and add to the already huge set of barks in the game. Another 20 entries were added for specific Traits.
- Enabled hotkey and button to toggle auto-combat in Crew Combat (AI will resolve for you) - Added button to toggle fast combat in crew combat - Added 20 new barks for crew Traits - Adjusted order of Mission Rep Loss mitigation Talents -- Blood Badge will run AFTER other specific Skill (Stealth, etc) Talents - Corrected description of Blade Dancer's "Ritualized Retreat" Talent to only cover Cargo Lost cards - Fixed bug allowing reclaiming (and then using) Templar gear
[ 2022-04-07 15:27:56 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #293 follows on after Update #300 (what madness is this, it's April Fools!) with a major quality of life upgrade for combat captains, a powerful balance improvement for mission runners, new content for the crew barks system and fixes for Blade Dancer and the Templar storyline. We're hard at work again, knocking off the major quality of life and rebalance requests from the community. If you are enjoying the improvements, please take a moment to leave a review, post some feedback or share our game with a friend.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Earlier this year, Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test went live for our Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a thousand players in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Auto-Battle!
When it comes time for the rapid takedown, we've made a lot of improvements over the last year to help combat captains play faster. An upgraded suite of keyboard shortcuts and the high speed combat option to skip animation and SFX have both helped. But compared to the newest Auto Battle option, these previous improvements are tepid spice beer compared to a heaping spice plate. Auto Battle --
- Uses the same AI controlling the enemy to control your team
- Uses all your Talents, healing and attacks automatically
- Resolves combats very quickly, especially when combined with Fast Combat option
- Can win easily if you are in a commanding position -- if you outclass the enemy or you've already cleared half the enemy team, Auto Battle will help you mop up. If the enemy is a lineup of E-Techs and Navigators, Auto Battle can give you that rapid takedown experience.
- Should be used carefully in evenly matched combats where every decision counts. In closely balanced battles, Auto Battle will duke it out but will not be able to use your team's combat builds as optimally as you could.
- Can be quickly turned off - click the toggle to get control again
- Will never Surrender and always fight to the death
- Is not responsible for deaths to your team members -- Use at your own risk!
- Starts disabled with each new combat. To a void mistakes where Auto Battle runs the first few (woops!) turns of a xeno combat, it always starts disabled
Red Badge Priority Drop
With Update #293, Reputation mitigation Talents like the Diplomat's "Adept Mediation" or Spy's "Stealth Op" will activate before the Bounty Hunter's more generalist "Red Badge". This is a boon to captains who specialize in these skill-focused Talents, enabling you to save your Red Badge for a later mission step that might not have Stealth or Negotiation options. The Bounty Hunter bearing an Edict has always been able to use Red Badge to reduce Reputation loss on any type of mission step in urban zones (not Exploring). Historically, it always went first. Many captains found this to be a disadvantage to the newer Rep mitigation Talents and we've finally caught up with the change that activates Red Badge always as a last resort.
Clarified Ritualized Retreat
We have fixed the description of the Blade Dancer's "Ritualized Retreat" Talent to be much clearer about what Black Market cards it can protect against -- that is, only cards that include "Cargo Lost" in their title specifically. It does not protect against encountering hostile security squads.
New Barks -- Thanks Twitch!
In a recent Twitch stream on our Twitch channel, Cory hung out and chatted and gathered awesome suggestions from the community to improve and add to the already huge set of barks in the game. Another 20 entries were added for specific Traits.
v3.2.37 - Rapid Takedowns
- Enabled hotkey and button to toggle auto-combat in Crew Combat (AI will resolve for you) - Added button to toggle fast combat in crew combat - Added 20 new barks for crew Traits - Adjusted order of Mission Rep Loss mitigation Talents -- Blood Badge will run AFTER other specific Skill (Stealth, etc) Talents - Corrected description of Blade Dancer's "Ritualized Retreat" Talent to only cover Cargo Lost cards - Fixed bug allowing reclaiming (and then using) Templar gear
Update #3OO: Best Face Forward
Okay, so youve hopefully figured it out by now, but if not: [spoiler]April fools![/spoiler] This is not a real game update. BUT IT IS A REAL GAME MOD! If you want to, you can actually play with these ludicrous, outlandish, unexplainable, sometimes unfortunate faces, by playing the mod version of the game and adding our new mod, Star Derps. All 100+ of the crew faces have been replaced with new versions. Try it out, you might even find a few youd like to grab from the modded spritesheet and add into a less outrageous mod of your own. For-real props to all our modders, who have created some truly fun stuff for the game. Check out the other mods now available for Star Traders and leave some comments to encourage them to make more, and dive into the Making Mods section of the wiki to learn how to make your own. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2787587653&searchtext=
[ 2022-04-01 13:11:13 CET ] [ Original post ]
One of the things weve always been quietly proud of in Star Traders is the wide variety of faces available within the game.
But even before we added official modding support to the game, some of the first unofficial mods were graphics replacements players created to further customize the games character art or add in their own faces & clothes. Now with fully-supported Steam Workshop modding available, its even easier, more reliable, and weve seen some modders getting pretty creative with it.
So creative we may have gotten a little jealous. Seeing modders getting a chance to put a whole new spin on the game, from tributes to other franchises to rebalances that create new playstyle opportunities not to mention all the straight-up improvements some modders are claiming Improved Ship Combat Icons, Sound FX Overhaul, Larger Cargo Holds this is what comes from creating a Captain simulator, everyone thinks they can run the ship better. ;)
So, we dug deep into our graveyard of code fragments, searching for a half-finished time-travel wormhole wed written off all the way back in Early Access as too dangerous to complete, and let our wounded pride throw caution to the solar winds. Why a time travel wormhole, you might ask? Because how else in the midst of Cyber Knights development, spring travel, and tax season were we going to find the time for this: a full faces revamp featuring entirely new*, 100% original** crew art now available to you within the game.
We asked Andrew to art better this time, and boy did he! While the original faces were a collaboration between Andrew as Creative Director and our professional art team partners, the revamped crew faces are a fully in-house effort only "lightly" inspired from their original work, and we think youre going to love the results.
Each face features:
- 20-50% more pixels
- fine-tuned adjustments to key facial features
- bold new interpretations of classic sci-fi tropes
- exciting speculative guesses at alternate evolutionary possibilities
- increased immersion through stronger representation of the effects of centuries of drinking the water-fuel
Okay, so youve hopefully figured it out by now, but if not: [spoiler]April fools![/spoiler] This is not a real game update. BUT IT IS A REAL GAME MOD! If you want to, you can actually play with these ludicrous, outlandish, unexplainable, sometimes unfortunate faces, by playing the mod version of the game and adding our new mod, Star Derps. All 100+ of the crew faces have been replaced with new versions. Try it out, you might even find a few youd like to grab from the modded spritesheet and add into a less outrageous mod of your own. For-real props to all our modders, who have created some truly fun stuff for the game. Check out the other mods now available for Star Traders and leave some comments to encourage them to make more, and dive into the Making Mods section of the wiki to learn how to make your own. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2787587653&searchtext=
Update #292: Market Conditions & Stand With Us In Support of Ukraine
My brother Cory and I have worked closely with amazing partners in Ukraine to dream, design and create the art for our next game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint over the past 3 years. Over the years, our partnership has grown to friendship as we spent countless hours working with these wonderful and talented people. The entire Trese Brothers team is worried for our friends, their children, their families and their country. They need our prayers, our monetary support and our voices raised in solidarity. Their country and millions of refugees are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical supplies. We hope you will join us in giving to some organizations trying to ease the suffering in Ukraine. Here are a few options: Ukrainian Red Cross Project HOPE Docotrs without Borders
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. The private alpha is in full swing with over a 1,000 players, so get your cyber ready. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
This update brings a major upgrade to the way the Star Atlas displays buy and sell information for places you've visited. It's something we've been tinkering with ideas for for a while, and recent discussions in the community helped us prioritize pushing this through to completion. Thanks all for the feedback! Previously, the Star Atlas would display supply and demand information based on the system type, zone type and economic rating. This gave players a good "usual conditions" benchmark for what they could expect to buy & sell in different zones, but was frequently mistaken for a live display of current prices. Without additional tracking on your own, it could be difficult to remember as you made numerous trades along a route where your last trades had left demand for certain goods, or where there was still an affordable supply of another.
Now we've made it so that the Star Atlas remembers and displays supply & demand information unique to each zone, based on your last visit to that zone. Your crew logs the local pricing to the ship's data cores each time you depart, where it will remain "fresh" for up to half a year (21 weeks). After 21 weeks, the Star Atlas will revert back to showing an estimate for that zone, with a helpful reminder displayed that the information may be inaccurate as you haven't visited that location in a long time.
This is a big boon for traders executing shorter trading trips and triangles and greatly reduces the need to check and double-check economic conditions before leaving port. May your trades glitter!
Update #292 adds a new translucent visor, interjecting display over reality to help combatants and ship crew alike do their daily tasks. Looking cool, looking blue. We've also added a new helmet, hitting the milestone of 15 total hat/helmet options. Perfect for some of the combat armors, this helmet is for battle-hardened combat crew or your wing pilots.
With this update we have improved the data displayed in the Exchange if you are making a sale and the Trade Blockade or Embargo Rumors are active. The messages there now include the specific threshold of sale value (for example, $1,500 for Embargo) before any Reputation bonuses can be gained. Small sales will not move the Rep needle, which is now nicely messaged in game.
- Added new helmet and new pair of translucent eyewear for characters - If zone has been visited within 1/2 a year, Star Atlas supply / demand data is accurate - Star Atlas supply / demand data will include cargo types that are not being bought or sold due to lack of supply / demand - Clarified rules for Rep bonuses when trading under Rumors "Trade Blockade" and "Embargo" in game
[ 2022-03-24 14:24:16 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #292 was born directly from a lively and productive conversation here on the Steam boards about the System Atlas and its display of accurate or inaccurate trading conditions. While we were in there, we added some clarifications to the in-game text about the thresholds at which trading into certain rumors -- Trade Blockade and Embargo -- can yield Reputation bonuses. And to make it look good, we also dressed Update #292 in a new helmet and awesome translucent visor to boot.
Help Us Support Ukraine
My brother Cory and I have worked closely with amazing partners in Ukraine to dream, design and create the art for our next game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint over the past 3 years. Over the years, our partnership has grown to friendship as we spent countless hours working with these wonderful and talented people. The entire Trese Brothers team is worried for our friends, their children, their families and their country. They need our prayers, our monetary support and our voices raised in solidarity. Their country and millions of refugees are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical supplies. We hope you will join us in giving to some organizations trying to ease the suffering in Ukraine. Here are a few options: Ukrainian Red Cross Project HOPE Docotrs without Borders
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint?
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. The private alpha is in full swing with over a 1,000 players, so get your cyber ready. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
System Atlas Gets Lively
This update brings a major upgrade to the way the Star Atlas displays buy and sell information for places you've visited. It's something we've been tinkering with ideas for for a while, and recent discussions in the community helped us prioritize pushing this through to completion. Thanks all for the feedback! Previously, the Star Atlas would display supply and demand information based on the system type, zone type and economic rating. This gave players a good "usual conditions" benchmark for what they could expect to buy & sell in different zones, but was frequently mistaken for a live display of current prices. Without additional tracking on your own, it could be difficult to remember as you made numerous trades along a route where your last trades had left demand for certain goods, or where there was still an affordable supply of another.
Now we've made it so that the Star Atlas remembers and displays supply & demand information unique to each zone, based on your last visit to that zone. Your crew logs the local pricing to the ship's data cores each time you depart, where it will remain "fresh" for up to half a year (21 weeks). After 21 weeks, the Star Atlas will revert back to showing an estimate for that zone, with a helpful reminder displayed that the information may be inaccurate as you haven't visited that location in a long time.
This is a big boon for traders executing shorter trading trips and triangles and greatly reduces the need to check and double-check economic conditions before leaving port. May your trades glitter!
New Visor and Helmet
Update #292 adds a new translucent visor, interjecting display over reality to help combatants and ship crew alike do their daily tasks. Looking cool, looking blue. We've also added a new helmet, hitting the milestone of 15 total hat/helmet options. Perfect for some of the combat armors, this helmet is for battle-hardened combat crew or your wing pilots.
Trading Rumor Clarifications
With this update we have improved the data displayed in the Exchange if you are making a sale and the Trade Blockade or Embargo Rumors are active. The messages there now include the specific threshold of sale value (for example, $1,500 for Embargo) before any Reputation bonuses can be gained. Small sales will not move the Rep needle, which is now nicely messaged in game.
v3.2.35 - 3/23/2022
- Added new helmet and new pair of translucent eyewear for characters - If zone has been visited within 1/2 a year, Star Atlas supply / demand data is accurate - Star Atlas supply / demand data will include cargo types that are not being bought or sold due to lack of supply / demand - Clarified rules for Rep bonuses when trading under Rumors "Trade Blockade" and "Embargo" in game
Update #291: Recruiting Boosters & Stand With Us In Support of Ukraine
My brother Cory and I have worked closely with amazing partners in Ukraine to dream, design and create the art for our next game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint over the past 3 years. Over the years, our partnership has grown to friendship as we spent countless hours working with these wonderful and talented people. The entire Trese Brothers team is worried for our friends, their children, their families and their country. They need our prayers, our monetary support and our voices raised in solidarity. Their country and millions of refugees are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical supplies. We hope you will join us in giving to some organizations trying to ease the suffering in Ukraine. Here are a few options: Ukrainian Red Cross Project HOPE Kyiv Independent
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. The private alpha is in full swing with over a 1,000 players, so get your cyber ready. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
In the last update, we made some changes to the screen resolution detection to better cater to the Steam Deck hardware. It had some unexpected consequences for players on lower resolution monitors. We've addressed that in Update #291, by rolling back to the old resolution detection and adding an option in the Options menu for "small screen display". If you're playing on a Steam Deck (lucky you!), toggling this option on and you may find the game's interface better caters to the smaller screen. May you like it the big screen way too -- you get to pick!
With Update #291, we've made some significant upgrades to the Contact Recruiting service. All the numbers got bigger! To help Contacts provide better recruits into the late and mid game, we've upgraded their service to recruit character levels at 2X the Contact Service level which ranges from 1-8. So, instead of base levels for your characters from 1-8, you can now range from 1-16 (level 1 still recruits level 1). In addition, we've bumped the bonuses of passing Eras from +10 over all of the Eras in the game to +12. Therefore, late game Contacts in the final Era will be offering level 28 Officers and Crew recruits, not counting any Edicts, Military Ranks, Permits, Traits or Rumors that may further increase those values. To even out the big new improvement to Contact recruiting, the minimum thresholds for Effective Rep and Influence have been significantly raised as well as the Personal Rep and Credit cost of recruiting. Truly high-end recruits are costly, especially if you are considering cycling through a few to look for the best Traits and Attributes, but as always -- compared to Spice Hall or Conscription -- they do have the best Traits and Attributes!
If you see a Talent missing from the manifest, please report. Thanks to a report, we've now added Sample Analysis to the on-landing Talent stack in the manifest for those adventurous spirits seeking Scientific Intel.
Thanks to reports from the community, we have also fixed a number of issues with different missions. Some missions that failed to mention the name of the destination zone in their text have been corrected and other places were Prisoners were being transported and there were missing nouns in the mission options have also been fixed. Big thanks to everyone reporting issues!
- Improved Contact Recruit services across the board to recruit higher level characters (service level x 2) - Increased Credit, Personal Rep Cost and thresholds for Effective Rep and Influence on all Contact Recruit service levels - Added Scientist "Sample Analysis" to Talent Manifest - Fixed multiple missions that failed to list destination zone names in text - Fixed issues with Prisoner missions where there was missing nouns in mission options - Fixed issue with lower resolution screens converting UI to Steam Deck UI, added option to play in small screen mode
[ 2022-03-15 16:57:33 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #291 brings some important upgrades to the power levels achievable through Contact recruiting, fixes screen display and resolution for smaller resolution monitors, adds an important option for anyone playing on the Steam Deck and drops one more Talent into the oh-so-useful Talent Manifest.
Help Us Support Ukraine
My brother Cory and I have worked closely with amazing partners in Ukraine to dream, design and create the art for our next game Cyber Knights: Flashpoint over the past 3 years. Over the years, our partnership has grown to friendship as we spent countless hours working with these wonderful and talented people. The entire Trese Brothers team is worried for our friends, their children, their families and their country. They need our prayers, our monetary support and our voices raised in solidarity. Their country and millions of refugees are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical supplies. We hope you will join us in giving to some organizations trying to ease the suffering in Ukraine. Here are a few options: Ukrainian Red Cross Project HOPE Kyiv Independent
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint?
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. The private alpha is in full swing with over a 1,000 players, so get your cyber ready. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Steam Deck Screen Size Option
In the last update, we made some changes to the screen resolution detection to better cater to the Steam Deck hardware. It had some unexpected consequences for players on lower resolution monitors. We've addressed that in Update #291, by rolling back to the old resolution detection and adding an option in the Options menu for "small screen display". If you're playing on a Steam Deck (lucky you!), toggling this option on and you may find the game's interface better caters to the smaller screen. May you like it the big screen way too -- you get to pick!
Contact Recruit Levels ^^
With Update #291, we've made some significant upgrades to the Contact Recruiting service. All the numbers got bigger! To help Contacts provide better recruits into the late and mid game, we've upgraded their service to recruit character levels at 2X the Contact Service level which ranges from 1-8. So, instead of base levels for your characters from 1-8, you can now range from 1-16 (level 1 still recruits level 1). In addition, we've bumped the bonuses of passing Eras from +10 over all of the Eras in the game to +12. Therefore, late game Contacts in the final Era will be offering level 28 Officers and Crew recruits, not counting any Edicts, Military Ranks, Permits, Traits or Rumors that may further increase those values. To even out the big new improvement to Contact recruiting, the minimum thresholds for Effective Rep and Influence have been significantly raised as well as the Personal Rep and Credit cost of recruiting. Truly high-end recruits are costly, especially if you are considering cycling through a few to look for the best Traits and Attributes, but as always -- compared to Spice Hall or Conscription -- they do have the best Traits and Attributes!
Talent Manifest
If you see a Talent missing from the manifest, please report. Thanks to a report, we've now added Sample Analysis to the on-landing Talent stack in the manifest for those adventurous spirits seeking Scientific Intel.
Mission Updates
Thanks to reports from the community, we have also fixed a number of issues with different missions. Some missions that failed to mention the name of the destination zone in their text have been corrected and other places were Prisoners were being transported and there were missing nouns in the mission options have also been fixed. Big thanks to everyone reporting issues!
v3.2.33 - 3/15/2022
- Improved Contact Recruit services across the board to recruit higher level characters (service level x 2) - Increased Credit, Personal Rep Cost and thresholds for Effective Rep and Influence on all Contact Recruit service levels - Added Scientist "Sample Analysis" to Talent Manifest - Fixed multiple missions that failed to list destination zone names in text - Fixed issues with Prisoner missions where there was missing nouns in mission options - Fixed issue with lower resolution screens converting UI to Steam Deck UI, added option to play in small screen mode
Update #290: Gone Exo & Stand With Us In Support of Ukraine
My brother Cory and I have worked closely with amazing partners in Ukraine to dream, design and create the art of Cyber Knights: Flashpoint over the past 3 years. Over that time, our partnership has grown to friendship as we spent countless hours working with these wonderful and talented people. The entire Trese Brothers team is heartsick and worried to see the invasion and wanton destruction of their country missile strikes hitting hospitals, apartment buildings, even kindergarten schools. We are scared for our friends, their families and their children. They need our prayers, our monetary support and our voices raised in solidarity. Their country and thousands of refugees already need food, water, shelter and medical supplies. We hope you will join us in giving to some organizations trying to ease the suffering in Ukraine. Here are a few options: Ukraine Direct Relief Project HOPE Kyiv Independent
Our 290th update adds 2 new customizable outfits which are matching uniforms for the masculine and feminine characters. You can also mix and match these with any other outfits and for some matches, it is looking awesome!
In preparation to apply for verification with the Steam Deck, we've assigned 3 default controller configs for the game. The Steam Deck one was put together on our testing hardware and the Steam Controller and XBox Controller configs come out of the community -- so thanks for posting up awesome configs, team.
Occasionally, we get a little confusion from some players when the Skip Intro checkbox missing on a new install or after wiping all their saved games. For most players, this is never noticed but we've adjusted the code to ensure that the Skip Intro option is always available, even to a completely new captain who has never before played or a player who has no saves on the local machine.
- Added default controller configs (Steack Deck, Steam Controller, XBox) - Added 2 new outfits - Skip Intro option is always shown in New Game regardless of save counts - Improved modding support for modders
[ 2022-02-27 02:14:26 CET ] [ Original post ]
Greetings, captains. We have Update #290 coming out tonight but first we wanted to focus on something much more important
Help Us Support Ukraine
My brother Cory and I have worked closely with amazing partners in Ukraine to dream, design and create the art of Cyber Knights: Flashpoint over the past 3 years. Over that time, our partnership has grown to friendship as we spent countless hours working with these wonderful and talented people. The entire Trese Brothers team is heartsick and worried to see the invasion and wanton destruction of their country missile strikes hitting hospitals, apartment buildings, even kindergarten schools. We are scared for our friends, their families and their children. They need our prayers, our monetary support and our voices raised in solidarity. Their country and thousands of refugees already need food, water, shelter and medical supplies. We hope you will join us in giving to some organizations trying to ease the suffering in Ukraine. Here are a few options: Ukraine Direct Relief Project HOPE Kyiv Independent
Exo Suit Outfits
Our 290th update adds 2 new customizable outfits which are matching uniforms for the masculine and feminine characters. You can also mix and match these with any other outfits and for some matches, it is looking awesome!
Controller Configs / Steam Deck Prep
In preparation to apply for verification with the Steam Deck, we've assigned 3 default controller configs for the game. The Steam Deck one was put together on our testing hardware and the Steam Controller and XBox Controller configs come out of the community -- so thanks for posting up awesome configs, team.
New Game: Skip Intro
Occasionally, we get a little confusion from some players when the Skip Intro checkbox missing on a new install or after wiping all their saved games. For most players, this is never noticed but we've adjusted the code to ensure that the Skip Intro option is always available, even to a completely new captain who has never before played or a player who has no saves on the local machine.
v3.2.31 - 2/26/2022
- Added default controller configs (Steack Deck, Steam Controller, XBox) - Added 2 new outfits - Skip Intro option is always shown in New Game regardless of save counts - Improved modding support for modders
Update #289: Rumors of Rumors
Earlier this month, we launched Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a thousand players in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #289, we've added a new system of Rumor affinities that improves the matching between the system and zone type and the Rumors that can be generated along with it. This system both helps to avoid certain silly situations -- such a Surplus on a Lux Population world that produces nothing -- but also strengthens the thematic appearance of Rumors in the right places -- Mining zones are more prone to civil unrest, oceanic systems are more prone to Ion Storms, Farm zones are more likely to have Surpluses, Orbital zones are often running into Shortages. We've loaded in about the first 30 affinity matches and are excited to keep extending and improving this system. The new Rumor affinities system also gave us a chance to review and improve some of the Contact events taken in response to Contact actions taken when a positive economic Rumor was on their zone. We have increased the strength of these actions -- helping an ally, creating an additional positive Rumor, gaining Influence by 20% -- making the impact of positive economic news felt more strongly. We have also improved the text on many of the event logs for Rumors (bottom right) as well as the entries going into the captain's log to ensure they are more helpful and clear.
To avoid unfair and messy situations in the first 2 years of the game, we've extended the block on certain Rumor types in the early game. Previously, this type of blocking was reserved for Xeno related Rumors, but now you will no longer encounter the following Rumors in the first 900 Turns of the game: Starport Closed, Civil Unrest, Ion Storm or Meteor Storm. Have more fun flying in your first years :D
We've done some work with #289 to improve support of Templar Contacts. Templar and all Zendu Contacts have received an even longer age limit before they may die of old age. We've also fixed a number of places where the game could report -- through filters, search or services list -- that Templar and Zendu Contacts could offer services, such as Recruiting, that they really do not. Thanks to everyone for reporting these issues.
With Update #287, we've adjusted the purchase and repair cost for some of the most powerful Exploration components -- Extraction Drill, Harvester Bay, Resource Processor and Javat Mechi-Reaper. For their value in the field, and ability to greatly increase profits from exploring, their costs had dipped too low. Constantly damaged by their use in exploring, finding the right value for their repairs is key.
Update #289 fixed a couple of key issues that came out of the last few updates. First, zones with 0 Starport rating -- which rare -- could crash the game if your ship had certain levels of damage to it when you tried to land. Second, if you debuffed an enemy ship hard enough, its ship comparison could go "all the way around" and start reporting that it was superior to you!
We've got some exciting work brewing in the modding community and to support that we've made some improvements to the game's handling of hair, hats and beards to help the modders keep making progress toward some awesome releases. If you haven't checked out the Workshop recently, don't miss all the different options to tweak gameplay, character visuals, add story, jobs and more -- https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/workshop/
- Removed "Stardock Closed", "Starport Closed" and "Civil Unrest" Rumors from early game - Removed "Ion Storm" and "Meteor Storm" Rumors from early game - Increased Influence Economy via Rumors by 20%, making all Contacts more powerful - Created New Zone and Planet Rumor affinities to tie Zone/Planet Types to thematically consistent Rumor Types - Revised & Improved Rumor Lifecycle Logging - Fixed issue where heavy debuffing could cause ship comparison to go "all the way around" and flip comparison - Clarified in-game Wisdom hover - Fixed issue where Recruiting or Rank services could show up for Templar Contact incorrectly - Increased the maximum Contact age of Zendu and Templar Contacts - Repriced & Rebalanced "Extraction Drill, Harvester Bay, Resource Processor, Javat Mechi-Reaper" Components - Fixed crash landing on Starport: 0 Zones with a damaged ship - Improved support for modders adding new head / hair / beard / hat combos
[ 2022-02-10 15:44:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #289 takes a turn and swings back through the Rumor section of the simulation to see the completion of some long needed tweaks and the addition of a Rumor affinities system that helps better match Rumors to applicable systems and zones to deliver more compelling and impactful results. We've also fixed and improved a number of other things with Update #289, working from community requests -- blocking more early game Rumors, repricing the Explorer extraction components and fixing odd bugs with the new ship comparison display. Plus, from our on-going work with the modding community, we've improved some of the visual modding support and are looking forward to the upcoming release of some new exciting character design mods.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Earlier this month, we launched Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a thousand players in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Rumor Affinities
With Update #289, we've added a new system of Rumor affinities that improves the matching between the system and zone type and the Rumors that can be generated along with it. This system both helps to avoid certain silly situations -- such a Surplus on a Lux Population world that produces nothing -- but also strengthens the thematic appearance of Rumors in the right places -- Mining zones are more prone to civil unrest, oceanic systems are more prone to Ion Storms, Farm zones are more likely to have Surpluses, Orbital zones are often running into Shortages. We've loaded in about the first 30 affinity matches and are excited to keep extending and improving this system. The new Rumor affinities system also gave us a chance to review and improve some of the Contact events taken in response to Contact actions taken when a positive economic Rumor was on their zone. We have increased the strength of these actions -- helping an ally, creating an additional positive Rumor, gaining Influence by 20% -- making the impact of positive economic news felt more strongly. We have also improved the text on many of the event logs for Rumors (bottom right) as well as the entries going into the captain's log to ensure they are more helpful and clear.
Early Game Rumor Blocks
To avoid unfair and messy situations in the first 2 years of the game, we've extended the block on certain Rumor types in the early game. Previously, this type of blocking was reserved for Xeno related Rumors, but now you will no longer encounter the following Rumors in the first 900 Turns of the game: Starport Closed, Civil Unrest, Ion Storm or Meteor Storm. Have more fun flying in your first years :D
Templar Contact Age & Recruiting
We've done some work with #289 to improve support of Templar Contacts. Templar and all Zendu Contacts have received an even longer age limit before they may die of old age. We've also fixed a number of places where the game could report -- through filters, search or services list -- that Templar and Zendu Contacts could offer services, such as Recruiting, that they really do not. Thanks to everyone for reporting these issues.
Rebalance Explorer Components
With Update #287, we've adjusted the purchase and repair cost for some of the most powerful Exploration components -- Extraction Drill, Harvester Bay, Resource Processor and Javat Mechi-Reaper. For their value in the field, and ability to greatly increase profits from exploring, their costs had dipped too low. Constantly damaged by their use in exploring, finding the right value for their repairs is key.
Bug Sweep Up
Update #289 fixed a couple of key issues that came out of the last few updates. First, zones with 0 Starport rating -- which rare -- could crash the game if your ship had certain levels of damage to it when you tried to land. Second, if you debuffed an enemy ship hard enough, its ship comparison could go "all the way around" and start reporting that it was superior to you!
Improved Mod Support
We've got some exciting work brewing in the modding community and to support that we've made some improvements to the game's handling of hair, hats and beards to help the modders keep making progress toward some awesome releases. If you haven't checked out the Workshop recently, don't miss all the different options to tweak gameplay, character visuals, add story, jobs and more -- https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/workshop/
v3.2.29 - 2/10/2022
- Removed "Stardock Closed", "Starport Closed" and "Civil Unrest" Rumors from early game - Removed "Ion Storm" and "Meteor Storm" Rumors from early game - Increased Influence Economy via Rumors by 20%, making all Contacts more powerful - Created New Zone and Planet Rumor affinities to tie Zone/Planet Types to thematically consistent Rumor Types - Revised & Improved Rumor Lifecycle Logging - Fixed issue where heavy debuffing could cause ship comparison to go "all the way around" and flip comparison - Clarified in-game Wisdom hover - Fixed issue where Recruiting or Rank services could show up for Templar Contact incorrectly - Increased the maximum Contact age of Zendu and Templar Contacts - Repriced & Rebalanced "Extraction Drill, Harvester Bay, Resource Processor, Javat Mechi-Reaper" Components - Fixed crash landing on Starport: 0 Zones with a damaged ship - Improved support for modders adding new head / hair / beard / hat combos
Update #288: Gather Round
Earlier this month, we launched Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a thousand players in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Over the last few updates, we've been updating the data schema for ship components to give us more fine-grained control over the cost and time consumed by repair. As this backend work has wrapped up, we've now made some wholesale adjustments to these values and rebalanced the time required to repair all ship components in the game. In general, repairs times should feel shorter, more predictable and less "spikey". As components increase in size (small, medium, large) and level (1-8 currently) and complexity (engines, bridges, salvage bays, launch bays, etc) the repair times increase but more within an expected curve than previously where some components simply came with astronomically high repair hours. We've love to hear your feedback about it and will be returning to look at the credit cost ($$) of repair in a future update but this alone has gone a long way to help make repair a more predictable experience. Finally, we have also put in a rule that -- regardless of any Talents or faction bonuses -- Repairs must always take at least 1 Turn. For anyone who was counting Turns and worrying about the pace of story, this should be a boon as well!
I don't want to spoil anything, but we fixed a story timing bug where Valencia might leave before "the Hunter" arrives. If you had this bug, you know what I mean. If you don't, good luck!
After the fuel cost display adjustment in Update #287, the HUD could display the wrong AU Fuel Range. This has now been resolved and you'll now see a 100% sync between the displayed fuel range and fuel cost per AU throughout the game, engine displays and HUDs. Thanks to everyone pushing on this!
There was one case -- in which one of the two ships had no weapons installed -- that could cause the new ship comparison screen to crash. We've fixed this bug with #288 and apologies for the delay on that.
- Rebalanced repair time for all components, especially improving some Weapon Lockers, Railtraks and other peaks - All repairs must always take at least 1 Turn - Fixed issue where AU Fuel Range was misreported in the HUD - Fixed story bug where in some cases, Valencia left before the Hunter arrived - Fixed some ship designs could cause crashes with new ship comparison
[ 2022-01-21 15:48:43 CET ] [ Original post ]
Star Traders, gather round the spice hall -- its Update #288.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Earlier this month, we launched Cyber Knights: Flashpoints private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a thousand players in the game now, development pace has picked up and were on the long march to release on Steam, so make sure youve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Repair Time Rebalance
Over the last few updates, we've been updating the data schema for ship components to give us more fine-grained control over the cost and time consumed by repair. As this backend work has wrapped up, we've now made some wholesale adjustments to these values and rebalanced the time required to repair all ship components in the game. In general, repairs times should feel shorter, more predictable and less "spikey". As components increase in size (small, medium, large) and level (1-8 currently) and complexity (engines, bridges, salvage bays, launch bays, etc) the repair times increase but more within an expected curve than previously where some components simply came with astronomically high repair hours. We've love to hear your feedback about it and will be returning to look at the credit cost ($$) of repair in a future update but this alone has gone a long way to help make repair a more predictable experience. Finally, we have also put in a rule that -- regardless of any Talents or faction bonuses -- Repairs must always take at least 1 Turn. For anyone who was counting Turns and worrying about the pace of story, this should be a boon as well!
Valencia and the Hunter
I don't want to spoil anything, but we fixed a story timing bug where Valencia might leave before "the Hunter" arrives. If you had this bug, you know what I mean. If you don't, good luck!
Fuel Range in HUD
After the fuel cost display adjustment in Update #287, the HUD could display the wrong AU Fuel Range. This has now been resolved and you'll now see a 100% sync between the displayed fuel range and fuel cost per AU throughout the game, engine displays and HUDs. Thanks to everyone pushing on this!
Ship Comparison Crash Fix
There was one case -- in which one of the two ships had no weapons installed -- that could cause the new ship comparison screen to crash. We've fixed this bug with #288 and apologies for the delay on that.
v3.2.27 - 1/21/2022
- Rebalanced repair time for all components, especially improving some Weapon Lockers, Railtraks and other peaks - All repairs must always take at least 1 Turn - Fixed issue where AU Fuel Range was misreported in the HUD - Fixed story bug where in some cases, Valencia left before the Hunter arrived - Fixed some ship designs could cause crashes with new ship comparison
Update #286: Arc Scanner Contact!
Update #286 has simplified the encounter text the top of the screen so it is more easily readable quickly and added the level next to the profession so you don't have to go digging for it, such as Smuggler (Lvl 6). In addition, we've included a note to players to check the ship report if they are considering a fight. The ship comparison report has been improved to use relative comparisons to give the captain better data about what their ac scanners can pick up about the enemy ship. The comparison report warns about razor-thin margins in dice pools and reminds that a single buff can tip a pool upwards of 25% so even that kind of margin must be considered risky.
Once in combat, the hover over the enemy ship continues to update each turn and considers all buffs, ship damage and crew losses so you can get a continued feel for how things are going and know whether or not it's time to close or retreat and where your buffs or debuffs may be best applied.
Update #286 completes a project started on Update #285. This greatly reduces the cost and time to repair for some of the most expensive components in the game. Their high install cost was previously granting them a very painful repair duration and price. For the modders, these fields (repair time and cost) from install cost, time and salvage value allowing easier control over these important aspects ship components.
We also tweaked the event logs display of dates so that we could always keep all of the relevant data displayed. 3 yrs, 2 wks, 5 days would be "3 Years, 2 Weeks and 5 Days". Before #286, it would have simply dropped the days from the count which was causing confusion.
Shielded Barracks 3, 4, 5 and 6 have all received new bonuses that help protect the ship from Void and Radiation Damage, and some of them have had a small Shield bonus increase. This helps them find a better position within the meta compared to Reinforced Barracks.
We have made a display change (with no gameplay impact whatsoever) to Void Engine's display of their Fuel / AU statistic. This has long bothered some captains who are closely watching their Water-Fuel that in real travel conditions, the Fuel / AU is always higher than was being posted. This change makes the Fuel / AU calculation correct and closer to real travel conditions. In most cases, it results in an additional +1 Fuel for the engine. However, there was no gameplay change, only the text in the display.
- Enemy captain level now visible from the main screen of ship encounter - Improved ship comparison report (ship encounter, combat hover) to include relative comparison data (toss up, risky, dominant, etc) - Reduced & Adjusted repair time and cost for many expensive components (high-end bridges, engines, launch bays) - Corrected Fuel / AU rates for all engines to better match real world travel conditions (display only, no gameplay change) - Improved Shielded Barracks 3, 4, 5 and 6 - Fixed display bug where reduction of repair time was not properly displayed (but correctly used, per event log)
[ 2022-01-12 18:45:07 CET ] [ Original post ]
Happy new year and welcome to the first major update, #286. With the huge new wave of captains (:wave:) joining us in the void over the winter holiday, we've focused this update on one of the major areas tripping those captains up -- with #286, we have a major upgrade for the ship comparison data in ship encounters as well as a few other minor display tweaks to help that screen flow better. We've also made another big step improving repair times and costs, added new effects to all Shielded Barracks and resolved a display bug with Engine fuel / AU shown in game.
Speaking of new, shiny, blaze -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. We've just launched the private alpha to over 1,000 players and the wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Relative Ship Comparisons
Update #286 has simplified the encounter text the top of the screen so it is more easily readable quickly and added the level next to the profession so you don't have to go digging for it, such as Smuggler (Lvl 6). In addition, we've included a note to players to check the ship report if they are considering a fight. The ship comparison report has been improved to use relative comparisons to give the captain better data about what their ac scanners can pick up about the enemy ship. The comparison report warns about razor-thin margins in dice pools and reminds that a single buff can tip a pool upwards of 25% so even that kind of margin must be considered risky.
Once in combat, the hover over the enemy ship continues to update each turn and considers all buffs, ship damage and crew losses so you can get a continued feel for how things are going and know whether or not it's time to close or retreat and where your buffs or debuffs may be best applied.
Better Repair Cost/Time
Update #286 completes a project started on Update #285. This greatly reduces the cost and time to repair for some of the most expensive components in the game. Their high install cost was previously granting them a very painful repair duration and price. For the modders, these fields (repair time and cost) from install cost, time and salvage value allowing easier control over these important aspects ship components.
Event Log Abbreviations
We also tweaked the event logs display of dates so that we could always keep all of the relevant data displayed. 3 yrs, 2 wks, 5 days would be "3 Years, 2 Weeks and 5 Days". Before #286, it would have simply dropped the days from the count which was causing confusion.
Improved Shielded Barracks
Shielded Barracks 3, 4, 5 and 6 have all received new bonuses that help protect the ship from Void and Radiation Damage, and some of them have had a small Shield bonus increase. This helps them find a better position within the meta compared to Reinforced Barracks.
Engine Fuel / AU
We have made a display change (with no gameplay impact whatsoever) to Void Engine's display of their Fuel / AU statistic. This has long bothered some captains who are closely watching their Water-Fuel that in real travel conditions, the Fuel / AU is always higher than was being posted. This change makes the Fuel / AU calculation correct and closer to real travel conditions. In most cases, it results in an additional +1 Fuel for the engine. However, there was no gameplay change, only the text in the display.
v3.2.25 - 1/12/2022
- Enemy captain level now visible from the main screen of ship encounter - Improved ship comparison report (ship encounter, combat hover) to include relative comparison data (toss up, risky, dominant, etc) - Reduced & Adjusted repair time and cost for many expensive components (high-end bridges, engines, launch bays) - Corrected Fuel / AU rates for all engines to better match real world travel conditions (display only, no gameplay change) - Improved Shielded Barracks 3, 4, 5 and 6 - Fixed display bug where reduction of repair time was not properly displayed (but correctly used, per event log)
Quick Patch
- Fixed random, long repair times with ship hull - Fixed crash with pinning Mission list
[ 2022-01-05 18:56:11 CET ] [ Original post ]
Happy New Year and welcome all new captains! We're pushing out a quick patch today to fix a crash with pinning the mission list and an oddity causing the repair times of hulls to be near random. Both bugs were accidentally introduced in release .19 and .21 and we wanted to get them fixed as so many new captains are piling in this week.
We'll be back to regular updates in a week or two, we've just launched the private alpha for our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint and are getting that going before returning to the ST:F roadmap.
v3.2.23 - 1/5/2022
- Fixed random, long repair times with ship hull - Fixed crash with pinning Mission list
Save 50% and Update #286: Best Starport Deals of the Year
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently barreling toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #286, we've increased the impact that the Starport rating has on repair durations. The maximum repair duration -- which has been shorted to 32 weeks from 35.5 weeks -- is reduced by 1 week (10 Turns) per Starport rating. The new range of maximum repair durations now ranges from 320 (Starport rating 3) to 250 (Starport rating 10). While Starport rating is already key in keeping repair durations short, this further increases the importance of planning routes higher Starport zones for larger repairs.
In addition to reducing maximum duration times by starport rating, we have improved the Mechanic and Wing Techs repair boosting Talents by allowing their cost-only discount to now affect duration as well. Where previously, these Talents might have reduced repair cost by 14%, they now reduce cost and time by 14% (etc). Notably, this reduction is applied after the Starport rating cap has been put in place, so for a Starport rating 10, this hypothetical 14% reduction would be calculated against a 250 Turn wait.
To keep up with the Wing Commandos, we've finished the testing and balancing run to push all the Wing Leader and Wing Bomber flight plans that cause debuffs up to 4 Turns each. This heightens the ability for bombers and leaders to pulverize targets, raining down debuffs in a continual cycle without a gap.
- Starport Rating has more of an effect on maximum Repair times, reducing max time by Starport Rating x 10 Turns (now ranges 340-250) - Engineer and Wing Tech repair Talents now reduce duration as well as cost of Starport repairs - Rebalanced repair times of Water-Fuel Reclamation components - Fixed bug allowing hull repair times to sometimes exceed maximum Turn allowance for repairs - Increased debuff duration for all Flight Plan Talents (Wing Leader & Bomber) to 4 Turns (!!) - Fixed issue in ship combat with Phase Inflectors and Fuel Helix Coils showing up as buffs - Clarified Strength description in new game template
[ 2021-12-23 04:23:20 CET ] [ Original post ]
Happy holiday to all from the frigid cold of the void. We've got the year's best deal on Star Traders: Frontiers here with 50% off, so we hope you'll join us on the bridge of a new starship. On top of the best prices of the year, we are rolling out some changes to the starport repair duration rules which are gifting you all with the best starport deals of the year.
This such a huge year for Star Traders: Frontiers -- check out our summary of all the updates we made in 2021 and thanks to everyone posting feedback, reviews and sharing the game. Our thanks and gratitude!
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently barreling toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Starport Rating Reduces Maximum
With Update #286, we've increased the impact that the Starport rating has on repair durations. The maximum repair duration -- which has been shorted to 32 weeks from 35.5 weeks -- is reduced by 1 week (10 Turns) per Starport rating. The new range of maximum repair durations now ranges from 320 (Starport rating 3) to 250 (Starport rating 10). While Starport rating is already key in keeping repair durations short, this further increases the importance of planning routes higher Starport zones for larger repairs.
Repair Talents Reduce Duration
In addition to reducing maximum duration times by starport rating, we have improved the Mechanic and Wing Techs repair boosting Talents by allowing their cost-only discount to now affect duration as well. Where previously, these Talents might have reduced repair cost by 14%, they now reduce cost and time by 14% (etc). Notably, this reduction is applied after the Starport rating cap has been put in place, so for a Starport rating 10, this hypothetical 14% reduction would be calculated against a 250 Turn wait.
Wing Leader and Bomber Debuffs
To keep up with the Wing Commandos, we've finished the testing and balancing run to push all the Wing Leader and Wing Bomber flight plans that cause debuffs up to 4 Turns each. This heightens the ability for bombers and leaders to pulverize targets, raining down debuffs in a continual cycle without a gap.
v3.2.21 - 12/22/2021
- Starport Rating has more of an effect on maximum Repair times, reducing max time by Starport Rating x 10 Turns (now ranges 340-250) - Engineer and Wing Tech repair Talents now reduce duration as well as cost of Starport repairs - Rebalanced repair times of Water-Fuel Reclamation components - Fixed bug allowing hull repair times to sometimes exceed maximum Turn allowance for repairs - Increased debuff duration for all Flight Plan Talents (Wing Leader & Bomber) to 4 Turns (!!) - Fixed issue in ship combat with Phase Inflectors and Fuel Helix Coils showing up as buffs - Clarified Strength description in new game template
What changed in Star Traders: Frontiers this year?
New default map! Since we added the new v2 map generator last year (allowing the creation of better-balanced, more unique, and much larger custom galaxy maps), we were on the hunt for a new default map to take advantage of the same benefits. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to help us find the perfect map seed! The new default has 10 more quadrants than the original. Weve also since made it so all "local" starting Contacts are always placed in your starting quadrant, even if there are 2 to a zone. And if youve starred a zone with a color, that now appears on the quadrant map.
New story vignette! Fractured Factions has a chance to begin after the Coalition, when landing on any Cadar world, from contact Felix Slayer NaZee. Through the multiple endings you stand to make powerful enemies, allies, and gain access to multiple powerful ship components and/or a unique crew weapon. Even with the factions supposedly united, the balance of power is in constant shift... Economic & recruitment rumors are now for sale from many contact types. And now, all rumors that are purchased from a contactmost notably, salvage rumorsget a bonus to their duration to prevent any from ever expiring right after you purchased it. We rebalanced many trade systemsincreased rare trade goods demand in many zone types, made $5,000+ trades during economic faction conflicts now impact the conflict score, altered the smuggler talent slippery trader to entirely avoid Rep loss in trade conflicts, and rebalanced the supply/demand/prices of multiple goods. Plus:
New crew jobs: Shock Trooper & Saboteur. The Saboteur provides many useful boarding talents, plus a mix of stealth talents and pistol abilities. The Shock Trooper brings a wealth of new combat talents to the table with a strong emphasis on frontline snubber-wielding. Also available as a starting profession for your captain, with traits that grant ship & crew combat bonuses. All factions now provide an affinity bonus for at least one crew job: We started this last year with the Blade Dancer, renowned for their long tradition among the Steel Song. Now, every faction has at least one crew job in which its members have exceptional training or suitability. Crew members recruited from that faction, with that job, have special attribute bonusesCadar Shock Troopers, Zenrin Bodyguards, Alta Mesa Wing Leaders and more! Rebalanced bleeding rules & snubbers. Any bleeding damage youve dealt an enemy is now applied every time they act. All bleeding effects and things that grant bleed resist were rebalanced. Meanwhile, snubbers have all been rebalanced to trade some of their Accuracy for Parry, making them superior up-front weapons.
Better auto-training for the early game. For new playthroughs, auto-training your crew members now prioritizes skill-save talents to ensure you reach a safe baseline of ship operation before expanding into more combat abilities / bonus-providing talents. And more!:
Many tweaks to small craft (and their counters), plus new plasma bombers. The ability to build or encounter ships that launch starfighters becomes a big deal in ST:Fs late game, and weve continued to make additions and improvements to that experience. This year weve:
Many new components & weapons:
Your feedback is always helpful; we hear and respond to almost all of it within the forums and our Discord, and just finished up a player survey to help with next years roadmap. This year Cory & I have been on a streak of finding ways to improve convenience & clarity, within the scope of what we can do post-release. Some notable areas and overall trends weve put work into include: Easier mission planning & map integration - icons for offered missions and accepted missions now appear on the galactic & quadrant maps; you can also now go directly to the galactic map from a contact mission offer. In that mission offer, youll now see icons next to each mission segment, indicating if it requires a ship battle, crew battle, exploring, spying, picking up for dropping off a passenger etc. And within your mission list, you can now use filters to show offered missions, and show only narrative missions or local missions.
Better logs - Lots of little tweaks to make it easier to find out more about whats going on under the hood in combat (e.g. radiation & void damage from ship weapons), keep track of events as you sail the void (e.g. how your medical rating is impacting saves), and understand how much impact your talents are having (e.g. repaired components during ship combat). Clarifications in other key areasin addition to all the log improvements, weve also made Trade Ban warnings much more visible, clarified many components of ship encounters (were looking at more ways to improve this still), and reworked mutinies. While mutinies may be a rare event for most captains, we want to make sure if it happens your options and their cost are crystal clear (we also improved the value of anti-mutiny talents while were at it). Save Slot hotkeys - check your hotkey options, as we now offer configurable hotkeys for the 4 save slots available.
The moddable version will show up as an option whenever you launch the game from within Steam. It gives you access to any mods youve subscribed to from the Steam Workshop, and automatically grants all of the games unlocks.
Were excited about moddings potential to add even more content to the game (modders can create their own stories, gear, crew jobs, and more), enable very different gameplay experiences (from near god-mode cheats to small, intimate crews), and give everyone even more customization options (art, maps, and more). Weve expanded modders options in all of those areas since launching mod support in August. Weve written more about what modding will and wont do as we continue to add to its capabilities (depending on the mods you start)! Check out Creating Mods on the Star Traders Wiki, and join the Discord for help, modding requests & discussions, and a great community of Star Traders players.
Sometime in the new year well give the roadmap an update to share more for the road ahead. In the meantime we do have one major change were thinking about that wed love active players input on. Going on 4 years of Frontiers now, and we still love adding to this game and are glad so many of you still enjoy it (and so many new sci-fi RPG fans are still discovering it!). Special thanks to all who support the continued development of the game through our Patreon, by gifting Steam keys to their friends, by shouting us out on in reddit recommendation threads and YouTube comments, by drinking from your Star Traders mug during Zoom meetings, etc. Even just leaving / updating your review (and giving a to others) is one of the best gifts we can receive as the Steam Winter Sale approaches. Happy holidays, Captains!
[ 2021-12-20 14:51:06 CET ] [ Original post ]
We celebrated the 3-year anniversary of Star Traders launch this year; what a ride its been! Although weve been deep in dev work on our upcoming heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, weve still produced 38 (so far) updates to Star Traders: Frontiers this year, including one of the largest post-launch additions to a game weve ever made: mod support!
To help you make sure you havent missed anything, weve rounded up all the most notable changes & improvements into the summary below. We did the same last year, so if youre coming back to Star Traders after a long break, we hope these will be helpful as you get ready for a new journey through the stars.
1) New expansions & improvements to game systems.
New default map! Since we added the new v2 map generator last year (allowing the creation of better-balanced, more unique, and much larger custom galaxy maps), we were on the hunt for a new default map to take advantage of the same benefits. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to help us find the perfect map seed! The new default has 10 more quadrants than the original. Weve also since made it so all "local" starting Contacts are always placed in your starting quadrant, even if there are 2 to a zone. And if youve starred a zone with a color, that now appears on the quadrant map.
New story vignette! Fractured Factions has a chance to begin after the Coalition, when landing on any Cadar world, from contact Felix Slayer NaZee. Through the multiple endings you stand to make powerful enemies, allies, and gain access to multiple powerful ship components and/or a unique crew weapon. Even with the factions supposedly united, the balance of power is in constant shift... Economic & recruitment rumors are now for sale from many contact types. And now, all rumors that are purchased from a contactmost notably, salvage rumorsget a bonus to their duration to prevent any from ever expiring right after you purchased it. We rebalanced many trade systemsincreased rare trade goods demand in many zone types, made $5,000+ trades during economic faction conflicts now impact the conflict score, altered the smuggler talent slippery trader to entirely avoid Rep loss in trade conflicts, and rebalanced the supply/demand/prices of multiple goods. Plus:
- 2 new mission types: "Nomadic Defender" & "Mercantile Negotiation"
- More profitable ship salvage & ransom options.
- Legendary Bounty Hunters are far more likely to appear and chase you down once you make enemies
- New operations card art
- 30 new crew barks with lore about factions, jobs, and planets
2) Even more options for your crew.
New crew jobs: Shock Trooper & Saboteur. The Saboteur provides many useful boarding talents, plus a mix of stealth talents and pistol abilities. The Shock Trooper brings a wealth of new combat talents to the table with a strong emphasis on frontline snubber-wielding. Also available as a starting profession for your captain, with traits that grant ship & crew combat bonuses. All factions now provide an affinity bonus for at least one crew job: We started this last year with the Blade Dancer, renowned for their long tradition among the Steel Song. Now, every faction has at least one crew job in which its members have exceptional training or suitability. Crew members recruited from that faction, with that job, have special attribute bonusesCadar Shock Troopers, Zenrin Bodyguards, Alta Mesa Wing Leaders and more! Rebalanced bleeding rules & snubbers. Any bleeding damage youve dealt an enemy is now applied every time they act. All bleeding effects and things that grant bleed resist were rebalanced. Meanwhile, snubbers have all been rebalanced to trade some of their Accuracy for Parry, making them superior up-front weapons.
Better auto-training for the early game. For new playthroughs, auto-training your crew members now prioritizes skill-save talents to ensure you reach a safe baseline of ship operation before expanding into more combat abilities / bonus-providing talents. And more!:
- More customization options! 2 outfits, 16 new faces, 3 new beards, new flight helmet hat.
- New "Traits + Gear" section on crew member detail screens, summarizing all effects
- 7 new ultra rare level 10 Relic Weapons
- 4 new level 5 Gear for sale (2 Mil, 2 Specialist)defensive, offensive, Attribute boosters
- New Diplomat Talent "Vindication Pact," reduces price of Pardons
- Improved Merchant's Talent "Garner Favor" to give even better Rep bonuses
3) New starship combat rules, components, and rebalances.
Many tweaks to small craft (and their counters), plus new plasma bombers. The ability to build or encounter ships that launch starfighters becomes a big deal in ST:Fs late game, and weve continued to make additions and improvements to that experience. This year weve:
- added 3 new PlasBombers with massive radiation-damage weapons to help cripple enemy ships instead of cracking hulls
- increased the damage of all craft bomb & rocket weapons
- boosted the chance-to-hit-craft for all Autocannons for better close-in defenses
- added a new ship: Dreadnought Battlecarrier
- reduced Maintenance Cost for Class 1 and Class 2 Small Craft
- increased Hull Points for Boarding Shuttle Small Craft at Level 5 and above
- buffed the Battle Prow component with a minor craft defense bonus and added a Tacticians Annex component that grants accuracy/defense against capital ships and craft
Many new components & weapons:
- New type of medium component, Annex to hold one officer and provide specialized bonus related to their class - Wardens Annex, Tacticians Annex, Engineer Annex
- Faction-specific componentsRychart Peak Velocity Matrix 4
- Fuel Helix components to increase Engine Safety, reduce Jump cost and add fuel boosts
- New level 8 heavy Railguns for 4 and 3 RP
- New level 8 Autocannon for 1 RP, great at taking down craft
- New level 8 Missile for 3 RP
- 6 new powerful weapon types for high level craft
4) Quadrantfuls of Quality of Life Improvements
Your feedback is always helpful; we hear and respond to almost all of it within the forums and our Discord, and just finished up a player survey to help with next years roadmap. This year Cory & I have been on a streak of finding ways to improve convenience & clarity, within the scope of what we can do post-release. Some notable areas and overall trends weve put work into include: Easier mission planning & map integration - icons for offered missions and accepted missions now appear on the galactic & quadrant maps; you can also now go directly to the galactic map from a contact mission offer. In that mission offer, youll now see icons next to each mission segment, indicating if it requires a ship battle, crew battle, exploring, spying, picking up for dropping off a passenger etc. And within your mission list, you can now use filters to show offered missions, and show only narrative missions or local missions.
Better logs - Lots of little tweaks to make it easier to find out more about whats going on under the hood in combat (e.g. radiation & void damage from ship weapons), keep track of events as you sail the void (e.g. how your medical rating is impacting saves), and understand how much impact your talents are having (e.g. repaired components during ship combat). Clarifications in other key areasin addition to all the log improvements, weve also made Trade Ban warnings much more visible, clarified many components of ship encounters (were looking at more ways to improve this still), and reworked mutinies. While mutinies may be a rare event for most captains, we want to make sure if it happens your options and their cost are crystal clear (we also improved the value of anti-mutiny talents while were at it). Save Slot hotkeys - check your hotkey options, as we now offer configurable hotkeys for the 4 save slots available.
5) We added (and kept adding to) mod support!
The moddable version will show up as an option whenever you launch the game from within Steam. It gives you access to any mods youve subscribed to from the Steam Workshop, and automatically grants all of the games unlocks.
Were excited about moddings potential to add even more content to the game (modders can create their own stories, gear, crew jobs, and more), enable very different gameplay experiences (from near god-mode cheats to small, intimate crews), and give everyone even more customization options (art, maps, and more). Weve expanded modders options in all of those areas since launching mod support in August. Weve written more about what modding will and wont do as we continue to add to its capabilities (depending on the mods you start)! Check out Creating Mods on the Star Traders Wiki, and join the Discord for help, modding requests & discussions, and a great community of Star Traders players.
2022, here we come!
Sometime in the new year well give the roadmap an update to share more for the road ahead. In the meantime we do have one major change were thinking about that wed love active players input on. Going on 4 years of Frontiers now, and we still love adding to this game and are glad so many of you still enjoy it (and so many new sci-fi RPG fans are still discovering it!). Special thanks to all who support the continued development of the game through our Patreon, by gifting Steam keys to their friends, by shouting us out on in reddit recommendation threads and YouTube comments, by drinking from your Star Traders mug during Zoom meetings, etc. Even just leaving / updating your review (and giving a to others) is one of the best gifts we can receive as the Steam Winter Sale approaches. Happy holidays, Captains!
Update #285: Two Day Shift
We've further improved the power of the armor meta with Update #285, allowing the component types like Hull Plating and Armored Bulkheads to continue to use their high hit percentage to soak damage even after they have crossed the 60% damage threshold. This means your armored components continue to provide that extra layer of protection even after they have drawn the first waves of damage to themselves.
In the Jobs screen, it has always taken a little bit of math to figure out the exact bonus granted by a new rank of a Job -- you had to look at the new (total) bonus and find the difference from the current (total) bonus. We've updated the screen to specifically list the bonus from the Job rank in isolation as well as the total bonus.
The Star Atlas can now search System Rumors as well as Planet Rumors by name -- so searches like "Pirates" or "Ion Storm" or "Medical Station" will turn up results. We've also fixed the logic on the searchable objects to prevent Rumors you don't know from being searchable (sorry!)
We've fixed some longstanding bugs that were preventing mousewheel scrolling in the Mission Offers and Missions List screens. If you see other screens in the game that are resistant to scrolling please report them and we'll get them fixed right up!
In the Jyeeta Brood Era we've added a few clarifications to the dialog in the final mission -- specifically some notes about healing Templar mechs and fixing the dialog that could be confusing about when the boss fight is about to occur. We fixed 2 exploration missions -- Survey Tour and Forgotten Secrets which had issues with the order of steps you could complete. We fixed a big typo ... Phase Infectors is now Phase InfLectors :D
We adjusted the default values read from the data.ShipEffect table so that the new Radiation Bonus and Void Bonus fields always come out at 0 instead of -1. Up next for modding, we're going to be making the rules for starport repair times and the new armor meta available to mod and see what modders want to spin up!
- Armor/protection focused components increase chance of being hit even when over 60% Damage, increasing their value to soak component damage even more - System Rumors are now searchable from Star Atlas, hidden Rumors no longer search - Improved Job screen to list the exact bonus from next job rank (+1 Tactics) as well as total (+3 Tactics, +4 Gunnery) - Added note in dialog that Templar Mechs cannot be healed by your healing Talents - Clarified story dialog in Avengent storyline that confused a penultimate battle for the final boss fight - Fixed mousewheel scrolling in Mission List and Contact Mission Offers screens - Fixed typo where "Infector" => "Inflector" - Fixed "Forgotten Secrets" and "Survey Tour" missions FOR THE MODDERS: - Ship Effect values all default to 0, such as new Void Bonus and Rad Bonus (reduces need to update)
[ 2021-12-08 16:25:27 CET ] [ Original post ]
As we've gathered input from all our players in our year-end survey that we put out last week for Star Traders: Frontiers, we've pulled together a quality-of-life release to address some of the community posted issues and rough spots. Thanks to everyone posting reviews, feedback, for filling out the Google Form survey and for helping us share Star Traders: Frontiers!
Speaking of good things coming-- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Furthered Armor Meta
We've further improved the power of the armor meta with Update #285, allowing the component types like Hull Plating and Armored Bulkheads to continue to use their high hit percentage to soak damage even after they have crossed the 60% damage threshold. This means your armored components continue to provide that extra layer of protection even after they have drawn the first waves of damage to themselves.
Exact Job Rank Bonuses
In the Jobs screen, it has always taken a little bit of math to figure out the exact bonus granted by a new rank of a Job -- you had to look at the new (total) bonus and find the difference from the current (total) bonus. We've updated the screen to specifically list the bonus from the Job rank in isolation as well as the total bonus.
Star Atlas Rumors
The Star Atlas can now search System Rumors as well as Planet Rumors by name -- so searches like "Pirates" or "Ion Storm" or "Medical Station" will turn up results. We've also fixed the logic on the searchable objects to prevent Rumors you don't know from being searchable (sorry!)
Scrolling Issues
We've fixed some longstanding bugs that were preventing mousewheel scrolling in the Mission Offers and Missions List screens. If you see other screens in the game that are resistant to scrolling please report them and we'll get them fixed right up!
Clarifications
In the Jyeeta Brood Era we've added a few clarifications to the dialog in the final mission -- specifically some notes about healing Templar mechs and fixing the dialog that could be confusing about when the boss fight is about to occur. We fixed 2 exploration missions -- Survey Tour and Forgotten Secrets which had issues with the order of steps you could complete. We fixed a big typo ... Phase Infectors is now Phase InfLectors :D
For the Modders
We adjusted the default values read from the data.ShipEffect table so that the new Radiation Bonus and Void Bonus fields always come out at 0 instead of -1. Up next for modding, we're going to be making the rules for starport repair times and the new armor meta available to mod and see what modders want to spin up!
v3.2.19 - 12/7/2021
- Armor/protection focused components increase chance of being hit even when over 60% Damage, increasing their value to soak component damage even more - System Rumors are now searchable from Star Atlas, hidden Rumors no longer search - Improved Job screen to list the exact bonus from next job rank (+1 Tactics) as well as total (+3 Tactics, +4 Gunnery) - Added note in dialog that Templar Mechs cannot be healed by your healing Talents - Clarified story dialog in Avengent storyline that confused a penultimate battle for the final boss fight - Fixed mousewheel scrolling in Mission List and Contact Mission Offers screens - Fixed typo where "Infector" => "Inflector" - Fixed "Forgotten Secrets" and "Survey Tour" missions FOR THE MODDERS: - Ship Effect values all default to 0, such as new Void Bonus and Rad Bonus (reduces need to update)
Star Traders: Frontiers Roadmap Survey
[ 2021-11-30 18:54:48 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello captains! As we move into the 4th year of Star Traders: Frontiers development, we are continually seeking to improve the game. We are gathering the big topics for this years roadmap and we want to put extra attention on parts of the game that are tripping up both new and veteran players.
We'd like to ask you to fill out a short survey to help us identify the key areas where we could improve clarity of game systems.
You can find the Google Form survey here: STF survey
The survey will be open until December 15th.
Wed appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to fill it out and thank you in advance!
Trese Brothers Team
Want to nominate Star Traders: Frontiers for a Steam Award?
[ 2021-11-25 19:35:15 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hey Captains, it's Steam awards season! Star Traders: Frontiers is eligible for the Labor of Love award, if you all would like to nominate us. We celebrated 3 years since Star Trader: Frontiers' launch this year, with near-weekly updates to the game with new content, improvements, and changes based on your feedback.
One of the biggest post-launch additions we've ever made to a game MOD SUPPORT was added this year. The mod version of the game also automatically grants all unlocks, giving everyone who doesn't want to play with achievements access to all ships, contacts, and captain jobs from the very beginning. This year's also been a big one for UI improvements from your suggestions, including easier mission plotting, better trade ban & faction conflict warnings, menu access during combat. And we'll save the full tally for an end-of-year roundup, but there's certainly no shortage of new content added to the game!
You all know we're hard at work on our upcoming heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, but we're still adding to ST:F, with plenty more planned for it. So long as we know you're all still enjoying Star Traders, we'll keep bringing more to it.
Head to the Star Traders: Frontiers page if youd like to nominate us!
Update #284: Bristling Armaments
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Update #284 has added 4 new medium slot components which increase the Void or Radiation Damage of your capital ship weapons. These Quturaan and Katteduun Phase Inflectors can only super-charge one type of damage or the other, so focusing on a certain class of ship weapons will be important to make the most of your bonuses. Captains focusing on pulverizing a ship and crew into submission with Void and Radiation Damage now have all new angle to customize their ship. The most powerful Phase Inflectors are sold exclusively by Rychart (Void) and Thulun (Radiation) starports, To help with the new components and bonuses, the ship combat log now reports Void and Radiation Damage to a ship on a separate line.
Armored components have always helped reduce overall Standard Damage that is passed through to your Hull and then turned into internal damage to turn your components into ash. With Update #284, they have gained a new intrinsic way to help prevent destruction to your ship's components even after all the dice have been rolled. Once all the damage is totaled, components from your ship are selected in a series of rounds to take portions of that damage. All types of components that are designed to provide additional protection (even not those explicitly armor) are now more likely to be selected to "soak up" the damage and protect other components from taking it. In a large ship with only one or two armored components, this effect may be pretty minor, but as you increase your set of armored components this balance change will come into play more readily. Specifically:
The ship combat logs now include the Radiation and Void Damage of both capital ship and small craft. This key missing piece of intel is key for disabling captains to understand how their hits are hitting! We've also adjusted the spacing and lead in on most of the log lines to make them more clear and stand out from each other -- such as using (T) for Talent and (!!) for a Crippling Effect which now both really jump out in a busy logged turn. There are some more exciting meta changes coming for ship combat and improving strategy options, so stay tuned and we will be upgrading the combat log hand in hand as we go.
- Improved many armor/protection focused components to increase chance of taking hits in combat, therefore protecting other components - Added 4 new medium ship components (Quturaan and Katteduun Phase Inflectors) which increase ship weapon void and Radiation Damage by percentage bonus % - Best Phase Inflectors are sold exclusively by Rychart (Void) and Thulun (Radiation) - Improved ship combat logging to include details of Radiation and Void Damage from ship weapons - Improved formatting and consistency of ship combat logging - Clarified Damage Bonus in ship Talent and component effects as "Standard Damage" - Clarified description of "Upstaged Success", it does not increase Contact Influence gains - Fixed reported typos and crashes
[ 2021-11-22 17:39:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #284 returns to ship combat meta to add new options for building our your specific strategy as well as improving well-known routes. Adding 4 new ship components that boost the Radiation or Void damage of your ship weaponry opens up an avenue for high focus on disabling enemy ships while buffing the ability of armored components of all types to soak up damage to your ship further empowers the heavily armored meta. To help in both cases, we've made the combat logs clearer, better organized and added missing lines of detail.
For a different flavor of Trese Brothers sci-fi, check out Cyber Knights!
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Phase Inflectors for Crippling
Update #284 has added 4 new medium slot components which increase the Void or Radiation Damage of your capital ship weapons. These Quturaan and Katteduun Phase Inflectors can only super-charge one type of damage or the other, so focusing on a certain class of ship weapons will be important to make the most of your bonuses. Captains focusing on pulverizing a ship and crew into submission with Void and Radiation Damage now have all new angle to customize their ship. The most powerful Phase Inflectors are sold exclusively by Rychart (Void) and Thulun (Radiation) starports, To help with the new components and bonuses, the ship combat log now reports Void and Radiation Damage to a ship on a separate line.
Advanced Armor Protection
Armored components have always helped reduce overall Standard Damage that is passed through to your Hull and then turned into internal damage to turn your components into ash. With Update #284, they have gained a new intrinsic way to help prevent destruction to your ship's components even after all the dice have been rolled. Once all the damage is totaled, components from your ship are selected in a series of rounds to take portions of that damage. All types of components that are designed to provide additional protection (even not those explicitly armor) are now more likely to be selected to "soak up" the damage and protect other components from taking it. In a large ship with only one or two armored components, this effect may be pretty minor, but as you increase your set of armored components this balance change will come into play more readily. Specifically:
- Exploration Seals, Orbital Platings, Orbital Sealing increase their chance of getting hit by 20%.
- Armored Bulkheads, Hull Plating, Reinforced Structures and Battle Prows increase their chance of getting hit by 35%.
Improved Combat Logs
The ship combat logs now include the Radiation and Void Damage of both capital ship and small craft. This key missing piece of intel is key for disabling captains to understand how their hits are hitting! We've also adjusted the spacing and lead in on most of the log lines to make them more clear and stand out from each other -- such as using (T) for Talent and (!!) for a Crippling Effect which now both really jump out in a busy logged turn. There are some more exciting meta changes coming for ship combat and improving strategy options, so stay tuned and we will be upgrading the combat log hand in hand as we go.
v3.2.17 - 11/22/2021
- Improved many armor/protection focused components to increase chance of taking hits in combat, therefore protecting other components - Added 4 new medium ship components (Quturaan and Katteduun Phase Inflectors) which increase ship weapon void and Radiation Damage by percentage bonus % - Best Phase Inflectors are sold exclusively by Rychart (Void) and Thulun (Radiation) - Improved ship combat logging to include details of Radiation and Void Damage from ship weapons - Improved formatting and consistency of ship combat logging - Clarified Damage Bonus in ship Talent and component effects as "Standard Damage" - Clarified description of "Upstaged Success", it does not increase Contact Influence gains - Fixed reported typos and crashes
Update #283: Plasma Depth-Charge
Save Slots just got one big step easier to use! There are now 4 configurable hotkeys that can let you save to a slot straight from the game's main map. Defaulting to 7, 8, 9 and 0 these respectively save to slots 1, 2, 3 and 4. As with most hotkeys, we suggest you bind them to fit perfectly into your keyboard setup. While playing this morning, one thing that I found that worked well was to move just one of the save slot hotkeys under my main hand so I could mash it all the time as a basic "auto-save". When I wanted and alternate slot, I'd lift my hand and go for the other bindings. As always, thanks to the community for posting suggestions, feedback and reviews to help us improve the game!
With Update #283, we've added 3 new types of bomber craft which all pack powerful and disabling PlasBombs. Trading the usual hull-busting power of bombers for extreme Radiation Damage and high Crippling %, PlasBombers focus on disabling a ship instead of destroying it outright. Especially well paired with mid-range capital ship weapons like Plasma Cannons or long range disabling Torpedoes, PlasBombers give an entirely new angle to carrier combat which focuses on burning out the enemy crew and components while leaving the hull still in one piece. We have also made one last round of adjustments to the weapons for regular Interdictors and Bombers to ensure each class of craft has their own stand-alone weapon. Class 5 and 6 were still accidentally sharing weapons. This has resulted in an upgrade in *another* weapon power for class 6 and 7 Bombers and Interdictors.
Not to be left behind, Wing Commando's launch plans for their boarding shuttles have also been upgraded. These launch plans now bring even more powerful, longer lasting debuffs to the table in a way that no other boarding strike can. When paired with well-planned boarding victory Talents, these can hasten the way to victory or surrender. Both "Breacher's Assault" and "Boarder's Storm" have had their durations extended to 4 Turns (nicely matching with the time it takes the Commando to round trip for another boarding). In addition, they have both gained a damage over time component to increase their effect in bringing the enemy ship or crew to its knees. Breacher's Assault has replaced the -10% Boarding debuff with a 15 Crew Dmg / Turn debuff, leaving wounded and dead in the wake of the shuttle strike. Boarder's Storm has gained a 15 Morale Dmg/Turn, as the defensively-weakened ship reels from the strike, knowing they are about to get pummeled.
With Update #283, we've increased the maximum profit you can make from Salvaging a destroyed enemy ship by $5,000 to $31,500. This maximum is applied *before* any Talents, Traits or ship components are calculated -- so those can help you capitalize on an expensive Salvage and make far more than that. The amount of money made from Salvage is based off the ship's component pricing reduced by any damage done to those components. So, as always, the best Salvage profits are gained from ships with less (or no!??!) damage. While Ransom is a much harder way to make significant money, the same calculation is applied -- all of the ship component prices are multiplied by their damage to calculate the final ransom hall. As it comes with much less Reputation loss, Ransom applies a much steeper reduction to the component pricing but still in some cases if you are Ransoming a large mass battlecruiser or a carrier, the resulting profit can be quite substantial. To protect the balance between Ransom and Salvage, we have added a similar cap to Ransom but -- as it is much, much harder to reach -- we have set the cap at $56,500. The same rule applies to Ransom, where Traits and Talents are applied after the cap and therefore can capitalize on expensive Ransoms to make far more money.
You can now access the game menu and exit to the game's main menu cleanly from crew combat as well as ship combat. Just hit ESC!
- Added 3 new Bombers carrying heavy plasma bombs with massive Radiation Damage, high Crippling Effect % (class 5, 6, 7) - Fixed issue with class 6 Bomber/Interdictor sharing weapons with class 5 (improved stats for both class 6 and 7) - Improved Wing Commando's "Breacher's Assault", replaced -10% Boarding debuff with 15 Crew Dmg/Turn, extended to 4 Turn duration - Improved Wing Commando's "Boarder's Storm", added 15 Morale Dmg/Turn, extended to 4 Turn duration - Added configurable hotkeys to save game to Save Slot 1-4 from quadrant map - Increased maximum pre-Talent/Trait/Component Salvage value for enemy ships by $5,000 to $31,500 - Added maximum pre-Talent/Trait Ransom value for enemy ships at $56,500 (very hard to reach) - Added a Game Menu in Crew Combat, allowing access to options and main menu - Fixed issue with "Explosive Shots" debuff being cleared like a buff - Fixed bug with "Forgotten Secrets" mission step ordering
[ 2021-11-04 00:29:16 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #283 continues a series of improvements to carrier and craft, enables quick use of save slot with keyboard shortcuts, brings the BOOM with the addition of PlasBombers and improves Salvage profits from destroy ships. It's new content, community-requested quality of life features and fine-tuned balancing. It's Update #283, the Plasma Depth-Charge!
If you are enjoying the pace of updates and new content please remember to leave a review and tell a friend.
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Quick Save Slot Access
Save Slots just got one big step easier to use! There are now 4 configurable hotkeys that can let you save to a slot straight from the game's main map. Defaulting to 7, 8, 9 and 0 these respectively save to slots 1, 2, 3 and 4. As with most hotkeys, we suggest you bind them to fit perfectly into your keyboard setup. While playing this morning, one thing that I found that worked well was to move just one of the save slot hotkeys under my main hand so I could mash it all the time as a basic "auto-save". When I wanted and alternate slot, I'd lift my hand and go for the other bindings. As always, thanks to the community for posting suggestions, feedback and reviews to help us improve the game!
PlasBombers!
With Update #283, we've added 3 new types of bomber craft which all pack powerful and disabling PlasBombs. Trading the usual hull-busting power of bombers for extreme Radiation Damage and high Crippling %, PlasBombers focus on disabling a ship instead of destroying it outright. Especially well paired with mid-range capital ship weapons like Plasma Cannons or long range disabling Torpedoes, PlasBombers give an entirely new angle to carrier combat which focuses on burning out the enemy crew and components while leaving the hull still in one piece. We have also made one last round of adjustments to the weapons for regular Interdictors and Bombers to ensure each class of craft has their own stand-alone weapon. Class 5 and 6 were still accidentally sharing weapons. This has resulted in an upgrade in *another* weapon power for class 6 and 7 Bombers and Interdictors.
Wing Commando Boarding Strikes
Not to be left behind, Wing Commando's launch plans for their boarding shuttles have also been upgraded. These launch plans now bring even more powerful, longer lasting debuffs to the table in a way that no other boarding strike can. When paired with well-planned boarding victory Talents, these can hasten the way to victory or surrender. Both "Breacher's Assault" and "Boarder's Storm" have had their durations extended to 4 Turns (nicely matching with the time it takes the Commando to round trip for another boarding). In addition, they have both gained a damage over time component to increase their effect in bringing the enemy ship or crew to its knees. Breacher's Assault has replaced the -10% Boarding debuff with a 15 Crew Dmg / Turn debuff, leaving wounded and dead in the wake of the shuttle strike. Boarder's Storm has gained a 15 Morale Dmg/Turn, as the defensively-weakened ship reels from the strike, knowing they are about to get pummeled.
Salvage & Ransom Maximums
With Update #283, we've increased the maximum profit you can make from Salvaging a destroyed enemy ship by $5,000 to $31,500. This maximum is applied *before* any Talents, Traits or ship components are calculated -- so those can help you capitalize on an expensive Salvage and make far more than that. The amount of money made from Salvage is based off the ship's component pricing reduced by any damage done to those components. So, as always, the best Salvage profits are gained from ships with less (or no!??!) damage. While Ransom is a much harder way to make significant money, the same calculation is applied -- all of the ship component prices are multiplied by their damage to calculate the final ransom hall. As it comes with much less Reputation loss, Ransom applies a much steeper reduction to the component pricing but still in some cases if you are Ransoming a large mass battlecruiser or a carrier, the resulting profit can be quite substantial. To protect the balance between Ransom and Salvage, we have added a similar cap to Ransom but -- as it is much, much harder to reach -- we have set the cap at $56,500. The same rule applies to Ransom, where Traits and Talents are applied after the cap and therefore can capitalize on expensive Ransoms to make far more money.
Hit ESC in Crew Combat
You can now access the game menu and exit to the game's main menu cleanly from crew combat as well as ship combat. Just hit ESC!
v3.2.15 - 11/3/2021
- Added 3 new Bombers carrying heavy plasma bombs with massive Radiation Damage, high Crippling Effect % (class 5, 6, 7) - Fixed issue with class 6 Bomber/Interdictor sharing weapons with class 5 (improved stats for both class 6 and 7) - Improved Wing Commando's "Breacher's Assault", replaced -10% Boarding debuff with 15 Crew Dmg/Turn, extended to 4 Turn duration - Improved Wing Commando's "Boarder's Storm", added 15 Morale Dmg/Turn, extended to 4 Turn duration - Added configurable hotkeys to save game to Save Slot 1-4 from quadrant map - Increased maximum pre-Talent/Trait/Component Salvage value for enemy ships by $5,000 to $31,500 - Added maximum pre-Talent/Trait Ransom value for enemy ships at $56,500 (very hard to reach) - Added a Game Menu in Crew Combat, allowing access to options and main menu - Fixed issue with "Explosive Shots" debuff being cleared like a buff - Fixed bug with "Forgotten Secrets" mission step ordering
Update #282: Deep-strike Bombers
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #282, we've ratcheted up the damage across the spectrum in small craft to keep them competitive with other ship weapons, especially as more powerful weapons are coming online through story arcs. All Interdictor rockets and Bomber bombs have gained around +10% to +20% Radiation Damage, depending on their class. In addition, standard Damage base (the static, unrolled part of the damage) has gone up around +10% per craft as well. While they take a few turns to deliver their destructive payload, Bombers are now tearing apart enemy hulls even more effectively and your Interdictors are even better prepared to shoot down other craft. But, if the craft are hitting harder ...
As the entire damage balance getting more savage, its key that Autocannons strike back even harder. Across the board, ACs are now more accurate when attacking small craft, anywhere from +2% to +7% in the attacks. All the more reason to make sure you're craft are defensively prepared to avoid enemy fire and even better to shoot down incoming enemy craft.
When the class 7 Bomber and Interdictor were added a linking issue wasn't caught that left them with the weapons from the class 6 craft. We've now resolved this issue and properly linked the Trifex Assault Mk2 Interdictor to its new and best in class Rockets as well as the deadly Trident DX9 Bomber to the best in class boom-boom! All the more reason to cozy up to your factions and go shopping to upgrade what you've got in your carrier's hangars.
The Shock Trooper's Talent "Single-Minded Strike" has been upgraded to have a shorter cooldown (now 6 weeks) and a longer duration in ship combat (3 turns) as its effect is so narrow -- boarding, boarding, boarding! For those Shock Troopers helping to get their ship into range so they can get their snubber's barrels into range, enjoy the upgrades. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review.
- New rocket weapon for "Trifex Assault Mk2" (class 7 Interdictor), best in class - New bomb weapon for "Trident DX9" (class 7 Bomber), best in class - Increased base Damage on all craft bomb weapons by 10% - Increased Radiation Damage on all craft rocket and bomb weapons by 10-20% - Increased Chance to Hit craft for all Autocannons - Improved Shock Trooper's "Single-minded Strike" Talent to have 3 Turn Duration and reduced cooldown to 6 weeks - Fixed typos and reported crashes
[ 2021-10-24 01:56:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #282 takes a detour to catch up on some balance work we've been testing and tuning. We've heard from the community, watched in play and analyzed the data about how craft measure up to regular capital ship weaponry and are making some changes with this update to help tip the scales a bit. Across the spectrum -- Bombers, Interdictors and Autocannons are all more dangerous as of Update #282. We have to tread carefully with these types of updates as enemy carriers gain all the bonuses, so keep in mind that they will be hitting harder after Update #282 and be sure to you have your anti-craft strategy in place by (usually) year 8 to 12.
If you're enjoying the pace of updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Bomber and Interdictor Upgrades
With Update #282, we've ratcheted up the damage across the spectrum in small craft to keep them competitive with other ship weapons, especially as more powerful weapons are coming online through story arcs. All Interdictor rockets and Bomber bombs have gained around +10% to +20% Radiation Damage, depending on their class. In addition, standard Damage base (the static, unrolled part of the damage) has gone up around +10% per craft as well. While they take a few turns to deliver their destructive payload, Bombers are now tearing apart enemy hulls even more effectively and your Interdictors are even better prepared to shoot down other craft. But, if the craft are hitting harder ...
Autocannons Strike Back!
As the entire damage balance getting more savage, its key that Autocannons strike back even harder. Across the board, ACs are now more accurate when attacking small craft, anywhere from +2% to +7% in the attacks. All the more reason to make sure you're craft are defensively prepared to avoid enemy fire and even better to shoot down incoming enemy craft.
Class 7 Craft: New Weapons
When the class 7 Bomber and Interdictor were added a linking issue wasn't caught that left them with the weapons from the class 6 craft. We've now resolved this issue and properly linked the Trifex Assault Mk2 Interdictor to its new and best in class Rockets as well as the deadly Trident DX9 Bomber to the best in class boom-boom! All the more reason to cozy up to your factions and go shopping to upgrade what you've got in your carrier's hangars.
Shock Trooper's Single-Minded Strike
The Shock Trooper's Talent "Single-Minded Strike" has been upgraded to have a shorter cooldown (now 6 weeks) and a longer duration in ship combat (3 turns) as its effect is so narrow -- boarding, boarding, boarding! For those Shock Troopers helping to get their ship into range so they can get their snubber's barrels into range, enjoy the upgrades. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review.
v3.2.13 - 10/23/2021
- New rocket weapon for "Trifex Assault Mk2" (class 7 Interdictor), best in class - New bomb weapon for "Trident DX9" (class 7 Bomber), best in class - Increased base Damage on all craft bomb weapons by 10% - Increased Radiation Damage on all craft rocket and bomb weapons by 10-20% - Increased Chance to Hit craft for all Autocannons - Improved Shock Trooper's "Single-minded Strike" Talent to have 3 Turn Duration and reduced cooldown to 6 weeks - Fixed typos and reported crashes
Update #281: Pinstripe and Steel
With this update, we've added another 3 masculine faces to the game -- one with short cropped hair, one with an awesome mustache and one with the grayer hair of a long-time space veteran. These new faces will filter into your crew and make great new captains, officers or just mates crew dogs hoping for a promotion. We've also added 2 new matching outfits featuring a finer style associated with diplomats, the wealthy gravs or fashionable duelists. These new looks are excellent on their own for pirates, smugglers and all kinds but they also mix extremely well with the other outfits in the game if you use the "Unlock Outfit Combos" option. So, while we've added 2 new full outfits, we've added hundreds of new combos for your crew to check out! Here are a few of our favorites --
Fuel Helix Coils are a variation of a medium slot Fuel Tanks which offer a small amount of Fuel, a small amount of reduction in hyperwarp Jump Cost and most importantly a bonus to Engine Safety. With a maximum of +6 Engine Safety available from ship components, this gives another option -- next to Annex and Water-Fuel Reclamation -- as to how to get your Engine Safety fix if you need one. The highest grade Helix Coils 4 and 5 are only manufactured and sold in Zenrin starports.
With Update #281, we've fixed a few minor issues in mods where game hovers were not reflecting mod changes to maximum Ship Armor or Shield. We've also made it possible to mod the maximum number of jobs that your captain or officers can have -- that will be very interesting to see what gets done with that! Fancy a true jack of all trades? Leave it to the modders :D
Our Discord server is a great community. Lots of good Star Traders discussion, one of the best places to stay in the loop on what we're working on, and sometimes... fun surprises! We've got a giveaway going right now for light-hearted roguelike Obsidian Prince. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373260/Obsidian_Prince/ Hop in to check it out, we have two copies to give away and all it takes is a react to the message in #giveaway to enter.
- Added two new matched outfits - Added 3 new character faces - gray hair, mustache, short hair! - Added 4 new Fuel Helix Coil components -- medium slot fuel tanks that add Engine Safety, reduce Jump cost and add minor Fuel boost - Fuel Helix Coil 4 and 5 is sold exclusively by Zenrin starports - Enabled modders to adjust the maximum number of multi-jobs for Captain and Officers - Fixed hovers for Armor / Shield max values if they are modded - Fixed reported typos and crashes
[ 2021-10-15 21:36:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #281 circles back to adding some new awesome looks to the game with new character faces and a new set of matching outfits. Plus, we've expanded ship component access to Engine Safety bonuses with a new set of Fuel Helix Coil components for your medium slots. Finally, we've added a few new capabilities and fixes for the modding community to enable to some new mod options.
We've got a busy season here at Trese Brothers HQ for both Star Traders: Frontiers and our next game -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
New Faces, New Outfits
With this update, we've added another 3 masculine faces to the game -- one with short cropped hair, one with an awesome mustache and one with the grayer hair of a long-time space veteran. These new faces will filter into your crew and make great new captains, officers or just mates crew dogs hoping for a promotion. We've also added 2 new matching outfits featuring a finer style associated with diplomats, the wealthy gravs or fashionable duelists. These new looks are excellent on their own for pirates, smugglers and all kinds but they also mix extremely well with the other outfits in the game if you use the "Unlock Outfit Combos" option. So, while we've added 2 new full outfits, we've added hundreds of new combos for your crew to check out! Here are a few of our favorites --
Fuel Helix Coils
Fuel Helix Coils are a variation of a medium slot Fuel Tanks which offer a small amount of Fuel, a small amount of reduction in hyperwarp Jump Cost and most importantly a bonus to Engine Safety. With a maximum of +6 Engine Safety available from ship components, this gives another option -- next to Annex and Water-Fuel Reclamation -- as to how to get your Engine Safety fix if you need one. The highest grade Helix Coils 4 and 5 are only manufactured and sold in Zenrin starports.
For the Modders
With Update #281, we've fixed a few minor issues in mods where game hovers were not reflecting mod changes to maximum Ship Armor or Shield. We've also made it possible to mod the maximum number of jobs that your captain or officers can have -- that will be very interesting to see what gets done with that! Fancy a true jack of all trades? Leave it to the modders :D
Are you in the Discord?
Our Discord server is a great community. Lots of good Star Traders discussion, one of the best places to stay in the loop on what we're working on, and sometimes... fun surprises! We've got a giveaway going right now for light-hearted roguelike Obsidian Prince. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373260/Obsidian_Prince/ Hop in to check it out, we have two copies to give away and all it takes is a react to the message in #giveaway to enter.
v3.2.11 - 10/15/2021
- Added two new matched outfits - Added 3 new character faces - gray hair, mustache, short hair! - Added 4 new Fuel Helix Coil components -- medium slot fuel tanks that add Engine Safety, reduce Jump cost and add minor Fuel boost - Fuel Helix Coil 4 and 5 is sold exclusively by Zenrin starports - Enabled modders to adjust the maximum number of multi-jobs for Captain and Officers - Fixed hovers for Armor / Shield max values if they are modded - Fixed reported typos and crashes
Update #280: Rank and Prestige
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
By their nature, faction-specific ships are a perk of serving a faction. Previously, all ships -- regardless of their cost -- required only Military Rank 4. With Update #280, we've pushed this to a scale grading from Rank 4 all the way up to Rank 10 for the ships costing over $2m credits. With this new ability to set the minimum rank easily for each ship individually, we've opened up an exciting new option we are investigating -- powerful faction flagships offered only to the highly qualified military officers. We're gathering some ideas and will be moving forward with this expansion soon.
While some XP has been always granted for missions requiring skill checks, we've doubled that amount with Update #280 and also added a log to the mission completion details with the exactly amount. Before this update, no XP was granted if your crew ended up falling back to a Saving Talent. However, we've now adjusted this rule to grant a smaller chunk of XP, but XP bonus nonetheless. You traveled, you may have bled or fought to complete that key task -- the XP is earned, Talent or not.
We've adjusted two anti-craft Talents brought by the Gunner and Gundeck Boss Jobs. The Gunner's "Close-In Defenses" Talent is a rank 11 Talent that now cleanly provides a nice mix of anti-craft with reducing boarding, reducing the craft attack chance and their evasion (-10 Boarding, -20% Hit Chance, -15% Craft Evasion for next 3 turns) -- it is best used if you have weaponry and you're planning on lighting the enemy craft up. On the other hand, the Gundeck Boss's rank 1 Talent is purely defensive and turtle strategy, with "Point Defense" (-10 Boarding, -30% Hit Chance, -25% Dmg for next 4 turns).
We've tagged the description of Magnanimous Victory to be clear that it removes your options for other aggressive abilities such as looting, destruction or conscription. This is a key Talent in managing reputation damage but also ends your interaction with a defeated enemy ship.
With Update #280, we've made some changes to how the AI approaches the Wing Commando's Talent "Ripcord" to support the "Merchant Marines: Fly Casual" mod -- one of the most popular mods on the Workshop right now that seeks to adjust the Star Traders: Frontiers balance to better approximate smaller crew and more of a Firefly-like experience. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2539177784
- Faction-specific ships require scaled faction rank -- Rank 4 for basic, Rank 6 for over $1m, and up to Rank 10 for $2m+ - Doubled the XP gained for completing a mission step which require Skill Save, added XP log - Completing mission step while relying on a Saving Talent now grants some XP for crew - Clarified Talent "Magnanimous Victory" to be clear it prevents any further looting or aggressive actions - Improved balance of Gunner's "Close-In Defenses" and Gundeck Bosses' "Point Defense" - Documented faction special rules for Rychart and De Valtos expensive bribes in New Game - Fixed Bribe option text for Pirates to ensure it never threatens Rep loss (pirates never report) - Improved AI crew combat intelligence to work better with "Merchant Marines: Fly Casual" mod - Fixed report crashes and typos
[ 2021-10-01 19:58:33 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #280 arrives with some shake up to the availability of high-end faction ships, better XP balance for mission runners, improved balance for anti-craft Talents and more. A huge thanks to everyone posting suggestions, feedback and bugs to the forum and helping us continuing to push Star Traders: Frontiers.
If you're enjoying the continued updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a reveiw!
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Rank Ships
By their nature, faction-specific ships are a perk of serving a faction. Previously, all ships -- regardless of their cost -- required only Military Rank 4. With Update #280, we've pushed this to a scale grading from Rank 4 all the way up to Rank 10 for the ships costing over $2m credits. With this new ability to set the minimum rank easily for each ship individually, we've opened up an exciting new option we are investigating -- powerful faction flagships offered only to the highly qualified military officers. We're gathering some ideas and will be moving forward with this expansion soon.
Mission XP
While some XP has been always granted for missions requiring skill checks, we've doubled that amount with Update #280 and also added a log to the mission completion details with the exactly amount. Before this update, no XP was granted if your crew ended up falling back to a Saving Talent. However, we've now adjusted this rule to grant a smaller chunk of XP, but XP bonus nonetheless. You traveled, you may have bled or fought to complete that key task -- the XP is earned, Talent or not.
Gunner and Gundeck Boss
We've adjusted two anti-craft Talents brought by the Gunner and Gundeck Boss Jobs. The Gunner's "Close-In Defenses" Talent is a rank 11 Talent that now cleanly provides a nice mix of anti-craft with reducing boarding, reducing the craft attack chance and their evasion (-10 Boarding, -20% Hit Chance, -15% Craft Evasion for next 3 turns) -- it is best used if you have weaponry and you're planning on lighting the enemy craft up. On the other hand, the Gundeck Boss's rank 1 Talent is purely defensive and turtle strategy, with "Point Defense" (-10 Boarding, -30% Hit Chance, -25% Dmg for next 4 turns).
Magnanimous Victory Clarification
We've tagged the description of Magnanimous Victory to be clear that it removes your options for other aggressive abilities such as looting, destruction or conscription. This is a key Talent in managing reputation damage but also ends your interaction with a defeated enemy ship.
Mod Support
With Update #280, we've made some changes to how the AI approaches the Wing Commando's Talent "Ripcord" to support the "Merchant Marines: Fly Casual" mod -- one of the most popular mods on the Workshop right now that seeks to adjust the Star Traders: Frontiers balance to better approximate smaller crew and more of a Firefly-like experience. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2539177784
v3.2.9 - 10/1/2021
- Faction-specific ships require scaled faction rank -- Rank 4 for basic, Rank 6 for over $1m, and up to Rank 10 for $2m+ - Doubled the XP gained for completing a mission step which require Skill Save, added XP log - Completing mission step while relying on a Saving Talent now grants some XP for crew - Clarified Talent "Magnanimous Victory" to be clear it prevents any further looting or aggressive actions - Improved balance of Gunner's "Close-In Defenses" and Gundeck Bosses' "Point Defense" - Documented faction special rules for Rychart and De Valtos expensive bribes in New Game - Fixed Bribe option text for Pirates to ensure it never threatens Rep loss (pirates never report) - Improved AI crew combat intelligence to work better with "Merchant Marines: Fly Casual" mod - Fixed report crashes and typos
Update #279: Lucrative Risks
You may have heard our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is on its way to Steam in 2022. A turn-based cyberpunk RPG, Cyber Knight's features XCOM-like combat and a unique heist system for missions ... you don't need to hear more? Okay, just smash that Wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #279, we've adjusted the ordering and text color for Trade Ban and Trade War warnings to ensure that they are front and center and your merchant captain can't miss them when making decisions about going through with a trade. As always, a huge thanks to the community members helping to post feedback and improve the game.
We've updated the rules for surrendering to military ships that may check your cargo holds for illegal goods and confiscate if you fail to have valid permits. There is now a possible small Reputation loss if you are carrying goods that will be confiscated. This loss can be offset if you are carrying goods that *are* legal with a permit. No matter how much you might be carrying, the Rep penalty cannot exceed 2. We've also fixed the Bribe offering for Independents which had been lost in the latest update -- including the key fact that Indies have no stored Reputation and therefore you can never lose Rep with them.
We've enabled the ability to pull up the game menu with during the major screens in ship combat -- including during a ship encounter and mid-ship combat. This can help you drop out of the main menu without killing the game completely. Notably, Options and Save Slots are not available in these contexts. We'll keep working to make this menu access global and getting it into key places where it is still missing (crew combat).
The Battle Barracks line has received an upgrade to help encourage ship combat captains to consider them worth their price (which has also gone up!). With new Armor, Shield and Void Res, these protected crew quarters are even more valuable to captains willing to pay the price and longtime cost to jump cost.
For those Salvage cards that included double combats, we've adjusted the language to be clearer, stating "back-to-back" combats to be sure you know just what you are risking when you make the roll. During and after the Jyeeta Era, we've retuned the appearance of the feared Jyeeta Maeledictor to make sure it retains its boss status among other Jyeeta enemies.
With Steam Workshop being quite busy, we're still working to expand the possible footprint of mods. With this update, we've added some key new capabilities, allowing modders to start to adjust specific limits in the game -- raising max character level, job level. Also, we're enabling adjusting important combat rules and thresholds -- allowing for the change of Init cost to move, morale break or being Stunned as well as the maximum Armor and Shield ratings you can achieve with components and buffed. We're very excited to see what the community will cook with this new support!
- Improved Trade Ban warning (location, icon, red text) - Lose up to 2 Rep when illegal cargo is seized, offset by legal permit-protected cargo - Fixed Bribe option text for Independents to be more clear - Added a Game Menu in Ship Combat, Combat Preamble - Reduced spawn rate of "Jyeeta Maeledictor" in mix of Jyeeta ships - Increased Price of Battle Barracks, Added Armor, Shields and Void Res - Clarified "Xeno Assault" Salvage card to be clear it is 2 xeno combats back-to-back - Better differentiated stats for the Trident DX9 and Blackhall Ultra Small Craft - Modders can now change max character level, job level, Init costs of Stun, Morale Break, Move and Max/Buff Max of Shield/Armor
[ 2021-09-18 20:01:44 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #297 brings another round of improvements directly from the community as we continue our patch and improve drive following the big Steam Workshop mod release. After we clear this backlog of balance, QOL and improvement issues we'll be moving back to larger chunks of content and story additions. For now -- buckle up, more coming!
Next up from Trese Brothers
You may have heard our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is on its way to Steam in 2022. A turn-based cyberpunk RPG, Cyber Knight's features XCOM-like combat and a unique heist system for missions ... you don't need to hear more? Okay, just smash that Wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Trade Ban Visibility
With Update #279, we've adjusted the ordering and text color for Trade Ban and Trade War warnings to ensure that they are front and center and your merchant captain can't miss them when making decisions about going through with a trade. As always, a huge thanks to the community members helping to post feedback and improve the game.
Ship Encounter, Bribes and Confiscation
We've updated the rules for surrendering to military ships that may check your cargo holds for illegal goods and confiscate if you fail to have valid permits. There is now a possible small Reputation loss if you are carrying goods that will be confiscated. This loss can be offset if you are carrying goods that *are* legal with a permit. No matter how much you might be carrying, the Rep penalty cannot exceed 2. We've also fixed the Bribe offering for Independents which had been lost in the latest update -- including the key fact that Indies have no stored Reputation and therefore you can never lose Rep with them.
Game Menu Ship Combat Additions
We've enabled the ability to pull up the game menu with during the major screens in ship combat -- including during a ship encounter and mid-ship combat. This can help you drop out of the main menu without killing the game completely. Notably, Options and Save Slots are not available in these contexts. We'll keep working to make this menu access global and getting it into key places where it is still missing (crew combat).
New Shiny: Battle Barracks
The Battle Barracks line has received an upgrade to help encourage ship combat captains to consider them worth their price (which has also gone up!). With new Armor, Shield and Void Res, these protected crew quarters are even more valuable to captains willing to pay the price and longtime cost to jump cost.
More Balance and QOL
For those Salvage cards that included double combats, we've adjusted the language to be clearer, stating "back-to-back" combats to be sure you know just what you are risking when you make the roll. During and after the Jyeeta Era, we've retuned the appearance of the feared Jyeeta Maeledictor to make sure it retains its boss status among other Jyeeta enemies.
For the Modders
With Steam Workshop being quite busy, we're still working to expand the possible footprint of mods. With this update, we've added some key new capabilities, allowing modders to start to adjust specific limits in the game -- raising max character level, job level. Also, we're enabling adjusting important combat rules and thresholds -- allowing for the change of Init cost to move, morale break or being Stunned as well as the maximum Armor and Shield ratings you can achieve with components and buffed. We're very excited to see what the community will cook with this new support!
v3.2.5 - 9/17/2021
- Improved Trade Ban warning (location, icon, red text) - Lose up to 2 Rep when illegal cargo is seized, offset by legal permit-protected cargo - Fixed Bribe option text for Independents to be more clear - Added a Game Menu in Ship Combat, Combat Preamble - Reduced spawn rate of "Jyeeta Maeledictor" in mix of Jyeeta ships - Increased Price of Battle Barracks, Added Armor, Shields and Void Res - Clarified "Xeno Assault" Salvage card to be clear it is 2 xeno combats back-to-back - Better differentiated stats for the Trident DX9 and Blackhall Ultra Small Craft - Modders can now change max character level, job level, Init costs of Stun, Morale Break, Move and Max/Buff Max of Shield/Armor
Update #278: Regular Shifts
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With the addition of mission icons to help summarize step actions in Update #277, we've been hearing from the community about specific types of actions that weren't fully covered. We've now added icons to help summarize steps including Negotiation (huge!) and the missing variations of Intel missions.
Ship encounter options often include Bribes but the text of those offers has often been misleading about whether or not your are paying to avoid Reputation loss or not. We've cleaned up the text on all Bribe offers to cleanly match the result you'll get if both ships leave.
The Wing Commando Talent "Behind Enemy Lines" has been fixed to operate as described in its description. Previously, it was working closer to the Gunner Talent "Disarming Sabotage". Now, Behind Enemy Lines specifically targets the most powerful, functioning weapon on the enemy ship and does it 80% damage -- a guaranteed knock out hit! A couple of Wing Commandos can work efficiently to take down enemy gun's completely if they act fast enough from their striking shuttles.
With an influx of new players coming to check out the game, the Steam forums and Discord have been busy with feedback, suggestions and minor bug posted. We've fixed a bevy of minor issues with Mass and pricing on :ththe latest set of hybrid barracks components, adjusted the failure message in Civil Unrest Rumor to be more clear and fixed a whole heap of typos.
- Mission descriptions now include missing icons for Negotiation, some additional ship battle types, Conflict Intel missions - Added hover to Accept/Waypoint buttons in mission offer for clarity - Fixed Wing Commando's "Behind Enemy Lines" to match description -- guaranteed to disable most powerful enemy weapon - Fixed all Bribe options for all captain types in ship encounters to be clear when Reputation loss is at risk - Improved fail message with Civil Unrest Rumor when faction denies access (-10 or less Rep) - Fixed pricing on Battle Barracks 4, fixed Mass on Shielded Barracks 4 - Fixed Barracks appearing twice in medium slot display - Fixed Spice Hall description of recruit bonus for Mercenaries Rumor - Fixed report crashes and typos
[ 2021-09-08 17:10:27 CET ] [ Original post ]
With the major release of mod support behind us, we're returning to some regular order here with a roll-up update full of community-driven fixes. In Update #278, we've added even more mission icons, improved the way that Wing Commando's "Behind Enemy Lines" works to truly knock out the single, most powerful weapon, replaced all the Bribe offer text in ship encounters to always be correct and more.
We're getting back to regular order here with more exciting updates to come, so if you're enjoying the pace of new features, content and fixes please tell a friend and leave a review.
For a different flavor of Trese Brothers sci-fi, check out Cyber Knights!
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
More Mission Icons
With the addition of mission icons to help summarize step actions in Update #277, we've been hearing from the community about specific types of actions that weren't fully covered. We've now added icons to help summarize steps including Negotiation (huge!) and the missing variations of Intel missions.
Clearer Bribe Offers
Ship encounter options often include Bribes but the text of those offers has often been misleading about whether or not your are paying to avoid Reputation loss or not. We've cleaned up the text on all Bribe offers to cleanly match the result you'll get if both ships leave.
Behind Enemy Lines
The Wing Commando Talent "Behind Enemy Lines" has been fixed to operate as described in its description. Previously, it was working closer to the Gunner Talent "Disarming Sabotage". Now, Behind Enemy Lines specifically targets the most powerful, functioning weapon on the enemy ship and does it 80% damage -- a guaranteed knock out hit! A couple of Wing Commandos can work efficiently to take down enemy gun's completely if they act fast enough from their striking shuttles.
And More
With an influx of new players coming to check out the game, the Steam forums and Discord have been busy with feedback, suggestions and minor bug posted. We've fixed a bevy of minor issues with Mass and pricing on :ththe latest set of hybrid barracks components, adjusted the failure message in Civil Unrest Rumor to be more clear and fixed a whole heap of typos.
v3.2.3 - 9/8/2021
- Mission descriptions now include missing icons for Negotiation, some additional ship battle types, Conflict Intel missions - Added hover to Accept/Waypoint buttons in mission offer for clarity - Fixed Wing Commando's "Behind Enemy Lines" to match description -- guaranteed to disable most powerful enemy weapon - Fixed all Bribe options for all captain types in ship encounters to be clear when Reputation loss is at risk - Improved fail message with Civil Unrest Rumor when faction denies access (-10 or less Rep) - Fixed pricing on Battle Barracks 4, fixed Mass on Shielded Barracks 4 - Fixed Barracks appearing twice in medium slot display - Fixed Spice Hall description of recruit bonus for Mercenaries Rumor - Fixed report crashes and typos
The Road Ahead for Modding
Thanks to our dedicated modders in the private beta, some of the mod support capabilities youre seeing today are even better than we expected.
We want to be upfront about a few things that will not be possible with modding. 1) Hacking in crowd-sourced translation through modding. While modders are welcome to create mods in any language, or even to attempt to rewrite the portions of in-game text that are contained within the game database, we want to be that there is still too much inaccessible text through the mod kit to complete a successful translation of the game. We know translation is a popular request, but we want to be very clear up front that modding does not answer that request. As weve noted elsewhere, weve learned a lot from this entire process, and our next game will be translated from the start. 2) We wont be adding a scripting language for mods (though we may add some additional scripted triggers / effects for modders to use, ourselves). Star Traders: Frontiers is built on a custom engine, with a workflow heavily driven by data in the game database. While weve opened up the database, we cant open up the engine, or provide a way for modders to hook in scripts without a far more extensive rebuild than we could handle with the mod kit at this date in the game's lifecycle. However, we are listening daily to the modding community (and asking to!) to understand where there is interest for additional extensibility and hooks that can be used by the mod kit. 3) Modding Roadmap As we have stated elsewhere -- we are continuing our work to update the base game, especially with some big upcoming story arcs and eras. At the same time, we have reserved some bandwidth to work closely with involved and interesting modding creators to expand the capabilities of the mod kit.
We're loving the response to modding so far, with more and more mods continuing to be added and more players trying them out. Check out the game's Steam Workshop to browse the now 20+ mods available and being updated. Give those creators some love in the mod comments! More mods played and praised = more mods made and updated. Want to become a modder yourself? Check out Creating Mods on the Star Traders Wiki, and join the Discord for help, modding requests & discussions, and a great community of Star Traders players. We can't wait to see what you all create! The Star Traders question we've always asked before is: what kind of Captain do you want to be? Now we get to ask: Captains, what do you want in your universe?
[ 2021-09-01 04:39:16 CET ] [ Original post ]
Now that mod support is released, lets talk about where it will (and could) go from here. The last week since modding launched has been exciting with a lot of interest, thousands of subscribers to mods and a great update to the core game to boot. Now -- let's look at the road ahead for modding.
First: Mod Support v1
Thanks to our dedicated modders in the private beta, some of the mod support capabilities youre seeing today are even better than we expected.
- A mod manager that merges SQL allows multiple mods to be installed and work seamlessly with each other with many fewer potential conflicts and much less configuration than we might have released originally.
- Story modding became a v1 priority. Modders now have everything they need to add their own story vignettes to the game. While creating quality stories is no small task (welcome to our world ), we think the potential for player-created story mods filling the Star Traders universe is one of the most exciting aspects of adding modding to the game.
- Everything in the game database is replaceable, or can be added to. Ships, weapons, gear, talents... pretty much anything with stats. Modders can rebalance, simplify, power up, or add to any of these things.
- All binary files in the game directory are replaceable. Graphics, sound effects,
- An extensive set of documentation. Upfront: this may not mean complete, but weve gone through a huge amount of data fields to make it more clear what each does and what your options are as a modder for using them.
Second: some necessary limitations
We want to be upfront about a few things that will not be possible with modding. 1) Hacking in crowd-sourced translation through modding. While modders are welcome to create mods in any language, or even to attempt to rewrite the portions of in-game text that are contained within the game database, we want to be that there is still too much inaccessible text through the mod kit to complete a successful translation of the game. We know translation is a popular request, but we want to be very clear up front that modding does not answer that request. As weve noted elsewhere, weve learned a lot from this entire process, and our next game will be translated from the start. 2) We wont be adding a scripting language for mods (though we may add some additional scripted triggers / effects for modders to use, ourselves). Star Traders: Frontiers is built on a custom engine, with a workflow heavily driven by data in the game database. While weve opened up the database, we cant open up the engine, or provide a way for modders to hook in scripts without a far more extensive rebuild than we could handle with the mod kit at this date in the game's lifecycle. However, we are listening daily to the modding community (and asking to!) to understand where there is interest for additional extensibility and hooks that can be used by the mod kit. 3) Modding Roadmap As we have stated elsewhere -- we are continuing our work to update the base game, especially with some big upcoming story arcs and eras. At the same time, we have reserved some bandwidth to work closely with involved and interesting modding creators to expand the capabilities of the mod kit.
In-progress
- Save editor: while the modded game databases be modified at will with simple tooling, we are still looking forward to creating a saved game editor that will allow you to execute certain sets of commands against your saved games.
- Improving documentation: the doc team never sleeps because there is always more to write down! Star Traders: Frontiers is a surprisingly huge and deep game (did you notice?) and so documenting every in and out of its data-driven structure is going to be a process that continues for a long time.
- Crowd-sourcing talent effects: some of the ready-to-play mods already make exciting tweaks to Jobs but we're looking forward to the first completely New Job mod to appear. To this end, we'll be holding a brainstorming within the mod community looking for new types of Talent effects and triggers that could help define new Jobs and allow modders to create truly unique new combinations for your crew and officers.
Future possibilities
- Game Rule Control: while few rules are within reach of the mod kit today (maximum ship armor 75%) we will be working to move some of these -- those most interesting to the mod community -- into scope and play for mods over the next months.
- More Story Examples and Features: with the first story mod already published, we cannot wait to see more modder created storylines filling up the galaxy. As we continue to add story to the base game, we will be authoring these new storylines in the same that the modders can use, which will expand the base of examples to pull from. We're excited to work closely with any modder working on a stories as one of our top priorities to see this type of content expanding in the game and to work on building out features that specifically cater to their needs.
- Further authoring tool development: the modding community has already developed a pretty set of powerful authoring tools, some of which are publicly shared. Depending on the need and interest, we may further invest in helping the community make these tools easy to use and share for new modders coming on to the team.
- Card Control the mod kit does not include the contents and rules for card games today but if there is significant interest, this is a direction we could work to expand the kit.
Play and make some mods!
We're loving the response to modding so far, with more and more mods continuing to be added and more players trying them out. Check out the game's Steam Workshop to browse the now 20+ mods available and being updated. Give those creators some love in the mod comments! More mods played and praised = more mods made and updated. Want to become a modder yourself? Check out Creating Mods on the Star Traders Wiki, and join the Discord for help, modding requests & discussions, and a great community of Star Traders players. We can't wait to see what you all create! The Star Traders question we've always asked before is: what kind of Captain do you want to be? Now we get to ask: Captains, what do you want in your universe?
Update #277: In the Ink + Mod Spotlight
Modding has been live for a week and we're excited to welcome
Have you ever dreamed of flying a xeno ship? Stalking the galaxy in a semi-organic, completely alien death cruiser? Or just wearing a really big hat? Then you must be Rychart! All joking aside, in this mod Shelgeroth Cultists of Rychart have unlocked the secrets to utilizing Xeno technology and now sell the xeno ships at their starports for a hefty sum. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2495203303&searchtext=
The mini-mod pack provides a easy to modify set of changes to the game and encourages players to pick and chose among them to get just the modded experience they want. It is already a big toolkit put together by @davea and @ptarth, two of the mod creator veterans from the mod beta. Check it out! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586893280&searchtext=
The newest SFX overhaul provides awesome sound FX for crew combat weapons, ship weapons, character injuries and all other parts of ship combat. Boom boom! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586103199&searchtext=
Mission step groups now include a full list of all the icons of the types of actions for their children. This gives you a quick way to look at a mission and know what is involved -- from crew to ship combat, from exploring to salvaging or intel, stash and cargo missions. The ability to pick and chose missions wisely -- and to do it quickly -- is way up with #277. In addition, the icons also include a Passenger, Prisoner and Package "+" to indicate adding one and a "-" to indicate a drop off. This is a big help as well to plan out your routes for captains completing multiple missions and especially if your multiple passengers are competing for limited space.
Update #277 adds 4 new hybrid Barracks options as well as rebalancing the existing small slot Compact Barracks to be overall improved. The new medium slot Squad Barracks is a good way to get a few more crew capacity crossed with an officer bunk. The entire new series of Battle Barracks 1, 2 and 3 offer medium slot ways to keep a battle-trained and hardened crew at the ready, granting both additional Defense % and Boarding points.
For some of us, this is going to take some muscle memory retraining -- the Skip All button for Dialogs has moved to the bottom center of the screen to minimize needed mouse movement to reach it.
This update cleans up a few sneaky bugs with craft crashing during combat, certain ordering when destroyed by capital ship weapons and a number of other edge cases that were hard to reproduce. A huge thanks goes out to the captains who kept reporting and sharing details until we could finally hunt this down!
- Mission description now includes type icons for all segments (combats, op types, add/drop off passenger, etc) - Baracks Components Update: 4 New Barracks Components, rebalancing Compact Barracks - Added new medium slot "Squad Barracks" which provides a Cabin-Barracks hybrid - Added new medium "Battle Barracks 3" with Defense and Boarding Bonuses - Buffed Battle Prow Boarding Bonus, Added Minor Craft Defensive Buff - Improved Spice Festival Rumor description - Moved "Skip All" dialog button into middle center of screen - Fixed sort order for craft to be more closely aligned with components - Fixed issue with extreme hostility in ship encounter printing "ERROR" - Fixed story issue where sometimes story mission could start twice - Fixed a crash with Ship Combat with a type of Small Craft conflict - Fixed reported typos from Forum and Discord - Fixed crash issue with some hotkey combinations
[ 2021-08-30 01:21:09 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #277 is full of exciting adds and accompanied by a pile of new mods coming out on the Steam Workshop as well. We've delivered on a longtime community request to decorate Mission listing with action icons, the galactic starports are now installing 4 new types of hybrid barracks, we've buffed Battle Prows and even tweaked the placement of the Skip All button in dialog for faster play. On the Steam Workshop and modding side, we've had thousands of players subscribe to mods and welcomed 10 new mods to the ready-to-play family.
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Mod Spotlight!
Modding has been live for a week and we're excited to welcome
Fly Xeno Ships!
Have you ever dreamed of flying a xeno ship? Stalking the galaxy in a semi-organic, completely alien death cruiser? Or just wearing a really big hat? Then you must be Rychart! All joking aside, in this mod Shelgeroth Cultists of Rychart have unlocked the secrets to utilizing Xeno technology and now sell the xeno ships at their starports for a hefty sum. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2495203303&searchtext=
Mini-Mod Pack
The mini-mod pack provides a easy to modify set of changes to the game and encourages players to pick and chose among them to get just the modded experience they want. It is already a big toolkit put together by @davea and @ptarth, two of the mod creator veterans from the mod beta. Check it out! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586893280&searchtext=
SFX Overhaul
The newest SFX overhaul provides awesome sound FX for crew combat weapons, ship weapons, character injuries and all other parts of ship combat. Boom boom! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586103199&searchtext=
Mission Summaries
Mission step groups now include a full list of all the icons of the types of actions for their children. This gives you a quick way to look at a mission and know what is involved -- from crew to ship combat, from exploring to salvaging or intel, stash and cargo missions. The ability to pick and chose missions wisely -- and to do it quickly -- is way up with #277. In addition, the icons also include a Passenger, Prisoner and Package "+" to indicate adding one and a "-" to indicate a drop off. This is a big help as well to plan out your routes for captains completing multiple missions and especially if your multiple passengers are competing for limited space.
Hybrid Barracks
Update #277 adds 4 new hybrid Barracks options as well as rebalancing the existing small slot Compact Barracks to be overall improved. The new medium slot Squad Barracks is a good way to get a few more crew capacity crossed with an officer bunk. The entire new series of Battle Barracks 1, 2 and 3 offer medium slot ways to keep a battle-trained and hardened crew at the ready, granting both additional Defense % and Boarding points.
Dialog Skip All Button Moved
For some of us, this is going to take some muscle memory retraining -- the Skip All button for Dialogs has moved to the bottom center of the screen to minimize needed mouse movement to reach it.
Craft Crash Fixes
This update cleans up a few sneaky bugs with craft crashing during combat, certain ordering when destroyed by capital ship weapons and a number of other edge cases that were hard to reproduce. A huge thanks goes out to the captains who kept reporting and sharing details until we could finally hunt this down!
v3.2.1 - 8/29/2021
- Mission description now includes type icons for all segments (combats, op types, add/drop off passenger, etc) - Baracks Components Update: 4 New Barracks Components, rebalancing Compact Barracks - Added new medium slot "Squad Barracks" which provides a Cabin-Barracks hybrid - Added new medium "Battle Barracks 3" with Defense and Boarding Bonuses - Buffed Battle Prow Boarding Bonus, Added Minor Craft Defensive Buff - Improved Spice Festival Rumor description - Moved "Skip All" dialog button into middle center of screen - Fixed sort order for craft to be more closely aligned with components - Fixed issue with extreme hostility in ship encounter printing "ERROR" - Fixed story issue where sometimes story mission could start twice - Fixed a crash with Ship Combat with a type of Small Craft conflict - Fixed reported typos from Forum and Discord - Fixed crash issue with some hotkey combinations
Mod Spotlight: Spy Storyline and More!
This mod is the very first story mod for Star Traders: Frontiers, adding an entire new vignette introduced by Contact Valen Ducote. The Spy Pack isn't only a story mod, it also buffs spying and diplomatic abilities and Talents, adds a new Stealth Raptor ship and new spying components. The modder, @schrader, is a legend for the amount of work he put into creating this mod and helping us document and test story modding support during the private modding beta. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2578776840&searchtext=
This mod reduces complexity in ship build by completing removing the concept of Mass and therefore Mass Reducers from the game. With every ship component contributing only a small amount of Mass, the only thing you need to consider are your Small, Medium and Large slots and exactly how you'd like to set them up. Note, this mod really needs to go last in your mod config or it can cause crashes when combined with other ship or component mods. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2492139496&searchtext=
The first mod that creates a customized map for players to enjoy, this mod revamps the original default v1 map. New jump routes have helped improve playability and travel within the original map. After subscribing to the mod, you must delete any map_2.db file in your saved game folder, otherwise the mod changes will not take effect. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2498806096&searchtext=
[ 2021-08-26 18:05:26 CET ] [ Original post ]
With new mods coming online daily, we wanted to shine a big spotlight on some of the other awesome mods already available to play -- one that adds story content, one that removes complexity in ship builds and one that re-writes the default v1 map.
The modding creators have been working hard to bring their creations before the community. Be sure to tell them how much you appreciate their work, rate and share their mod!
Mod Spotlight!
Spy Pack and Story
This mod is the very first story mod for Star Traders: Frontiers, adding an entire new vignette introduced by Contact Valen Ducote. The Spy Pack isn't only a story mod, it also buffs spying and diplomatic abilities and Talents, adds a new Stealth Raptor ship and new spying components. The modder, @schrader, is a legend for the amount of work he put into creating this mod and helping us document and test story modding support during the private modding beta. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2578776840&searchtext=
No More Mass Reducers
This mod reduces complexity in ship build by completing removing the concept of Mass and therefore Mass Reducers from the game. With every ship component contributing only a small amount of Mass, the only thing you need to consider are your Small, Medium and Large slots and exactly how you'd like to set them up. Note, this mod really needs to go last in your mod config or it can cause crashes when combined with other ship or component mods. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2492139496&searchtext=
V1 Default Map Revamp
The first mod that creates a customized map for players to enjoy, this mod revamps the original default v1 map. New jump routes have helped improve playability and travel within the original map. After subscribing to the mod, you must delete any map_2.db file in your saved game folder, otherwise the mod changes will not take effect. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2498806096&searchtext=
Major Milestone "MODS"
The Steam Workshop is now open with some of the first mods created and tested during the modding beta. This first wave of mods covers a wide gamut -- from UI, to SFX to ship design and more. The creators are hanging out with us -- and the community -- in our Discord #stf_mods channel waiting for your feedback and ideas. To check out these mods, the process is straightforward: [olist] Visit the Steam Workshop, browse and pick some mods by clicking the green Subscribe button on the mod page. Your Steam client will download any subscribed mods. If you don't see the downloads queuing, then try restarting your Steam client (classic).
Select Star Traders: Frontiers within your Game Library and push the big green Play button. This will pop up a choice to play the regular version of the game or the moddable version of the game.
When you pick the mod version of the game, you'll see a very different main menu with your subscribed mods listed. Click "Activate" to enable any mod you'd like to include in your current game configuration.
Any time your mod configuration changes, you must restart the game.
[/olist]
We've worked for 4 months with the modding creator beta team to expand modding support and build out the needed documentation. With the first crop of mods now out and the Workshop going public, we know there is a lot more coming. There are multiple story mods for vignettes in the works -- some reportedly being released soon -- and a great frontier of new content that could be added including jobs, professions, story vignettes, eras, ships, outfits and more. Join us in Discord or on the new Modding discussion board in Steams community hub to post up your ideas for mods, find like minded creators and get busy! The modding documentation for players and creators is homed on the wiki.
Merchant Marine: Fly Casual is a game rebalance mod that was inspired by Space Opera and Western tales, small ships with small crews up against the universe. But has since broadened to include a larger number of changes to base ST:F gameplay. The mod aims to increase the options players have, while fundamentally retaining the gameplay of ST:F. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2539177784
Dave's New Component mod lives up to its name, dropping a boat load of new and awesome ship components into the game, such as new officer cabins (Quartermaster's HQ and the Shrine of Shalun), cargo holds that reduce the Mass of your ship, and the Caterpillar engine which reduces both ship encounters and fuel use drastically. Not stopping at components, Dave has also included a new ship, the Habbanya Frigate, a 5000 mass ship with a unique layout and at a price that's difficult to resist. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2560635932
A classic cheat mod, the Instamax Mod rockets your crew to level 40 in a blink of an eye and sets the price of every ship in the game to $1. Play with a new level of freedom and power as you cruise the void with max max max! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2500463612
This mod moves around the Talents of the MIlitary Officer and Commander Jobs to help each better focus on a single thing -- the new Army Officer is a crew combat expert while the Naval Commander excels in ship to ship battle in the void. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2501902114
Currently 15 of the game's nearly 40 crew jobs provide special bonus traits to a Captain who starts with one of them. Now with the Doctor Profession mod, you have a new archetype to create your captains with. Envisioning a quippy Captain McCoy, a steely-smart Simon Tam, or ...why not Zoidberg? This mod gives you medical-minded captains a nice boost. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2567607837
While we've opened the door for modders to create in the endless reach of the void, this is far from the end of our own content for Star Traders: Frontiers. We'll be updating the public roadmap in the months to come and still have more story content and Eras planned. If you enjoy the new features and capabilities still being added to the game without charge 3 years later, we hope you'll consider telling a friend and leaving a review.
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights
- Enables mod support and Steam Workshop
[ 2021-08-23 17:35:06 CET ] [ Original post ]
After months of working closely with the mod community, Star Traders: Frontiers is opening our Steam Workshop for all to contribute and enjoy. After years of interest and requests from the community, we've been able to add modding to Star Traders: Frontiers just after its 3 year anniversary. We owe a great thanks to the 100+ creators who have already started working in the modding space and helped us write documentation, improve mod capabilities and test out the entire workshop kit.
One of the first things many of you will notice is the game now offers you a choice at launch, to play either ST:F or its moddable version. These two versions of the game will both receive the same updates, but will store saves separately. Additionally, the mod version of the game comes with all of the Unlocks automatically achieved, so you may decide to play this version of the game just for that.
How to Get Started with Mods
The Steam Workshop is now open with some of the first mods created and tested during the modding beta. This first wave of mods covers a wide gamut -- from UI, to SFX to ship design and more. The creators are hanging out with us -- and the community -- in our Discord #stf_mods channel waiting for your feedback and ideas. To check out these mods, the process is straightforward: [olist]
Modding Going Forward
We've worked for 4 months with the modding creator beta team to expand modding support and build out the needed documentation. With the first crop of mods now out and the Workshop going public, we know there is a lot more coming. There are multiple story mods for vignettes in the works -- some reportedly being released soon -- and a great frontier of new content that could be added including jobs, professions, story vignettes, eras, ships, outfits and more. Join us in Discord or on the new Modding discussion board in Steams community hub to post up your ideas for mods, find like minded creators and get busy! The modding documentation for players and creators is homed on the wiki.
Mod Spotlights!
Merchant Marine: Fly Casual
Merchant Marine: Fly Casual is a game rebalance mod that was inspired by Space Opera and Western tales, small ships with small crews up against the universe. But has since broadened to include a larger number of changes to base ST:F gameplay. The mod aims to increase the options players have, while fundamentally retaining the gameplay of ST:F. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2539177784
Dave's New Ship Components
Dave's New Component mod lives up to its name, dropping a boat load of new and awesome ship components into the game, such as new officer cabins (Quartermaster's HQ and the Shrine of Shalun), cargo holds that reduce the Mass of your ship, and the Caterpillar engine which reduces both ship encounters and fuel use drastically. Not stopping at components, Dave has also included a new ship, the Habbanya Frigate, a 5000 mass ship with a unique layout and at a price that's difficult to resist. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2560635932
Davea's Instamax
A classic cheat mod, the Instamax Mod rockets your crew to level 40 in a blink of an eye and sets the price of every ship in the game to $1. Play with a new level of freedom and power as you cruise the void with max max max! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2500463612
Davea's Army Officer / Military Commander
This mod moves around the Talents of the MIlitary Officer and Commander Jobs to help each better focus on a single thing -- the new Army Officer is a crew combat expert while the Naval Commander excels in ship to ship battle in the void. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2501902114
Doctor Profession
Currently 15 of the game's nearly 40 crew jobs provide special bonus traits to a Captain who starts with one of them. Now with the Doctor Profession mod, you have a new archetype to create your captains with. Envisioning a quippy Captain McCoy, a steely-smart Simon Tam, or ...why not Zoidberg? This mod gives you medical-minded captains a nice boost. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2567607837
What's next for Star Traders?
While we've opened the door for modders to create in the endless reach of the void, this is far from the end of our own content for Star Traders: Frontiers. We'll be updating the public roadmap in the months to come and still have more story content and Eras planned. If you enjoy the new features and capabilities still being added to the game without charge 3 years later, we hope you'll consider telling a friend and leaving a review.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights
v3.1.85 - 8/23/2021
- Enables mod support and Steam Workshop
Update #275: Home Among the Stars
If you use Stars on your zones, they now appear right on the quadrant map as you pan or sail around. This really helps brings stars into constant consideration, avoids the need to use the Atlas and can help you spot and remember zones you might have otherwise forgotten. My captains are already grumbling about needing more colors!
Update #275 is more specific about the Depart messages in ship encounters for Merchants, Smugglers and Explorers, removing vague warnings about losing Reputation in the cases when that is not a possible result. We've also improved the text on the explorer card "Wild Revelations" and increase the number of crew who can possibly gain XP. The price on the Neutiquam Cruiser had to be increase a few hundred grand and finally we clarified some text in new game Templates around who can use gear (some crew!) While we've got a really nice update here, there is a lot more work going on behind the scenes to finalize the mod support in each of these updates. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review!
- Zone stars now appear on the quadrant map when sailing the void - Improved depart messages from ship encounters for Merchants, Smugglers and Explorers - Fixed "Wild Revelations" XP card in Explorer to reward 12 or more crew - Fixed price issues with Neutiquam Cruiser - Improved note about Contacts offering weapon/armor/gear in New Game Template
[ 2021-08-16 01:43:32 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #275 brings a major improvement to your quadrant map to make starred zones ever-visible as well as improving ship encounter messages, fixing an Explorer card, tweaking a ship price and making final preparation for the modding upgrade. Thanks, as always, to the community for making great suggestions on how to improve the game, reporting bugs and pointing out little places where we could put on a little more polish. We wouldn't have made it to Update #275 without such an amazing community gathered around the game, so many thanks!
The launch of Steam Workshop and full mod support is very close now. We're lucky to have had such an amazing crew of creators working on different improvements, adjustments and adds to the game. It's going to be awesome to see so many new things available to everyone on the first modding day!
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Stars on Quadrant Map
If you use Stars on your zones, they now appear right on the quadrant map as you pan or sail around. This really helps brings stars into constant consideration, avoids the need to use the Atlas and can help you spot and remember zones you might have otherwise forgotten. My captains are already grumbling about needing more colors!
Other Fixes
Update #275 is more specific about the Depart messages in ship encounters for Merchants, Smugglers and Explorers, removing vague warnings about losing Reputation in the cases when that is not a possible result. We've also improved the text on the explorer card "Wild Revelations" and increase the number of crew who can possibly gain XP. The price on the Neutiquam Cruiser had to be increase a few hundred grand and finally we clarified some text in new game Templates around who can use gear (some crew!) While we've got a really nice update here, there is a lot more work going on behind the scenes to finalize the mod support in each of these updates. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review!
v3.1.83 - 8/15/2021
- Zone stars now appear on the quadrant map when sailing the void - Improved depart messages from ship encounters for Merchants, Smugglers and Explorers - Fixed "Wild Revelations" XP card in Explorer to reward 12 or more crew - Fixed price issues with Neutiquam Cruiser - Improved note about Contacts offering weapon/armor/gear in New Game Template
Update #274: Long Shifts Night
Also, we're celebrating a major milestone -- 3 years since launch and nearly 300 updates! -- this Sunday, August 8th, on Twitch if you want to join us for a live stream party. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3003324016167573939 But speaking of new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
With this update, we've added a new section to the Talent Manifest to cover the wealth of options within Mission Talents. There are over 13 different variations listed here, each with their own angle or bonus. It is an immediately useful section in our playtesting and helps to highlight all the ways you can build out your crew to focus on mission success. This also gave us a chance to look closely at all the rules for the different mission Talents and we did uncover one bug. The Military Officer Talent "Power Play" Talent has long been using the wrong Attribute, relying on Resilience instead of Charisma for its Reputation bonus %. Now fixed!
The discount offered for Starport Boosted Rumor is now clearly codified into the game's Rumor list as well as displayed prominently in the starport when you're shopping. It's a solid 10% off, so you want to know in cases where that is saving you thousands of credits!
This one came off the presses just too good! We've removed the Armor bonus for the Tactician's Annex.
- Added Mission Talents to Talent Manifest (13 variations) - Corrected bug with Military Officer Talent "Power Play" which was using Resilience instead of Charisma - Improved Starport Boosted Rumor listing to clarify 10% discount on component upgrades and make visible in starport - Improved ship encounter bribe text for Merchants, Explorers Zealots and Bounty Hunters to be more specific - Removed Armor Bonus from new Tactician's Annex component - Fixed issue when enemy crew uses On Init debuff Talents such as Sniper's "Target Acquired" text printing in wrong side of screen - Fixed issue when enemy Wing Command users "Ripcord" Talent messing up the combat order
[ 2021-08-05 14:42:01 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #274 arrives with a bevy of community requested improvements, new features, content balance and minor tweaks. A huge thanks, as always, to the big community surrounding the game, posting feedback, suggestions and reviews. As Update #274 goes live and modding is just around the corner, we're hitting our 3 year launch anniversary for the game and looking back to marvel at all that has happened. We've been busy, hitting an average update every 4.8 days if you include the 8 months of Early Access before launch.
If you've enjoyed the massive expansions and constant improvements to the game, we hope you'll take minute to leave a review and tell a friend -- there is no better way to thank us!
Live Streaming STF's Birthday
Also, we're celebrating a major milestone -- 3 years since launch and nearly 300 updates! -- this Sunday, August 8th, on Twitch if you want to join us for a live stream party. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3003324016167573939 But speaking of new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
New Mission Manifest
With this update, we've added a new section to the Talent Manifest to cover the wealth of options within Mission Talents. There are over 13 different variations listed here, each with their own angle or bonus. It is an immediately useful section in our playtesting and helps to highlight all the ways you can build out your crew to focus on mission success. This also gave us a chance to look closely at all the rules for the different mission Talents and we did uncover one bug. The Military Officer Talent "Power Play" Talent has long been using the wrong Attribute, relying on Resilience instead of Charisma for its Reputation bonus %. Now fixed!
Starport Boosted Discount
The discount offered for Starport Boosted Rumor is now clearly codified into the game's Rumor list as well as displayed prominently in the starport when you're shopping. It's a solid 10% off, so you want to know in cases where that is saving you thousands of credits!
Tactician's Annex
This one came off the presses just too good! We've removed the Armor bonus for the Tactician's Annex.
v3.1.81 - 8/5/2021
- Added Mission Talents to Talent Manifest (13 variations) - Corrected bug with Military Officer Talent "Power Play" which was using Resilience instead of Charisma - Improved Starport Boosted Rumor listing to clarify 10% discount on component upgrades and make visible in starport - Improved ship encounter bribe text for Merchants, Explorers Zealots and Bounty Hunters to be more specific - Removed Armor Bonus from new Tactician's Annex component - Fixed issue when enemy crew uses On Init debuff Talents such as Sniper's "Target Acquired" text printing in wrong side of screen - Fixed issue when enemy Wing Command users "Ripcord" Talent messing up the combat order
Were celebrating 3 years & nearly 300 updates for Star Traders: Frontiers!
[ 2021-08-05 01:37:14 CET ] [ Original post ]
Its a crazy summer, but we didnt want to let this milestone pass unnoticed. Its been 3 years since Star Traders: Frontiers launched on Steam!
This Sunday, at 8pm EDT, join us on Twitch for a community party! Join us (Andrew, Cory, and a whole bunch of you awesome players) to...
- Look back at some of the biggest changes to ST:F in the nearly 300 free updates weve made to the game.
- Showcase some of our favorite player creations & achievements. (If you have fan art or screenshots of your favorite captains / crews / achievements youd like to share, post it in our Discord!)
- Get a preview of the upcoming Steam Workshop mod support.
- Talk about whats still to come for Star Traders, both in Frontiers and (potentially, some day, purely hypothetically), the next Star Traders game.
- Hang out, meet some cool people from the community, celebrate being a part of making Star Traders and Trese Brothers Games better and better (10+ years )!
Update #273: Shadows Between the Stars
Smugglers have always been the kings and queens of the Black Market, but their ability to break the law in the Exchanges has been limited. Now, we've upgraded their "Slippery Trader" Talent to enable it to completely remove any Rep loss from trading into a Trade Conflict, where before there was a minimum of -1 Rep loss always. Knowing the right things to say, the right people to find in any Exchange, you can feed the economic demand and avoid your dings. Merchants on the other hand can continue with "Bold Statements" to lawfully trade and gain Rep bonuses with the faction they are supporting.
Two new officer annex have been released in Update #273 giving even more ways for you to hybridize your officer space into other duties as well. Both Annex are medium slot components which provide a single officer living space along with another set of powerful bonuses. Sold only by Steel Song, the Warden's Annex includes a small prison cell for 1 prisoner who needs to be closely watched as well as minor boosts to Armor and Medical Rating. Sold only by Thulun, the Tactician's Annex can provide a ship with powerful offensive and anti-craft capabilities, with +10% Accuracy, To Hit Craft and Damage, as well as +10% Craft Evasion. It's perfect for a Gundeck Officer, Commander or other military-minded officer. The presence of such a hardened position on the ship also helps reduce Morale loss.
While many types of missions receive different levels of duration boosts, thanks to come of the modding creators in the beta, it came to our attention that that the Intel gathering missions -- faction, Conflict and Science -- all lacked an appropriate bonus. These self-directed missions can take a lot more time than a normal mission and often don't have the type of mufti-step traveling requirements that buoy many mission durations. With Update #273, we've added a healthy bonus to the duration of all of these missions and will keep an eye on them to see if more is needed.
This Talent is now appropriately colored to match with other Talents that destroy the enemy ship, as this is a key choice that removes other options like refueling and conscription.
Thanks again to the mod team, we've found and fixed some error handling holes in the New Game template system. Malformed template files, invalid template files or those with professions that are not in the game (added by mod, removed by mod) could all cause crashes or strange behavior in the system. We've hardened this component now in prep for mod release and for anyone sharing templates with friends!
- Improved Smuggler Talent "Slippery Trader" to be able to completely avoid Rep loss in Trade Conflict, used to preserve minimum -1 Rep - Added Steel Song-made Warden's Annex, new medium slot component that holds one officer and one prisoner - Added Thulun-made Tactician's Annex, new medium slot officer cabin granting accuracy/defense against capital ships and craft - Clarified bonus for Engineer Annex, maximum Engine Safety Bonus is +6 no matter which components you get it from - Increased Mission duration for those missions related to gathering Intel of any type - Updated icon from "Orchestrated Salvage" icon to match ship destruction color schemes - Improved error handling with New Game templates is JSON config file is missing or contains invalid syntax (hand-edit)
[ 2021-07-27 15:06:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #273 launches from the starport with 2 new powerful options for officer's annex in the medium slot, a major upgrade to Smuggler's ability to flaunt Trade Conflicts in the Exchange, better duration for all Intel gathering missions, Talent icon upgrade and improved error handling for new game templates (thanks mod team!). If you're enjoying the pace of updates and new content, remember to tell a friend and leave a review!
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
No One Saw That Trade
Smugglers have always been the kings and queens of the Black Market, but their ability to break the law in the Exchanges has been limited. Now, we've upgraded their "Slippery Trader" Talent to enable it to completely remove any Rep loss from trading into a Trade Conflict, where before there was a minimum of -1 Rep loss always. Knowing the right things to say, the right people to find in any Exchange, you can feed the economic demand and avoid your dings. Merchants on the other hand can continue with "Bold Statements" to lawfully trade and gain Rep bonuses with the faction they are supporting.
Warden and Tactician Come to Roost
Two new officer annex have been released in Update #273 giving even more ways for you to hybridize your officer space into other duties as well. Both Annex are medium slot components which provide a single officer living space along with another set of powerful bonuses. Sold only by Steel Song, the Warden's Annex includes a small prison cell for 1 prisoner who needs to be closely watched as well as minor boosts to Armor and Medical Rating. Sold only by Thulun, the Tactician's Annex can provide a ship with powerful offensive and anti-craft capabilities, with +10% Accuracy, To Hit Craft and Damage, as well as +10% Craft Evasion. It's perfect for a Gundeck Officer, Commander or other military-minded officer. The presence of such a hardened position on the ship also helps reduce Morale loss.
Intel Mission Duration
While many types of missions receive different levels of duration boosts, thanks to come of the modding creators in the beta, it came to our attention that that the Intel gathering missions -- faction, Conflict and Science -- all lacked an appropriate bonus. These self-directed missions can take a lot more time than a normal mission and often don't have the type of mufti-step traveling requirements that buoy many mission durations. With Update #273, we've added a healthy bonus to the duration of all of these missions and will keep an eye on them to see if more is needed.
Orchestrated Salvage
This Talent is now appropriately colored to match with other Talents that destroy the enemy ship, as this is a key choice that removes other options like refueling and conscription.
Template Error Handling
Thanks again to the mod team, we've found and fixed some error handling holes in the New Game template system. Malformed template files, invalid template files or those with professions that are not in the game (added by mod, removed by mod) could all cause crashes or strange behavior in the system. We've hardened this component now in prep for mod release and for anyone sharing templates with friends!
v3.1.79 - Update #273:
- Improved Smuggler Talent "Slippery Trader" to be able to completely avoid Rep loss in Trade Conflict, used to preserve minimum -1 Rep - Added Steel Song-made Warden's Annex, new medium slot component that holds one officer and one prisoner - Added Thulun-made Tactician's Annex, new medium slot officer cabin granting accuracy/defense against capital ships and craft - Clarified bonus for Engineer Annex, maximum Engine Safety Bonus is +6 no matter which components you get it from - Increased Mission duration for those missions related to gathering Intel of any type - Updated icon from "Orchestrated Salvage" icon to match ship destruction color schemes - Improved error handling with New Game templates is JSON config file is missing or contains invalid syntax (hand-edit)
Update #272: Brace for Impact!
The mod creator's beta has been chugging along for almost two months and we are now closing in our early August launch date. Modders have cooked up some amazing things that will get featured in the first weeks -- rebalance mods, changes to ship design, new ships, flying xeno ships (!!!) and the first story mods are now under development! If you want to join the beta and get something in under the deadline to get featured in our mod launch celebration, now is the time. All the steps to join up are posted on the Steam group, so sign up today and let's create together.
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Medical Rating can be very helpful on a ship as a supporting stat for your Doctors and Combat Medics, but it is used in unique ways compared to many of your other ship stats. Its important role in traveling events was not clear enough in the game, so with this update we've improved the hover in Ship Status describing Medical Rating and also clearly labeled its effect on Doctor Skill travel events in the travel log. We'll even included it here -- each point of Medical Rating adds +3 Standard Dice to your Doctor Skill traveling tests, where your crew and officer's Doctor Skill adds +1 Strong Dice per point. For ships of any size, Medical Rating is a big help to pass these tests, especially for larger ones. For all the rest of Medical Rating's far reaching effects, check out the wiki: https://startraders.fandom.com/wiki/Medical_Rating
The missions added in Update #271 were using the new system available to the modders. We have now rewritten that system to be more flexible and also rebalanced it to prevent these missions from appearing too heavily in the rotation. Specifically, in this case, "Nomadic Defender" and "Mercantile Negotiation" will appear less often, especially in the early game.
We've cleaned up 2 small logging issues -- where Spice Hall would mislog the Morale bonuses for Libertine Trait and where a Contact would fund a Spice Festival Rumor but the log would report it was Mercs. A huge thanks to everyone watching the game's simulation so closely and reporting these minor, but important, issues! Every bug must die :D
- Improved mission weighting of new mission "Nomadic Defender" and "Mercantile Negotiation" to be more in line with other similar missions - Improved log for Doctor traveling events to highlight the value of Medical Rating for saves - Improved tooltip on Medical Rating, stating that it adds exactly +3 standard dice to Doctor travel saves per point - Fixed spice hall log issue with Libertine Trait printing incorrect Morale bonus - Fixed Zone News log issues misreporting a Contact funding a Spice Festival Rumor as a Mercs Rumor
[ 2021-07-18 01:48:29 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #272 rolls out a nice set of small polishing improvements to the core game and another set of improvements to help the mod creators working on everything from story to new ships. With Update #272, we've improved the balance of how often the new missions appear and added new logs and hovers to ensure that Medical Rating is given its full due.
Mod Creators, last chance to get in beta!
The mod creator's beta has been chugging along for almost two months and we are now closing in our early August launch date. Modders have cooked up some amazing things that will get featured in the first weeks -- rebalance mods, changes to ship design, new ships, flying xeno ships (!!!) and the first story mods are now under development! If you want to join the beta and get something in under the deadline to get featured in our mod launch celebration, now is the time. All the steps to join up are posted on the Steam group, so sign up today and let's create together.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Medical Rating
Medical Rating can be very helpful on a ship as a supporting stat for your Doctors and Combat Medics, but it is used in unique ways compared to many of your other ship stats. Its important role in traveling events was not clear enough in the game, so with this update we've improved the hover in Ship Status describing Medical Rating and also clearly labeled its effect on Doctor Skill travel events in the travel log. We'll even included it here -- each point of Medical Rating adds +3 Standard Dice to your Doctor Skill traveling tests, where your crew and officer's Doctor Skill adds +1 Strong Dice per point. For ships of any size, Medical Rating is a big help to pass these tests, especially for larger ones. For all the rest of Medical Rating's far reaching effects, check out the wiki: https://startraders.fandom.com/wiki/Medical_Rating
Mission Rebalance
The missions added in Update #271 were using the new system available to the modders. We have now rewritten that system to be more flexible and also rebalanced it to prevent these missions from appearing too heavily in the rotation. Specifically, in this case, "Nomadic Defender" and "Mercantile Negotiation" will appear less often, especially in the early game.
Fixed Logging
We've cleaned up 2 small logging issues -- where Spice Hall would mislog the Morale bonuses for Libertine Trait and where a Contact would fund a Spice Festival Rumor but the log would report it was Mercs. A huge thanks to everyone watching the game's simulation so closely and reporting these minor, but important, issues! Every bug must die :D
v3.1.77 - 7/17/2021
- Improved mission weighting of new mission "Nomadic Defender" and "Mercantile Negotiation" to be more in line with other similar missions - Improved log for Doctor traveling events to highlight the value of Medical Rating for saves - Improved tooltip on Medical Rating, stating that it adds exactly +3 standard dice to Doctor travel saves per point - Fixed spice hall log issue with Libertine Trait printing incorrect Morale bonus - Fixed Zone News log issues misreporting a Contact funding a Spice Festival Rumor as a Mercs Rumor
Last Days 50% Off + Update #271: Industrial Boom
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
In general, the differentiation between supplies and demands are more extreme and more diverse now within the raw material and manufactured goods markets. The production of ores has been increased for Mining zones and the demand for ores in turn has been increased in Refineries. This flows down the chain, with the output of refined metals increasing at those Refineries and finally, Industrial now demands more raw and refined materials than ever before
The production output level of all Industrial zones has increased, making Industrial worlds capable of being a larger profit center for a Star Trader, better fulfilling mission demand, and possibly able to serve and exhaust the demand in multiple nearby zone markets.
In a small but important tweak, the Duke Contact Type can now offer up to grade 3 Permits instead of only grade 2. As a local zone nobility, the Duke has a lot of interest in all areas of operation, not only limited to military and the navy. Their economic clout deserves to drive negotiations at a Permit 3 level.
- Re-balanced Supply and Demand Hydrogen Fuel, Methane Fuel - Increased Trade Value of Hydrogen Fuel by 40% - Re-balanced the trade of Ores, Metals and Alloys - Increased Production output of all Industrial Zones - Base Permit Level available from Duke Contact increased to 3
[ 2021-07-06 02:02:31 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #271 focuses on a batch of changes to the economic simulation, reworking some of the game world economy to the supply and demand chain of raw to refined to manufactured goods stronger and more clearly hungry for supply. Mines mine more, refineries want more metal and refine more, and industrial zones produce more. While we've been working to update other areas of the game, we've been completing a cycle of study and analysis on the game world's economy and Update #271 puts the resulting changes into action.
This one also has a big chunk of update for the modders -- enabling full proc-gen mission, story mission and storyline support!
For a different flavor of Trese Brothers sci-fi, check out Cyber Knights!
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Economic Rebalance
In general, the differentiation between supplies and demands are more extreme and more diverse now within the raw material and manufactured goods markets. The production of ores has been increased for Mining zones and the demand for ores in turn has been increased in Refineries. This flows down the chain, with the output of refined metals increasing at those Refineries and finally, Industrial now demands more raw and refined materials than ever before
Industrial Booms
The production output level of all Industrial zones has increased, making Industrial worlds capable of being a larger profit center for a Star Trader, better fulfilling mission demand, and possibly able to serve and exhaust the demand in multiple nearby zone markets.
Duke Permits
In a small but important tweak, the Duke Contact Type can now offer up to grade 3 Permits instead of only grade 2. As a local zone nobility, the Duke has a lot of interest in all areas of operation, not only limited to military and the navy. Their economic clout deserves to drive negotiations at a Permit 3 level.
v3.1.75 - 7/5/2021
- Re-balanced Supply and Demand Hydrogen Fuel, Methane Fuel - Increased Trade Value of Hydrogen Fuel by 40% - Re-balanced the trade of Ores, Metals and Alloys - Increased Production output of all Industrial Zones - Base Permit Level available from Duke Contact increased to 3
Save Summery 50% and Update #270: Void Nomad
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Update #270 adds 2 new mission types of the game -- an extended roving patrol mission with a lot of options about where and when to patrol and a diplomatic mission that mixes both negotiation, escorting a passenger and delivering cargo to get the deal done. Internally, we've prepped the game engine for modders to add new missions but to make sure we put the system through all of its paces, we'll be adding a series of new missions over the next few updates, specifically looking for mission types and sequences that are underserved or could have more interesting variety, such as the combo of diplomacy-passenger-cargo. We've also made a change to how cargo delivery missions affect Rep. If you're delivering cargo to a faction that isn't the one who offered the mission (working for Cadar, delivering to Thulun) you will no longer lose Rep with Thulun.
For some paths through Fractured Factions storyline, the special faction-specific ship story component was never appearing. We've now fixed that bug for new captains and for captains who have passed through the storylnie. Within a few years, it should show up next time you visit a Cadar world. This update catches up on a bug introduced by the internal modding work we've been doing for the mod creators. During the Jyeeta Era, some of the missions were no longer turning up Jyeeta opponents. This has been resolved!
Your crew will now refuse to engage in any orbital operations once it nears mutiny. In some cases, it was possible to run orbital ops nearly endlessly without landing on a zone. You can still do this if you are excelling at the card game -- finding ways to increase Morale, steal fuel, etc -- but if things are falling apart, you'll now reach a bottom out point where the crew refuses to keep going.
We've fixed an issue reported with Scientist "Genetic Sequencing" Talent where it was producing more than the maximum of 10 Scientific Intel. Sorry! Nerf!
- Added new "Nomadic Defender" mission type, long trip patrol - Added new "Mercantile Negotiation" help mediate a contract and then seal the deal with a cargo delivery - Cargo missions no longer damage Rep with target faction - Added prevention of all orbital ops if crew is at mutiny levels of Morale - Fixed bug in "Fractured Factions" that could prevent new ship components from appearing - Fixed issue where some xeno story missions -- such as Jyeeta Era -- could turn up human enemies - Fixed issue with Scientist "Genetic Sequencing" producing over maximum Scientific Intel
[ 2021-07-02 17:14:08 CET ] [ Original post ]
There are only a few days left in this year's Steam Summer Sale which boasts the best price for the year for Star Traders: Frontiers. The bridge awaits, captain!
We're constantly working to improve and expand the game and Update #270 hits those notes with new mission content, new rules for orbital ops, fixing a bug in the latest "Fractured Factions" storyline and a series of bugs with Jyeeta Era missions. A lot of the work in the last two months has been to expand and round out mod support for the mod creators in the on-going beta and Update #270 is no different, prepping the way for modders to create their own proc-gen missions. If you like the pace of updates, please consider leaving a review and telling a friend -- especially during Summer Sale!
For a different flavor of Trese Brothers sci-fi, check out Cyber Knights!
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Missions
Update #270 adds 2 new mission types of the game -- an extended roving patrol mission with a lot of options about where and when to patrol and a diplomatic mission that mixes both negotiation, escorting a passenger and delivering cargo to get the deal done. Internally, we've prepped the game engine for modders to add new missions but to make sure we put the system through all of its paces, we'll be adding a series of new missions over the next few updates, specifically looking for mission types and sequences that are underserved or could have more interesting variety, such as the combo of diplomacy-passenger-cargo. We've also made a change to how cargo delivery missions affect Rep. If you're delivering cargo to a faction that isn't the one who offered the mission (working for Cadar, delivering to Thulun) you will no longer lose Rep with Thulun.
Fractured Factions and Jyeeta Fixes
For some paths through Fractured Factions storyline, the special faction-specific ship story component was never appearing. We've now fixed that bug for new captains and for captains who have passed through the storylnie. Within a few years, it should show up next time you visit a Cadar world. This update catches up on a bug introduced by the internal modding work we've been doing for the mod creators. During the Jyeeta Era, some of the missions were no longer turning up Jyeeta opponents. This has been resolved!
Mutinous Orbital Ops
Your crew will now refuse to engage in any orbital operations once it nears mutiny. In some cases, it was possible to run orbital ops nearly endlessly without landing on a zone. You can still do this if you are excelling at the card game -- finding ways to increase Morale, steal fuel, etc -- but if things are falling apart, you'll now reach a bottom out point where the crew refuses to keep going.
Genetic Sequencing
We've fixed an issue reported with Scientist "Genetic Sequencing" Talent where it was producing more than the maximum of 10 Scientific Intel. Sorry! Nerf!
v3.1.73 - 7/2/2021
- Added new "Nomadic Defender" mission type, long trip patrol - Added new "Mercantile Negotiation" help mediate a contract and then seal the deal with a cargo delivery - Cargo missions no longer damage Rep with target faction - Added prevention of all orbital ops if crew is at mutiny levels of Morale - Fixed bug in "Fractured Factions" that could prevent new ship components from appearing - Fixed issue where some xeno story missions -- such as Jyeeta Era -- could turn up human enemies - Fixed issue with Scientist "Genetic Sequencing" producing over maximum Scientific Intel
Save 50% Summer Deal and Update #269: Welcome Captains!
It is always good to see new faces in the crew, even among your enemies. Update #269 adds 4 new faces in total, including some masculine options with longer hair and 2 varieties of beards. With this update, we've reached 104 total faces in the game. Our next art expansion will all focus on additional outfits and a few final hats, but we're excited to be looking toward the mods release that will hopefully invite more artists to join in and expand the options!
Update #268 debuted a new story vignette, and its always good to have a follow-up release with some fixes and improvements after a big content release. With this update, we've tweaked and improved some of the Trait mutation paths, especially around trading and spying in the void. We've also fixed an on-going bug with the Mechanic Talent "Ordnance Overhaul" which was crashing in some very specific scenarios based on what weapons and ship components were damaged. We've fixed a mistake in the description for the Shock Trooper Talent "Retaliation" which will return fire with Braced Fire if you have trained it. Finally, there was a bug in the Jyeeta Era where the Coalition Commander --if present -- offered missions but without any explanation of what they were. Happy Summer Sale all! May your wishlists delivery many delights :D
- Added 4 new character faces - long hair, beards, blue hair! - Improved Trait mutation paths - Fixed crash with Mechanic "Ordnance Overhaul" Talent - Fixed typo for Shock Trooper "Retaliation" can use Talent "Braced Fire" as its counter - Fixed issue with Coalition Commander having empty mission box during Jyeeta Era
[ 2021-06-27 16:19:42 CET ] [ Original post ]
The Steam Summer sale is on with the best deal of the year for new captains -- a galactic 50% off. Welcome to the hundreds of new Star Traders firing up their engines and taking to the void. The community forums are very friendly place to ask for advice or post feedback on the game or please join us on the official Trese Brothers Discord for help, strategies or more.
Update #269 comes with exciting new new character faces and a number of improvements fixes coming straight out of the community. We sure to share the game this week and consider posting a review if you're enjoying the pace of updates.
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
4 New Faces
It is always good to see new faces in the crew, even among your enemies. Update #269 adds 4 new faces in total, including some masculine options with longer hair and 2 varieties of beards. With this update, we've reached 104 total faces in the game. Our next art expansion will all focus on additional outfits and a few final hats, but we're excited to be looking toward the mods release that will hopefully invite more artists to join in and expand the options!
Follow-up Fixes
Update #268 debuted a new story vignette, and its always good to have a follow-up release with some fixes and improvements after a big content release. With this update, we've tweaked and improved some of the Trait mutation paths, especially around trading and spying in the void. We've also fixed an on-going bug with the Mechanic Talent "Ordnance Overhaul" which was crashing in some very specific scenarios based on what weapons and ship components were damaged. We've fixed a mistake in the description for the Shock Trooper Talent "Retaliation" which will return fire with Braced Fire if you have trained it. Finally, there was a bug in the Jyeeta Era where the Coalition Commander --if present -- offered missions but without any explanation of what they were. Happy Summer Sale all! May your wishlists delivery many delights :D
v3.1.71 - 6/27/2021
- Added 4 new character faces - long hair, beards, blue hair! - Improved Trait mutation paths - Fixed crash with Mechanic "Ordnance Overhaul" Talent - Fixed typo for Shock Trooper "Retaliation" can use Talent "Braced Fire" as its counter - Fixed issue with Coalition Commander having empty mission box during Jyeeta Era
Update #268: Fractured Factions
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
The looming maw of faction politics awaits you in the "Fractured Factions" story vignette. Keep an eye out for the Contact Felix Slayer Na'Zee who will meet you at the starport when landing at a Cadar world. We won't include any more spoilers here, but through the multiple endings, you stand to make powerful enemies, allies, and gain access to multiple powerful ship components and/or a unique crew weapon. As the quadrants have reunited, the balance of power is in constant shift ...
Update #267 included a bug that type-locked all launch bays and made it impossible to replace them with any other type of component. This was an unintentional change due to some updates made for the growing modding community and drastically changes the landscape of ship and hull design. We've rolled this bug back and now Launch Bays can be swapped out once again.
With Update #268 we've added 7 new pieces of card art to help increase the visible readability of orbital ops. When you play enough of the ops games, its extremely helpful to just be able to see the card art and grok the hand, so these new cards -- for 3 tiers of ship and crew danger and and updated mission success card -- all improve the pace of play as well as the consistency of look in a very large set of cards.
We've fixed a lingering bug with Sort by Job not working when conscripting enemy crew. Also, the Blade Dancer's Talent "Ritualized Retreat" was previously not dubbed a "Smuggle" Talent and now it is correctly marked.
- Added new story vignette "Fractured Faction" starting on Cadar worlds with Felix Slayer Na'Zee - Get tangled up in a web of deadly faction politics - Multiple possible unique story Ship Components unlocked by story -- top tier new lance weaponry - Story includes new high powered Contact type, so called "Ex-Naval Commander" - Story includes chance to earn a new high powered level 11 blade - Added 7 new orbital ops card art for missions, and 3 tiers of ship and crew dangers - Fixed issue with all Launch Bays being type-locked as of 3.1.67 - Fixed "Sort by Job" not working when conscripting enemy crew - Fixed label on Blade Dancer Talent "Ritualized Retreat" to market it as a smuggling Talent
[ 2021-06-23 23:11:58 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #268 roars into summer with a new and challenging story vignette, Fractured Factions, a much needed fix to type-locked Launch Bays and new card art for orbital ops. The newest storyline will join any existing game after the Coalition has formed and is started by a Contact "Felix Slayer Na'Zee." As always, we want to give a shout out to all of our Kickstarter backers who gave us so many great ideas for stories over the years.
If you're enjoying the new content, please take a moment to leave a review, post some feedback and tell a friend.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Fractured Factions Storyline
The looming maw of faction politics awaits you in the "Fractured Factions" story vignette. Keep an eye out for the Contact Felix Slayer Na'Zee who will meet you at the starport when landing at a Cadar world. We won't include any more spoilers here, but through the multiple endings, you stand to make powerful enemies, allies, and gain access to multiple powerful ship components and/or a unique crew weapon. As the quadrants have reunited, the balance of power is in constant shift ...
Unlocked Launch Bays
Update #267 included a bug that type-locked all launch bays and made it impossible to replace them with any other type of component. This was an unintentional change due to some updates made for the growing modding community and drastically changes the landscape of ship and hull design. We've rolled this bug back and now Launch Bays can be swapped out once again.
New Card Art
With Update #268 we've added 7 new pieces of card art to help increase the visible readability of orbital ops. When you play enough of the ops games, its extremely helpful to just be able to see the card art and grok the hand, so these new cards -- for 3 tiers of ship and crew danger and and updated mission success card -- all improve the pace of play as well as the consistency of look in a very large set of cards.
Conscription Sort and Ritualized Retreat
We've fixed a lingering bug with Sort by Job not working when conscripting enemy crew. Also, the Blade Dancer's Talent "Ritualized Retreat" was previously not dubbed a "Smuggle" Talent and now it is correctly marked.
v3.1.69 - 6/23/2021
- Added new story vignette "Fractured Faction" starting on Cadar worlds with Felix Slayer Na'Zee - Get tangled up in a web of deadly faction politics - Multiple possible unique story Ship Components unlocked by story -- top tier new lance weaponry - Story includes new high powered Contact type, so called "Ex-Naval Commander" - Story includes chance to earn a new high powered level 11 blade - Added 7 new orbital ops card art for missions, and 3 tiers of ship and crew dangers - Fixed issue with all Launch Bays being type-locked as of 3.1.67 - Fixed "Sort by Job" not working when conscripting enemy crew - Fixed label on Blade Dancer Talent "Ritualized Retreat" to market it as a smuggling Talent
Update #267: In the Engine Room
Saboteur's powerful rank 15 Talent is the rare exception that allows you to always damage the enemy void engine. It's powerful but when we set it up, we included one major balancing requirement -- that the Void Engine have 0% Damage. Thanks to helpful feedback from the community, we've eased this restriction back to 25%. The 0% rule was preventing the Talent from being used in all sorts of cases and making it hard to mix and match ship weapons and boarding and the Talent successfully as a glancing hit would do 6% Damage to the Engine and tank your opening boarding strategy. Saboteur on!
There are many different storylines that result in special ship components and craft being added to the starports, and most often faction-specific starports. These are explained in dialog, but that can be too easy to miss and so with this update we've ensured that whenever you encounter one of these story events, it always writes a clear and concise captain's log entry that includes the key details -- the component name, slot size, type and faction, if it is limited.
Those ship combat Talents like the Mechanic's "Rushed Patches" that effect mid-combat repair now include the full list of repaired components in the ship combat log. This helps cut down any detective work you might have been doing to figure out what exactly was repaired by 28%!
The awesome new effect summary on each crew roster entry had one flaw -- it could be used to reveal hidden Traits as it was including their bonuses. We've now resolved this issue and hidden Traits are now longer factored into the summary.
Your Bridge, Engine and Hyperwarp Drive are all type-locked components. This means you can't replace them with a component of any other type. To help reinforce this, we've added the type-locked icon to more screens -- the ship preview and component replacement screens. This is helpful as we've also granted the ability for modders to type-lock anything they want on any ship in this update, so for mods that perhaps force hangar bays, weapon slots, explorer slots or cargo slots on ships, this extra reinforced display will be critical.
And more of course! We have resolved an issue where crew conscripted from United Coalition ships had no Traits. There were a few Talents that stated they could "reroll any card" which has been fixed to "reroll any risk card." You will no longer lose Templar Rep for one of the steps in the middle of the "Avengent Down" story mission. The gear "Falcon Reticle" now correctly buffs Ranged Accuracy instead of Melee.
When it arrives (as the modder update lags a bit for extra testing), it will contain a number of nice improvements for our beta creators. In the utility bucket, the main menu now includes a "MODS ENABLED" badge that can help you be sure when you're running the modded version. We've also added a "Self Test" button to the main menu which will run some of our automated tests on your database, checking to make sure all the images and components load. In the feature bucket, we've enabled the use of data.ShipDataCompartment.typeLocked field to type-lock any component on any ship. This opens up a whole world of exciting possibilities to really change the use-case for a ship. With type-locking you can force a ship to be carrier, or an orbital operations focused boat or a gunship with 6 guns. The AI will also adhere to these rules. Finally, to help with graphical mods each mod can now include its own sprite sheet that overrides the baseline sprite sheets. This allows modders to add new icons and images without having to compete of the same set of baseline sprite sheets or every worry about merges.
- Improved Saboteur's Engine Disruption to allow it to work if Engine is less than 25% damaged - All story events that add ship components to starports clearly list Faction, component name and slot size in the captain's log - Ship combat Talents that repair components mid-combat now report exact list of repaired components in log - Effect Summary of all bonuses in crew roster no longer includes bonuses from unknown Traits - Type locked ship components (hyperwarp, bridge, engine) are shown locked in ship upgrade screen - Fixed issue where Conscripted United Coalition crew had no starting Traits - Fixed description of "Mitigation Protocols" and "Unflinching Risk" to read "reroll any risk card" - Fixed issues with Dissension/Consolidation not affecting all story dialog in Plague Era - Fixed gear "Falcon Reticle" to correctly buff ranged accuracy - Fixed Templar Rep loss during one step of mission "Avengent Down" - Added "Kraesline Shards" and "Jyeeta Xeno Artifacts" to the wiki For THE MODDERS - Each mod can now provide its own uniquely named spritesheet to overload core game art - Ship components can be locked by type using the data.ShipCompartment.typeLocked field
[ 2021-06-14 22:17:43 CET ] [ Original post ]
Summer has slowed our pace of updates down a little bit but still, the updates must flow. Update #267 improves Saboteur's highest level Talent, ensures that the captain's log always includes key details about story-added ship components, improves combat logging for mid-combat repair Talents, and finally hides hidden Trait bonuses from the character list effect summary. Along with a heap of community requested tweaks and fixes, it also has some important items for the modding creator community who continues to put together some really exciting stuff in advance of the upcoming full launch of mods for Star Traders: Frontiers.
Speaking of moar, better, faster -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Engine Disruption
Saboteur's powerful rank 15 Talent is the rare exception that allows you to always damage the enemy void engine. It's powerful but when we set it up, we included one major balancing requirement -- that the Void Engine have 0% Damage. Thanks to helpful feedback from the community, we've eased this restriction back to 25%. The 0% rule was preventing the Talent from being used in all sorts of cases and making it hard to mix and match ship weapons and boarding and the Talent successfully as a glancing hit would do 6% Damage to the Engine and tank your opening boarding strategy. Saboteur on!
Story-Driven Ship Components and Craft
There are many different storylines that result in special ship components and craft being added to the starports, and most often faction-specific starports. These are explained in dialog, but that can be too easy to miss and so with this update we've ensured that whenever you encounter one of these story events, it always writes a clear and concise captain's log entry that includes the key details -- the component name, slot size, type and faction, if it is limited.
Mid-Combat Repair
Those ship combat Talents like the Mechanic's "Rushed Patches" that effect mid-combat repair now include the full list of repaired components in the ship combat log. This helps cut down any detective work you might have been doing to figure out what exactly was repaired by 28%!
Effect Summary and Hidden Traits
The awesome new effect summary on each crew roster entry had one flaw -- it could be used to reveal hidden Traits as it was including their bonuses. We've now resolved this issue and hidden Traits are now longer factored into the summary.
Type-Locked Components
Your Bridge, Engine and Hyperwarp Drive are all type-locked components. This means you can't replace them with a component of any other type. To help reinforce this, we've added the type-locked icon to more screens -- the ship preview and component replacement screens. This is helpful as we've also granted the ability for modders to type-lock anything they want on any ship in this update, so for mods that perhaps force hangar bays, weapon slots, explorer slots or cargo slots on ships, this extra reinforced display will be critical.
And More...
And more of course! We have resolved an issue where crew conscripted from United Coalition ships had no Traits. There were a few Talents that stated they could "reroll any card" which has been fixed to "reroll any risk card." You will no longer lose Templar Rep for one of the steps in the middle of the "Avengent Down" story mission. The gear "Falcon Reticle" now correctly buffs Ranged Accuracy instead of Melee.
For the Modders
When it arrives (as the modder update lags a bit for extra testing), it will contain a number of nice improvements for our beta creators. In the utility bucket, the main menu now includes a "MODS ENABLED" badge that can help you be sure when you're running the modded version. We've also added a "Self Test" button to the main menu which will run some of our automated tests on your database, checking to make sure all the images and components load. In the feature bucket, we've enabled the use of data.ShipDataCompartment.typeLocked field to type-lock any component on any ship. This opens up a whole world of exciting possibilities to really change the use-case for a ship. With type-locking you can force a ship to be carrier, or an orbital operations focused boat or a gunship with 6 guns. The AI will also adhere to these rules. Finally, to help with graphical mods each mod can now include its own sprite sheet that overrides the baseline sprite sheets. This allows modders to add new icons and images without having to compete of the same set of baseline sprite sheets or every worry about merges.
v3.1.67 - 6/14/2021
- Improved Saboteur's Engine Disruption to allow it to work if Engine is less than 25% damaged - All story events that add ship components to starports clearly list Faction, component name and slot size in the captain's log - Ship combat Talents that repair components mid-combat now report exact list of repaired components in log - Effect Summary of all bonuses in crew roster no longer includes bonuses from unknown Traits - Type locked ship components (hyperwarp, bridge, engine) are shown locked in ship upgrade screen - Fixed issue where Conscripted United Coalition crew had no starting Traits - Fixed description of "Mitigation Protocols" and "Unflinching Risk" to read "reroll any risk card" - Fixed issues with Dissension/Consolidation not affecting all story dialog in Plague Era - Fixed gear "Falcon Reticle" to correctly buff ranged accuracy - Fixed Templar Rep loss during one step of mission "Avengent Down" - Added "Kraesline Shards" and "Jyeeta Xeno Artifacts" to the wiki For THE MODDERS - Each mod can now provide its own uniquely named spritesheet to overload core game art - Ship components can be locked by type using the data.ShipCompartment.typeLocked field
Update #266: New Profession + This One is for the Modders
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
A Shock Trooper has been toughened and trained by some faction military, prepared for deadly battle in the closest of quarters. Whatever profession or career these warriors seek, they are likely to do it from the front ranks. Picking this profession as a new captain may be especially challenging, if you plan to fight in the traditional way of a Shock Trooper. Access to the Shock Trooper profession has been locked behind the "Heir Apparent" unlock, which you can gain by helping Valencia on Normal or higher Difficulty. Equipped with a snubber and the Battle Proven Trait ("Often set to a single, resolute purpose, +2 Fortitude, +2 Resilience, +2 Initiative, +20% Debuff Resist, Morale never breaks in Crew Combat") and the Undisputed Boarder Trait ("Charging to battle even from the bridge of their ship, gains +20 Boarding, +1 Initiative and +5 Range Change in Ship Combat") the Shock Trooper captain is a force to be reckoned with. Be sure to set your Attributes high Priority!
An exciting early selection of mods is already coalescing!
Last week we were excited to open the mod creators beta Steam group and have welcomed over 60 creators now to check out the tools, see what can be done and get their hands dirty. This flurry of activity has resulted in a list of places where we want to improve our support. But, as we are with updates for the mainline, we're jumping on updates for the modders during this beta process. Rapid improvements are already arriving! :D This 3.1.61 update for modding version of the game will arrive soon. When it does -- A new data.JobConfig table now enables full add / replace / remove for both jobs and starting professions. This data.JobConfig table also allows easy marking of which Jobs have faction affinity, so you can add more, remove or change these as well. The Jobs that are recruited by Contact Traits can now be modified through the data.ContactTrait table. And we've retooled the SFX priority system to ensure all the database fields are used -- Talent > Weapon > default. We'll be posting more on this update in the mod creators beta Steam group if you are interested! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3067493264357330871
- Added new Shock Trooper profession, the hardened military operative - New unique Traits for Shock Trooper profession - Shock Trooper profession requires "Heir Apparent" unlock (protect Valencia, Normal difficulty) - Minor improvements to sorting of ship combat Talents within range groups - Fixed misprints with Hota-Cored Shells boarding talent
- Jobs and starting Professions now ready to be modded - Faction affinity for Jobs now ready to be modded - Jobs recruited by Contact Trait now ready to be modded - Override SFX for ship weapon and crew weapons now ready to be modded
[ 2021-05-29 16:14:46 CET ] [ Original post ]
Last week, we opened the beta for mod creators, inviting them to come and check out the tools, get their feet wet and start creating. It has been a wild and wonderful week to see them in action and to learn about places where we can improve our support to really let their creativity run free in in the void.
While Update #266 is very much for our mod creators it also includes a very exciting -- and to be honest, a very risk -- starting profession! The Shock Trooper Captain has arrived and it is a rush. Living on the front line of every fight a snubber in hand. Hold on to your butts, here goes!
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Shock Trooper
A Shock Trooper has been toughened and trained by some faction military, prepared for deadly battle in the closest of quarters. Whatever profession or career these warriors seek, they are likely to do it from the front ranks. Picking this profession as a new captain may be especially challenging, if you plan to fight in the traditional way of a Shock Trooper. Access to the Shock Trooper profession has been locked behind the "Heir Apparent" unlock, which you can gain by helping Valencia on Normal or higher Difficulty. Equipped with a snubber and the Battle Proven Trait ("Often set to a single, resolute purpose, +2 Fortitude, +2 Resilience, +2 Initiative, +20% Debuff Resist, Morale never breaks in Crew Combat") and the Undisputed Boarder Trait ("Charging to battle even from the bridge of their ship, gains +20 Boarding, +1 Initiative and +5 Range Change in Ship Combat") the Shock Trooper captain is a force to be reckoned with. Be sure to set your Attributes high Priority!
An exciting early selection of mods is already coalescing!
Mod Creators Welcome
Last week we were excited to open the mod creators beta Steam group and have welcomed over 60 creators now to check out the tools, see what can be done and get their hands dirty. This flurry of activity has resulted in a list of places where we want to improve our support. But, as we are with updates for the mainline, we're jumping on updates for the modders during this beta process. Rapid improvements are already arriving! :D This 3.1.61 update for modding version of the game will arrive soon. When it does -- A new data.JobConfig table now enables full add / replace / remove for both jobs and starting professions. This data.JobConfig table also allows easy marking of which Jobs have faction affinity, so you can add more, remove or change these as well. The Jobs that are recruited by Contact Traits can now be modified through the data.ContactTrait table. And we've retooled the SFX priority system to ensure all the database fields are used -- Talent > Weapon > default. We'll be posting more on this update in the mod creators beta Steam group if you are interested! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3067493264357330871
v3.1.61 - 5/29/2021
- Added new Shock Trooper profession, the hardened military operative - New unique Traits for Shock Trooper profession - Shock Trooper profession requires "Heir Apparent" unlock (protect Valencia, Normal difficulty) - Minor improvements to sorting of ship combat Talents within range groups - Fixed misprints with Hota-Cored Shells boarding talent
Modding Kit v3.1.61
- Jobs and starting Professions now ready to be modded - Faction affinity for Jobs now ready to be modded - Jobs recruited by Contact Trait now ready to be modded - Override SFX for ship weapon and crew weapons now ready to be modded
Beta for Mod Creators is Open!
[ 2021-05-20 01:25:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
It has been a long road to get here, with modding interest for the game starting on the very first day of Early Access in 2017. We are excited to announce that after #265 updates, we are now inviting any mod creator who wants to get in, test out the tools and start creating mods to come aboard and get busy!
As of Update #265 we've finished the prep work for modding and released it in a beta branch for creators to pick up and try. If you want to give it a shot, join the modding creators beta group and we can't wait to see what you create.
Things have been rolling for less than 48 hours and we have over 30 creators already on the tools and the first working content mods are starting to appear. We've even had an enterprising community member step forward to write a Mod Manager (thanks @TheWelp!) to help us improve the tooling. The wikis is growing up quickly with more and more data and great examples coming online (thanks @phara0h!)
Ever dreamed of an Empty Slot component? Ever wanted a better Palace Interceptor? Just wanted more faction armbands for your characters? The modding community is in the kitchen and cooking up a galactic storm. We cannot wait to see what you create!
If you are a mod creator please join the modding creators beta group.
If you are a player interested in mods know that mods aren't far off and our amazing community is going to deliver -- as always!
Save 40% and Update #265: M101 Tracker
Update #265 includes a lot of behind-the-scenes changes that have prepped the game for modding. It has taken a lot of work, so please report any issues you see but it is very unlikely to appear in the base game. We are excited to open the private modding beta to interested mod creators who want to take a first crack at creating mods. If you're interested, please request to join the modding private beta Steam group We cannot wait to see what you create!
With the last few updates, we've been rounding out the options for level 8 ship weapons in the game. Update #265 adds 2 more options, the M101 Tracker Cannon is a mean new 1 RP autocannon featuring high damage and high crippling hit chance, best for pummeling capital ships into bits at close range. The new Gargoyle Missile Battery clocks in at 3 RP and has higher Crippling Rate and Damage in trade for lower Radiation and Critical Hit rate.
Big ships can bring a lot to the table but with Update #265, we've slightly ticked up their fuel cost for combat encounters to offset some of their other many advantages.
A bevy of Rumor improvements are helping to keep Rumors interesting, dangerous or valueable even into the later game. The Starport Boosted Rumor is now more likely once the 3rd Century has started, helping you late game shopping sprees. The risk and fuel costs for some of the more localized orbital Rumors -- Ion Meteor Storm, Salvage Hive, Orbital Disaster -- have all increased which makes Salvaging an landing often on the same world a little more challenging. We've also reduced the boost that "Offworld Stash" Card was getting while Exploring under the Jyeeta Spoors Rumor, as it was showing up just too often. The "First Infections" Rumor can no longer appear on Wild Zones!
For all Traits that boost bonuses at +10% in card games and post-combat (etc), we've clearly labeled them having a 30% maximum now. We also fixed a bug where the Crafty Trait was printing oodles of reports that crew members were using their Trait above the 30% maximum (just a printing error, not real).
- New level 8 Autocannon: M101 Tracker Cannon (1 RP, High Damage & Crippling Hit) - New level 8 Missiles: Gargoyle Missile Battery (3 RP, High Damage & Crippling Hit) - Increased spawn rate of "Starport Boosted" Rumor during 3rd Century - Increased Fuel cost and Danger Boost for Ion Meteor Storm, Salvage Hive, Orbital Disaster - Reduced too common "Offworld Stash" Card during Jyeeta Spoors Rumor - Locating a new Rumor or Contact in the Spice Hall now grants an Experience Bonus - Increased Combat Fuel Cost for M6000, M7000 and M8000 Ships - Clarified rules for Traits Bandit, Vulture, Crafty, Sly, Terrifying -- all stack to max 30% bonus - Fixed issue with Crafty Trait printing all crew members even though only 30% bonus was applied - Fixed issue where an infected crew could cause "First Infections" Rumor on a Wild Zone - Slight balance adjustments to Xeno Ship Engine Speed & Agility
[ 2021-05-18 22:10:13 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome all new captains! It is a big week here on the bridge with a 40% off discount, new update, new ship weapons, improved Rumors and Traits and word coming down from the officers that our private modding beta is about to open.
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Modding Workshop Coming!
Update #265 includes a lot of behind-the-scenes changes that have prepped the game for modding. It has taken a lot of work, so please report any issues you see but it is very unlikely to appear in the base game. We are excited to open the private modding beta to interested mod creators who want to take a first crack at creating mods. If you're interested, please request to join the modding private beta Steam group We cannot wait to see what you create!
New Level 8 Weapons
With the last few updates, we've been rounding out the options for level 8 ship weapons in the game. Update #265 adds 2 more options, the M101 Tracker Cannon is a mean new 1 RP autocannon featuring high damage and high crippling hit chance, best for pummeling capital ships into bits at close range. The new Gargoyle Missile Battery clocks in at 3 RP and has higher Crippling Rate and Damage in trade for lower Radiation and Critical Hit rate.
Fuel Tweaks
Big ships can bring a lot to the table but with Update #265, we've slightly ticked up their fuel cost for combat encounters to offset some of their other many advantages.
Rumor Improvements
A bevy of Rumor improvements are helping to keep Rumors interesting, dangerous or valueable even into the later game. The Starport Boosted Rumor is now more likely once the 3rd Century has started, helping you late game shopping sprees. The risk and fuel costs for some of the more localized orbital Rumors -- Ion Meteor Storm, Salvage Hive, Orbital Disaster -- have all increased which makes Salvaging an landing often on the same world a little more challenging. We've also reduced the boost that "Offworld Stash" Card was getting while Exploring under the Jyeeta Spoors Rumor, as it was showing up just too often. The "First Infections" Rumor can no longer appear on Wild Zones!
Trait Clarifications
For all Traits that boost bonuses at +10% in card games and post-combat (etc), we've clearly labeled them having a 30% maximum now. We also fixed a bug where the Crafty Trait was printing oodles of reports that crew members were using their Trait above the 30% maximum (just a printing error, not real).
v3.1.59 - 5/18/2021
- New level 8 Autocannon: M101 Tracker Cannon (1 RP, High Damage & Crippling Hit) - New level 8 Missiles: Gargoyle Missile Battery (3 RP, High Damage & Crippling Hit) - Increased spawn rate of "Starport Boosted" Rumor during 3rd Century - Increased Fuel cost and Danger Boost for Ion Meteor Storm, Salvage Hive, Orbital Disaster - Reduced too common "Offworld Stash" Card during Jyeeta Spoors Rumor - Locating a new Rumor or Contact in the Spice Hall now grants an Experience Bonus - Increased Combat Fuel Cost for M6000, M7000 and M8000 Ships - Clarified rules for Traits Bandit, Vulture, Crafty, Sly, Terrifying -- all stack to max 30% bonus - Fixed issue with Crafty Trait printing all crew members even though only 30% bonus was applied - Fixed issue where an infected crew could cause "First Infections" Rumor on a Wild Zone - Slight balance adjustments to Xeno Ship Engine Speed & Agility
Update #264: Check Before You Dig
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Update #264 swaps Javat's faction affinity from Scavengers (non-combat, Talent's don't rely on Attributes) to Exo-Scout (crew combat, Attributes at a premium) which is a big win for the clan. We've also included a little blip of text in every Job description that has a faction affinity so that players are aware from which faction the the best possible recruits will hail.
Recently we made some major improvements to the auto-trainer routine to handle Skill saving Talents better, ensuring your crew has a baseline count before considering other Talents. With Update #264, we've taken a similar approach to Wing Jobs -- Leader, Bomber and Commando -- to ensure that these Jobs put a training priority on launch Talents. Without such launch Talents, they cannot fly a craft and are overall dead weight on any crew. So now, when auto-training, characters with these jobs will ensure a baseline of such Talents before considering other options.
The cooldowns for 3 more of the in-flight Wing Talents have come down to 1 week from 3 weeks. These Talents -- "Synchronized Strikes", "Vanguard Scan" and "Bolstering Fly-By" -- now all join "Protective Escort" at the 1 week cooldown level. This reduced cooldown window gives an additional advantage to craft pilots who have a high cost (must launch!) to use these buffs in the first place. They're more readily available than any other type of ship combat Talent. It's a nice -- if minor -- balance upgrade for craft. We're continuing to work on small and steady improvements to the overall meta of combat.
For many players, finishing the Jyeeta Brood Era has resulted in a hanging quest log about the "Death of a Brood". For all future captains who pass through the ending storyline as of Update #264, this should no longer be an issue and nicely cleaned up. For those captains who already went through the Era, if you still have the hanging quest log, select it, pick actions and then dismiss mission.
We fixed the Contact Trait "Covert Ops" which was not really forcing Contacts to always buy Intel. Now they do! We also fixed the description for the Salvage card "Influence Boost" which was claiming it gave too much Influence -- it really gives +10-20.
- Changed Javat's faction affinity Job from Scavenger to Exo-Scout - Added faction affinity bonuses to all Job descriptions to match Steel Song - Auto-Train for Wing Jobs now puts priority on Launch Talents - In-flight Wing Leader and Wing Bomber Talents "Synchronized Strikes", "Vanguard Scan" and "Bolstering Fly-By" reduced to 1 week cooldown - Fixed issue with Contact Trait "Covert Ops" not correctly offering option to buy Intel - Fixed formatting issues on Star Atlas (Water-Fuel, etc) on lower resolutions - Fixed card description for "Boosted Influence" in Salvage orbital ops (10-20 Influence boost) - Fixed issue with quest objective "Death of a Brood" sticking around after end of Jyeeta Brood Era
[ 2021-05-03 20:30:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #264 picks up one some of the work we've completed in the last month -- faction affinity jobs, auto-trainer improvements -- and carries each a little further toward perfection. We've got a new faction affinity Job for Javat, and improved auto-trainer ruleset for Wing jobs, up-balanced in-flight Wing combat Talents and a pile of community-driven fixes to boot.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Javat Exo-Scouts
Update #264 swaps Javat's faction affinity from Scavengers (non-combat, Talent's don't rely on Attributes) to Exo-Scout (crew combat, Attributes at a premium) which is a big win for the clan. We've also included a little blip of text in every Job description that has a faction affinity so that players are aware from which faction the the best possible recruits will hail.
Wing Job Auto-Trainer
Recently we made some major improvements to the auto-trainer routine to handle Skill saving Talents better, ensuring your crew has a baseline count before considering other Talents. With Update #264, we've taken a similar approach to Wing Jobs -- Leader, Bomber and Commando -- to ensure that these Jobs put a training priority on launch Talents. Without such launch Talents, they cannot fly a craft and are overall dead weight on any crew. So now, when auto-training, characters with these jobs will ensure a baseline of such Talents before considering other options.
In-Flight Wing Talents
The cooldowns for 3 more of the in-flight Wing Talents have come down to 1 week from 3 weeks. These Talents -- "Synchronized Strikes", "Vanguard Scan" and "Bolstering Fly-By" -- now all join "Protective Escort" at the 1 week cooldown level. This reduced cooldown window gives an additional advantage to craft pilots who have a high cost (must launch!) to use these buffs in the first place. They're more readily available than any other type of ship combat Talent. It's a nice -- if minor -- balance upgrade for craft. We're continuing to work on small and steady improvements to the overall meta of combat.
Jyeeta Brood Fix
For many players, finishing the Jyeeta Brood Era has resulted in a hanging quest log about the "Death of a Brood". For all future captains who pass through the ending storyline as of Update #264, this should no longer be an issue and nicely cleaned up. For those captains who already went through the Era, if you still have the hanging quest log, select it, pick actions and then dismiss mission.
Fixing Trait and Card
We fixed the Contact Trait "Covert Ops" which was not really forcing Contacts to always buy Intel. Now they do! We also fixed the description for the Salvage card "Influence Boost" which was claiming it gave too much Influence -- it really gives +10-20.
v3.1.57 - 5/3/2021
- Changed Javat's faction affinity Job from Scavenger to Exo-Scout - Added faction affinity bonuses to all Job descriptions to match Steel Song - Auto-Train for Wing Jobs now puts priority on Launch Talents - In-flight Wing Leader and Wing Bomber Talents "Synchronized Strikes", "Vanguard Scan" and "Bolstering Fly-By" reduced to 1 week cooldown - Fixed issue with Contact Trait "Covert Ops" not correctly offering option to buy Intel - Fixed formatting issues on Star Atlas (Water-Fuel, etc) on lower resolutions - Fixed card description for "Boosted Influence" in Salvage orbital ops (10-20 Influence boost) - Fixed issue with quest objective "Death of a Brood" sticking around after end of Jyeeta Brood Era
Opening a New Frontier for Star Traders: Frontiers
Now, were coming up on the end of our previously announced roadmap for Star Traders. This is not the end of new content from us for the game by any means, simply the completion of what weve already promised to add to the game. Weve always been very upfront about our ability to keep adding to our games depending on keeping a tight focus & staying in-scope. Now with these last milestones wrapping, weve been able to consider what larger-scale changes outside of the scope of the last roadmap we want to give you. Given how much of what weve added to the game has been driven by you already, and knowing its a small fraction of the ideas, possibilities, and personal passions you all have for the game, we think the choice is an obvious one: were going to add mod support to Star Traders: Frontiers.
This means: [olist] A basic save-game editor all players will be able to use to customize their personal playthroughs. Want everything unlocked? Done. Wish that officer had more Fortitude? Buff away! Want to try max level? Change difficulty mid-playthrough? Remove that one annoying trait? Check, check, and check.
Steam Workshop tools for uploading & downloading mods, and a separately-installable build of the game so you can switch between vanilla Star Traders and modded Star Traders.
Officially-supported access & documentation to the game database for mod creation.
[/olist]
Work has already begun, and we expect to release these tools later this year. If you are a modder who would like to be among the first to get access to our mod creation tools, please fill out this form.
As long-time fans of the studio will know, weve loved the idea of mod support for quite a while. The challenge has always been having both the development capacity and the playerbase scale to make adding mods viable and worthwhile. As weve grown, we felt confident enough to promise wed add mod support to Cyber Knights: Flashpoint since the Kickstarter. With this announcement though, it turns out Star Traders: Frontiers will be the first Trese Brothers game have full-fledged mod support. One of the things we value most in our games is replayability. As a studio, we would much rather create one game you want to play for the next ten years than sell ten games youre done with after a few months. Its an extremely high mark to hit in our novelty-driven world, but were excited about the potential for mods to even further extend the lifespan and replayability of these games so many of you are already so passionate about. We cant wait to see what you all will create. If youre a modder, or an artist or a programmer interested in getting into modding, remember to let us know if youd like to potentially get early access to these tools. For all our players and fans who want to simply stay in the loop, contribute ideas, or let us hear your enthusiasm for the news, our Discord community is open to you.
[ 2021-04-27 11:01:16 CET ] [ Original post ]
When Andrew and I released Star Traders: Frontiers, it was a new pinnacle in the years of work wed put into the Star Traders games already. Wed delivered on our promises to more than a thousand backers on Kickstarter, gotten recognition from Steam as one of the best games from Early Access that year, and had seen so much fan and new player enthusiasm that we knew wed be able to keep the game growing for years to come.
And we have: over 250 updates of new free content, game improvements, and story expansions to our space sim sandbox RPG. Weve burned through an incredible number of milestones from our development roadmap, doubling or tripling almost every kind of content in the game, introducing new game mechanics, all while keeping the game balanced and as bug-free as possible across all platforms.
If were trumpeting how much work weve done here, its because we want it to come across just as notably how much of content and improvements weve made have been driven by ideas and feedback from you, the players. In reviews, forum posts, discord brainstorming, and Twitch chat, you all have made it clear that you love this universe as much as we do, and enjoy adding to it as much as you do sailing through it.
Whats coming next
Now, were coming up on the end of our previously announced roadmap for Star Traders. This is not the end of new content from us for the game by any means, simply the completion of what weve already promised to add to the game. Weve always been very upfront about our ability to keep adding to our games depending on keeping a tight focus & staying in-scope. Now with these last milestones wrapping, weve been able to consider what larger-scale changes outside of the scope of the last roadmap we want to give you. Given how much of what weve added to the game has been driven by you already, and knowing its a small fraction of the ideas, possibilities, and personal passions you all have for the game, we think the choice is an obvious one: were going to add mod support to Star Traders: Frontiers.
This means: [olist]
This is a big deal for both Star Traders and Trese Brothers.
As long-time fans of the studio will know, weve loved the idea of mod support for quite a while. The challenge has always been having both the development capacity and the playerbase scale to make adding mods viable and worthwhile. As weve grown, we felt confident enough to promise wed add mod support to Cyber Knights: Flashpoint since the Kickstarter. With this announcement though, it turns out Star Traders: Frontiers will be the first Trese Brothers game have full-fledged mod support. One of the things we value most in our games is replayability. As a studio, we would much rather create one game you want to play for the next ten years than sell ten games youre done with after a few months. Its an extremely high mark to hit in our novelty-driven world, but were excited about the potential for mods to even further extend the lifespan and replayability of these games so many of you are already so passionate about. We cant wait to see what you all will create. If youre a modder, or an artist or a programmer interested in getting into modding, remember to let us know if youd like to potentially get early access to these tools. For all our players and fans who want to simply stay in the loop, contribute ideas, or let us hear your enthusiasm for the news, our Discord community is open to you.
Update #263: Heavy Rails
We've added 2 new Railguns to round out the class for the late-game. These powerful, level 8 weapons platforms are story-sensitive, just like all of the level 8 weapons, and are not released until the end of the Consolidation or Dissension Eras. However, when they do arrive on the starport shop floor, they are worth a look! The Demon-X Heavy Rail hits with a high Crippling Rate and best-in-class Damage and for a medium weapon it requires a mighty 4 Reactor Points. The Demon-X Fast Rail only demands 3 RP from your void engine in trade for a downgrade in Damage, Craft Hit %, and Crippling Rate it still is a powerful contender as the only level 8 Railgun that can be railed off at 3 RP. Be sure
We've added a new negative card for the aggressive orbital operations -- Blockade and Spy -- which can result in loss of Reputation with the local faction. This card mirrors the result you can gain in Patrol for supporting the faction and gaining Rep. It is a great one to knock out with Talents if you're looking to do your work quietly. Looking at you, intergalactic spies. We've also improved and replaced a ton of visuals across the card set in both Explorer and the entire orbital ops group -- Patrol, Blockade, Spy and Salvage. The new card sets make the game easier to read without checking as much text -- you can now see a large weapon or gear icon when you've got valuable loot appearing in Salvage, etc.
With this update, we've finished the testing and analysis of two new high challenge level faction carriers -- the Javat Mortifor and the De Valtos Dreadnought Battlecarrier. The second is especially kitted out for battle, so beware of De Valtos Bounty Hunters sailing the stars in such a mighty vessel. Or maybe you're also kitted out for battle and you might be looking for that peak Salvage price tag or -- if you're really into making money -- using a Prize Ship Talent to bring that Dreadnought home in one piece and under your banner. Either way, make sure you're defenses, autocannons or your own craft are primed if you run into either of these in the late-game.
The cost to maintain early Class 1 and Class 2 small craft has been reduced with this update. Running a carrier is not a cheap operation, but for those getting their new carriers off the ground in the mid-game, it just got a little more reasonable.
- New level 8 Railgun: Demon-X Heavy Rail (4AP, High Crippling Hit & Damage) - New level 8 Railgun: Demon-X Fast Rail (3AP, High Critical Hit & Void) - New "Reputation Loss" Card introduced for Spy and Blockade - Added "Mortifor Carrier" Javat Military Officer AI - Added "Dreadnought Battlecarrier" De Valtos Bounty Hunter AI - Improved card visuals for Orbital Ops (Spy, Blockade, Patrol, Salvage) - Improved and revised visuals for Exploration - Improved visuals for several Orbital Cards, such as "Reputation Bonus" - Reduced Maintenance Cost for Class 1 and Class 2 Small Craft
[ 2021-04-22 17:25:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #263 delivers on some new and devastating railgun platforms to round out the weapon set at level 8, a huge heap of card art for the Salvage, Explorer, Blockade, Spy and Patrol, a new card for the aggressive orbital ops and new enemy carrier AIs in some big, powerful carrier ships.
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Demon-X Rails
We've added 2 new Railguns to round out the class for the late-game. These powerful, level 8 weapons platforms are story-sensitive, just like all of the level 8 weapons, and are not released until the end of the Consolidation or Dissension Eras. However, when they do arrive on the starport shop floor, they are worth a look! The Demon-X Heavy Rail hits with a high Crippling Rate and best-in-class Damage and for a medium weapon it requires a mighty 4 Reactor Points. The Demon-X Fast Rail only demands 3 RP from your void engine in trade for a downgrade in Damage, Craft Hit %, and Crippling Rate it still is a powerful contender as the only level 8 Railgun that can be railed off at 3 RP. Be sure
Card Adds and Revamps
We've added a new negative card for the aggressive orbital operations -- Blockade and Spy -- which can result in loss of Reputation with the local faction. This card mirrors the result you can gain in Patrol for supporting the faction and gaining Rep. It is a great one to knock out with Talents if you're looking to do your work quietly. Looking at you, intergalactic spies. We've also improved and replaced a ton of visuals across the card set in both Explorer and the entire orbital ops group -- Patrol, Blockade, Spy and Salvage. The new card sets make the game easier to read without checking as much text -- you can now see a large weapon or gear icon when you've got valuable loot appearing in Salvage, etc.
Enemy Carriers
With this update, we've finished the testing and analysis of two new high challenge level faction carriers -- the Javat Mortifor and the De Valtos Dreadnought Battlecarrier. The second is especially kitted out for battle, so beware of De Valtos Bounty Hunters sailing the stars in such a mighty vessel. Or maybe you're also kitted out for battle and you might be looking for that peak Salvage price tag or -- if you're really into making money -- using a Prize Ship Talent to bring that Dreadnought home in one piece and under your banner. Either way, make sure you're defenses, autocannons or your own craft are primed if you run into either of these in the late-game.
Small Craft Maintenance
The cost to maintain early Class 1 and Class 2 small craft has been reduced with this update. Running a carrier is not a cheap operation, but for those getting their new carriers off the ground in the mid-game, it just got a little more reasonable.
v3.1.53 - 4/22/2021
- New level 8 Railgun: Demon-X Heavy Rail (4AP, High Crippling Hit & Damage) - New level 8 Railgun: Demon-X Fast Rail (3AP, High Critical Hit & Void) - New "Reputation Loss" Card introduced for Spy and Blockade - Added "Mortifor Carrier" Javat Military Officer AI - Added "Dreadnought Battlecarrier" De Valtos Bounty Hunter AI - Improved card visuals for Orbital Ops (Spy, Blockade, Patrol, Salvage) - Improved and revised visuals for Exploration - Improved visuals for several Orbital Cards, such as "Reputation Bonus" - Reduced Maintenance Cost for Class 1 and Class 2 Small Craft
Update #262: Lockwood and Barrel
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #262, we've tuned some of the classic ship crippling effects coming from powerful weapons, paying special attention to their % chance to appear for the class. As one of the rarer sets, Missiles have gained powerful bonuses to their unique effects. Crew Stunned (coming from Missiles) has gained a -1 Reactor penalty. Secondary Explosions (coming from Missiles and craft Rockets) has gained 10 Component Damage per Turn. Radiation Wash (coming from Railguns, Lances, Plasma Cannons) has split its 20 Morale Damage into 10 Crew Damage and 10 Crew Morale loss per turn.
Another meta analysis and improvement we've completed with this update is to specific economic resources and increasing their demand across the galactic Exchanges, in some cases opening up new trade route possibilities and in others simply growing the roaring yell for moar moar moar of a certain product.
As new ships are brought online in the game, we always give the player-base a chance to test them out before we build AI around them. It's a cautious move to ensure captains are not killed unfairly until we've seen the ships in action. With this release, we're catching up a bit and have added 5 new enemy captain AI's in specialized ships and factions, bringing out the Lockwood Defender for Rychart Military Officers all the way down to the Larimar Battlecruiser (yikes!) for Cadar Bounty Hunters.
In our quest to perfect the balance of ship's engines, we've reduced the Safety Rating on two engine groups with Update #262 -- the M9000 Dual Field and all Chaser engines at the M6000 class and above. We've also bumped the M2400 Chaser Engine's safety to 10.
And, as always -- a big thanks to everyone in the community posting feedback, feature requests and bugs. We've fixed a number of typos, minor display bugs and issues this week include a issue where Ship victory Talents boost the wrong Conflict!
- Rebalanced Secondary Explosions, Radiation Wash and Crew Stunned Crippling Ship Effects - Added new galactic demand for Fertilizers and Pesticides - Added new galactic production for Narcotic Spice - Increased industrial supply for Terraforming Components - Increased galactic demand for Iridlaentine - Added "Lockwood Defender" Rychart Military Officer AI - Added "Neutiquam Cruiser" Steel Song Smuggler AI - Added "Tempus Freighter" De Valtos Merchant AI - Added "Vark Carrier" Zenrin Pirate AI - Added "Larimar Battlecruiser" Cadar Bounty Hunter AI - Fixed issue where Ship Victory Conflict Talents could misidentify the Conflict they boosted - Reduced Safety Rating on M9000 Balanced and Dual Field Engines - Reduced Safety Rating on M6000+ Chaser Void Engines
[ 2021-04-18 19:34:42 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #262 bundles up a lot of meta changes that we've been in the pipe for some time as we finish testing and analysis of the improvements. #262 includes ship Crippling Effect improvements, new economic angles and demand, new enemy AI and ship combinations and finally new tweaks to high and low mass Chaser engines.
We're excited to keep improving and expanding Star Traders: Frontiers and hope you'll help us do so by sharing the game with a friend and leaving a review.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Crippling Effect Rebalance
With Update #262, we've tuned some of the classic ship crippling effects coming from powerful weapons, paying special attention to their % chance to appear for the class. As one of the rarer sets, Missiles have gained powerful bonuses to their unique effects. Crew Stunned (coming from Missiles) has gained a -1 Reactor penalty. Secondary Explosions (coming from Missiles and craft Rockets) has gained 10 Component Damage per Turn. Radiation Wash (coming from Railguns, Lances, Plasma Cannons) has split its 20 Morale Damage into 10 Crew Damage and 10 Crew Morale loss per turn.
Economic Shifts
Another meta analysis and improvement we've completed with this update is to specific economic resources and increasing their demand across the galactic Exchanges, in some cases opening up new trade route possibilities and in others simply growing the roaring yell for moar moar moar of a certain product.
- Demand for Iridlaentine has simply grown much stronger in the places where they've already called for it.
- Narcotic Spice is now more readily supplied by Farming worlds
- To feed the small but important local agriculture on Population and Luxury Population worlds, there is now demand for both Fertilizer and Pesticides
- Industrial worlds supply more Terraforming Components while Tradeways no longer provide these key manufactured components
New Enemy AI
As new ships are brought online in the game, we always give the player-base a chance to test them out before we build AI around them. It's a cautious move to ensure captains are not killed unfairly until we've seen the ships in action. With this release, we're catching up a bit and have added 5 new enemy captain AI's in specialized ships and factions, bringing out the Lockwood Defender for Rychart Military Officers all the way down to the Larimar Battlecruiser (yikes!) for Cadar Bounty Hunters.
Engine Balance
In our quest to perfect the balance of ship's engines, we've reduced the Safety Rating on two engine groups with Update #262 -- the M9000 Dual Field and all Chaser engines at the M6000 class and above. We've also bumped the M2400 Chaser Engine's safety to 10.
Community Fixes
And, as always -- a big thanks to everyone in the community posting feedback, feature requests and bugs. We've fixed a number of typos, minor display bugs and issues this week include a issue where Ship victory Talents boost the wrong Conflict!
v3.1.51 - 4/18/2021
- Rebalanced Secondary Explosions, Radiation Wash and Crew Stunned Crippling Ship Effects - Added new galactic demand for Fertilizers and Pesticides - Added new galactic production for Narcotic Spice - Increased industrial supply for Terraforming Components - Increased galactic demand for Iridlaentine - Added "Lockwood Defender" Rychart Military Officer AI - Added "Neutiquam Cruiser" Steel Song Smuggler AI - Added "Tempus Freighter" De Valtos Merchant AI - Added "Vark Carrier" Zenrin Pirate AI - Added "Larimar Battlecruiser" Cadar Bounty Hunter AI - Fixed issue where Ship Victory Conflict Talents could misidentify the Conflict they boosted - Reduced Safety Rating on M9000 Balanced and Dual Field Engines - Reduced Safety Rating on M6000+ Chaser Void Engines
Update #261: Ultra Heavy
De Valtos has released its entry into the Mass 9000 class of ships in classically De Valtos style -- with great pomp, Mass, and circumstance! The mighty Dreadnought Battlecarrier is a 9000 Mass ship sporting 2500 Hull (exceeding Sword BC by 400), 160 Base Fuel (best in class), a crew/officer max of 42/7, 6 max craft and 12 Small / 12 Medium and 8 Large (best in class) components. Outfitted as a super carrier the price tag is very De Valtos as well at $3,981,250. A new entry in the Mass 9000 class is sure to shake up the meta of those captain's stepping onto the bridge of the largest ships in the game during the mid-to-late game. The Dreadnought is spec'd out for ships that want more Large slot components, including launch bays or super-class weapon systems like the Obliterator Plasma Cannons, Buster Arrays or the most powerful Gravcannons.
The M9000 Dual-Field Void Engine extends this well-loved line of engines up to the highest mass class of any ship. Bringing a balance approach to engine statistics along with a much lower Mass requirement, the M9000 Dual-Field adds 12 Jump Cost but burns off 650 Mass. All for a pretty price of about $1.4m credits this new engine can help free up mass on a large scale ship to be spent on other priorities. The Combat and Warhammer Hyperwarp Drives each add PIlot bonus to their profile along with significant Armor (3 and 7) and Jump Cost (40 and 50). Trading up into one of these drives can help reduce the need to dedicate other components to armor for a ship designed more for battle than for long range travel. If you're shopping for Drives, be sure to check "Any Faction" in the ship component filters so you'll spot the Warhammer Drive only sold by Thulun and the M9000 Performance Drive only sold by Moklumnue (which has been in the game a while).
In the last few updates, we've been loading up each faction with exciting affinities that result in the best possible Attribute bonuses when a certain Job is recruited from their spice hall or Contacts. We've now completed the set, hitting a few very core Job notes in the process. Each faction affinity is listed in the new game faction list screen under their special rules. These faction affinities grant an extra bonus on top of any existing Attribute bonuses that you are getting from Traits, Talents, zone stats, Era, recruit level, etc.
With Update #261 we've tweaked the balance of three talents -- Shock Trooper's "Deepstrike Grenade" and Blade Dancer's "Thousand Cut Dance" and "Squall of Blades" to add negative Bleed Resistance. Apply negative Bleed Res can increase existing Bleeds, which helps set up more synergistic strategies for the Talents. Hitting them with both a Bleed and negative Bleed Res can spike Bleeding damage as high as possible. In the case of Deepstrike Grenade, this addition was swapped in for the -2 Init penalty.
We found and fixed a bug that was interjected into the set of Jyeeta craft at some point after their release. The Interdictor ended up with the higher power bomb and the bomber with a lower power rocket. This has now been fixed and will make attacking Jyeeta Interdictors less of a threat but definitely increases the threat from Jyeeta Bombers. Be sure to have your craft mitigation strategy firmly in place before flying headlong into the maw of the Jyeeta Brood!
- New Ship: Dreadnought Battlecarrier (De Valtos, 9000M Ultra-Heavy Battlecarrier) - New Engine: M9000 Dual-Field ($1.1M Credits) - Rebalanced M9000 Combat and Warhammer Hyperwarp Drives - Added 4 new faction affinities for recruits - Scavengers recruited from Javat spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes - Merchants recruited from Moklumnue spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes - Diplomats recruited from Thulun spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes - Swordsman recruited from De Valtos spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes - Rebalanced Deepstrike Grenade: Removed -2 Init Penalty, Added -5 Bleed Res Debuff - Added Bleed Res Debuff to Blade Dancer Talents Thousand Cut Dance, Squall of Blades - Improved HUD ship/crew refresh to avoid any caching issues during operation card games - Fixed weapon mix-up in Jyeeta bombers and interdictors -- watch out, bombers now hit harder - Fixed tooltip on shuttle's Electronics to be clear it adds to Boarding Chance % - Fixed misnamed Dragoon Injector
[ 2021-04-11 21:21:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #261 comes in with a new ultra heavy Mass 9000 ship launching to the stars paired with two new M9000 battle hyperwarp drives and a M9000 Dual-Field Void Engine. What a package! We've also rounded out the faction affinities set with 4 new affinities for Thulun, De Valtos, Javat and Moklumnue. Update #261 brings a few tweaks to combat Talents that will help negative Bleed Res be featured in more strategies as well as adjusting the Jyeeta craft weaponry (watch out, bombers incoming!) to ensure their bombers and interdictors are hitting with the right punch.
It's a big one with a lot of new content, so enjoy it! If you're liking the steady stream of free updates and expansions, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review.
Speaking of new, new, new-new: if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint coming to Steam which mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
New Ultra Heavy M9000 Battlecarrier
De Valtos has released its entry into the Mass 9000 class of ships in classically De Valtos style -- with great pomp, Mass, and circumstance! The mighty Dreadnought Battlecarrier is a 9000 Mass ship sporting 2500 Hull (exceeding Sword BC by 400), 160 Base Fuel (best in class), a crew/officer max of 42/7, 6 max craft and 12 Small / 12 Medium and 8 Large (best in class) components. Outfitted as a super carrier the price tag is very De Valtos as well at $3,981,250. A new entry in the Mass 9000 class is sure to shake up the meta of those captain's stepping onto the bridge of the largest ships in the game during the mid-to-late game. The Dreadnought is spec'd out for ships that want more Large slot components, including launch bays or super-class weapon systems like the Obliterator Plasma Cannons, Buster Arrays or the most powerful Gravcannons.
New M9000 Engine and Hyperwarps
The M9000 Dual-Field Void Engine extends this well-loved line of engines up to the highest mass class of any ship. Bringing a balance approach to engine statistics along with a much lower Mass requirement, the M9000 Dual-Field adds 12 Jump Cost but burns off 650 Mass. All for a pretty price of about $1.4m credits this new engine can help free up mass on a large scale ship to be spent on other priorities. The Combat and Warhammer Hyperwarp Drives each add PIlot bonus to their profile along with significant Armor (3 and 7) and Jump Cost (40 and 50). Trading up into one of these drives can help reduce the need to dedicate other components to armor for a ship designed more for battle than for long range travel. If you're shopping for Drives, be sure to check "Any Faction" in the ship component filters so you'll spot the Warhammer Drive only sold by Thulun and the M9000 Performance Drive only sold by Moklumnue (which has been in the game a while).
New Faction Affinities
In the last few updates, we've been loading up each faction with exciting affinities that result in the best possible Attribute bonuses when a certain Job is recruited from their spice hall or Contacts. We've now completed the set, hitting a few very core Job notes in the process. Each faction affinity is listed in the new game faction list screen under their special rules. These faction affinities grant an extra bonus on top of any existing Attribute bonuses that you are getting from Traits, Talents, zone stats, Era, recruit level, etc.
- Diplomats from Thulun
- Scavengers from Javat
- Swordsman from De Valtos
- Merchants from Moklumnue (could it be any other way!?)
Crew Combat Rebalance
With Update #261 we've tweaked the balance of three talents -- Shock Trooper's "Deepstrike Grenade" and Blade Dancer's "Thousand Cut Dance" and "Squall of Blades" to add negative Bleed Resistance. Apply negative Bleed Res can increase existing Bleeds, which helps set up more synergistic strategies for the Talents. Hitting them with both a Bleed and negative Bleed Res can spike Bleeding damage as high as possible. In the case of Deepstrike Grenade, this addition was swapped in for the -2 Init penalty.
Jyeeta Bombers Beware!
We found and fixed a bug that was interjected into the set of Jyeeta craft at some point after their release. The Interdictor ended up with the higher power bomb and the bomber with a lower power rocket. This has now been fixed and will make attacking Jyeeta Interdictors less of a threat but definitely increases the threat from Jyeeta Bombers. Be sure to have your craft mitigation strategy firmly in place before flying headlong into the maw of the Jyeeta Brood!
v3.1.49 - 4/11/2021
- New Ship: Dreadnought Battlecarrier (De Valtos, 9000M Ultra-Heavy Battlecarrier) - New Engine: M9000 Dual-Field ($1.1M Credits) - Rebalanced M9000 Combat and Warhammer Hyperwarp Drives - Added 4 new faction affinities for recruits - Scavengers recruited from Javat spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes - Merchants recruited from Moklumnue spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes - Diplomats recruited from Thulun spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes - Swordsman recruited from De Valtos spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes - Rebalanced Deepstrike Grenade: Removed -2 Init Penalty, Added -5 Bleed Res Debuff - Added Bleed Res Debuff to Blade Dancer Talents Thousand Cut Dance, Squall of Blades - Improved HUD ship/crew refresh to avoid any caching issues during operation card games - Fixed weapon mix-up in Jyeeta bombers and interdictors -- watch out, bombers now hit harder - Fixed tooltip on shuttle's Electronics to be clear it adds to Boarding Chance % - Fixed misnamed Dragoon Injector
Update #260: Ancient Practice
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is continuing as we march toward the alpha test for Kickstarter backers and then on to Steam Early Access. Thankfully, we're finally be able to come clean about the true reason for the game's delays. Get on the hype, punch that wishlist button. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
As we've added Jobs all the way up to #38 with Shock Trooper, we've started linking highly specialized Jobs to certain factions and granting them a Attribute bonus when recruited from that faction. The first was Blade Dancers -- which is an ancient and traditional Steel Song practice -- and Steel Song. Of course, the other factions have learned the practice, but the best Blade Dancers (may, all things depending) hail from Steel Song. Saboteurs have a faction affinity to Rychart and the Shock Trooper has an affinity to Cadar. With Update #260, we've added those affinities clearly to the new game screen where you are picking factions and seeing their unique bonuses and special rules. We have also added 2 new faction affinities -- there is no tougher defender than a Zenrin Bodyguard and if you truly want an ace pilot, look no farther than a Alta Mesa Wing Leader.
We've now included a section in every crew member's roster dedicated to the summary of all bonuses granted by Traits and Gear. This can be a quick way to see the full effect of the choices and mutations your character has and is super helpful when evaluating officer potential!
We've rebalanced the economics of 2 major trade goods -- Terraforming Components and Spice Extractors to ensure they are more profitable in trade routes. We've also adjusted the Influence and action rates for some of the more powerful Contact types including High Prince, UCF Emissary and Fleet Commander.
We've fixed the last few things about Shock Trooper that were outstanding. In the Talent detail for their counterattack Talent, "Retaliation", is now correctly stated that if you have trained Bracing Shot, that is the Talent the Shock Trooper will counter with, otherwise Close Blast will be used. And finally, we've fixed a bug with "To the Front" which was always moving the Shock Trooper and not the target of the buff.
We resolve issues with 3 weapons that were released in Update #259 not having the correct stats -- Paratitan HG, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon. We've also resolve an issue that was causing Thulun on map v2 default to have an 11 jump Arbiter mission which had potential impact on a lot of different maps, given the whims of proc gen. Finally, we've resolved an issue where purchasing a Military Rank would temporarily allow you to use the services of any landing zone regardless of faction rep.
- Added new "Traits + Gear" display in Crew Details to show summary of all effects - Bodyguards recruited from Zenrin spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - Wing Leaders recruited from Alta Mesa spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - Added faction affinity (such as Shock Trooper + Cadar) to list of faction special rules in New Game - Rebalanced the economics and trade for "Terraforming Components" making them more profitable - Increased galactic production of "Spice Extractors" in Industrial and Orbital Zones - Increased Influence Base and Growth Rates for: Fleet Commander, Emissary and High Prince - Increased Hull Points for Boarding Shuttle Small Craft at Level 5 and above - Fixed issue where buying a rank temporarily allows you to use landed services with large negative Rep - Fixed issue with Shock Trooper "To the Front" moving the Shock Trooper and not the buff target - Fixed issues with low stats on level 10 weapons -- Paratitan HG, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon - Fixed incorrect Talent detail in side panel for Retaliation, which uses Bracing Shot in its counter-attack if available - Fixed issue with Thulun start on Map V2 default that could lead to an 11 jump Arbiter Escort mission
[ 2021-04-01 18:16:23 CET ] [ Original post ]
Every major new update and expansion deserves a couple of solid Quality of Life follow up updates, and this is the first in that vein. We've added exciting new faction affinity's for specialist recruits, including a section in a crew roster detailing Trait and Gear bonus summary, further tuned economic and Contact simulation, fixed issues with Shock Trooper Talents, some of the new weapons and fixed a bevy of other community reported issues.
Thanks to every new captain for your support and especially to those leaving reviews!
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is continuing as we march toward the alpha test for Kickstarter backers and then on to Steam Early Access. Thankfully, we're finally be able to come clean about the true reason for the game's delays. Get on the hype, punch that wishlist button. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Faction Affinity
As we've added Jobs all the way up to #38 with Shock Trooper, we've started linking highly specialized Jobs to certain factions and granting them a Attribute bonus when recruited from that faction. The first was Blade Dancers -- which is an ancient and traditional Steel Song practice -- and Steel Song. Of course, the other factions have learned the practice, but the best Blade Dancers (may, all things depending) hail from Steel Song. Saboteurs have a faction affinity to Rychart and the Shock Trooper has an affinity to Cadar. With Update #260, we've added those affinities clearly to the new game screen where you are picking factions and seeing their unique bonuses and special rules. We have also added 2 new faction affinities -- there is no tougher defender than a Zenrin Bodyguard and if you truly want an ace pilot, look no farther than a Alta Mesa Wing Leader.
Trait and Gear Bonuses
We've now included a section in every crew member's roster dedicated to the summary of all bonuses granted by Traits and Gear. This can be a quick way to see the full effect of the choices and mutations your character has and is super helpful when evaluating officer potential!
Economic and Contact Simulation
We've rebalanced the economics of 2 major trade goods -- Terraforming Components and Spice Extractors to ensure they are more profitable in trade routes. We've also adjusted the Influence and action rates for some of the more powerful Contact types including High Prince, UCF Emissary and Fleet Commander.
Shock Trooper Fixes
We've fixed the last few things about Shock Trooper that were outstanding. In the Talent detail for their counterattack Talent, "Retaliation", is now correctly stated that if you have trained Bracing Shot, that is the Talent the Shock Trooper will counter with, otherwise Close Blast will be used. And finally, we've fixed a bug with "To the Front" which was always moving the Shock Trooper and not the target of the buff.
Other QOL
We resolve issues with 3 weapons that were released in Update #259 not having the correct stats -- Paratitan HG, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon. We've also resolve an issue that was causing Thulun on map v2 default to have an 11 jump Arbiter mission which had potential impact on a lot of different maps, given the whims of proc gen. Finally, we've resolved an issue where purchasing a Military Rank would temporarily allow you to use the services of any landing zone regardless of faction rep.
v3.1.47 - 4/1/2021
- Added new "Traits + Gear" display in Crew Details to show summary of all effects - Bodyguards recruited from Zenrin spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - Wing Leaders recruited from Alta Mesa spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - Added faction affinity (such as Shock Trooper + Cadar) to list of faction special rules in New Game - Rebalanced the economics and trade for "Terraforming Components" making them more profitable - Increased galactic production of "Spice Extractors" in Industrial and Orbital Zones - Increased Influence Base and Growth Rates for: Fleet Commander, Emissary and High Prince - Increased Hull Points for Boarding Shuttle Small Craft at Level 5 and above - Fixed issue where buying a rank temporarily allows you to use landed services with large negative Rep - Fixed issue with Shock Trooper "To the Front" moving the Shock Trooper and not the buff target - Fixed issues with low stats on level 10 weapons -- Paratitan HG, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon - Fixed incorrect Talent detail in side panel for Retaliation, which uses Bracing Shot in its counter-attack if available - Fixed issue with Thulun start on Map V2 default that could lead to an 11 jump Arbiter Escort mission
Save 40% on Shock Trooper plus Update #259: Retaliate!
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #259, we've taken a chance to push Snubbers into an even more unique class of weapon by transforming some of their Accuracy bonuses into Parry bonuses. While they can't compete with carrying a melee weapon (as you have no Blades Skill) this bonus makes any buff to Melee Defense more noticeable and some of the high level Snubbers are bringing pretty significant Parry stacks.
We've added 7 new ultra rare level 10 Relic Weapons as possible results of Salvage -- the Slazah Falchion, Ki-Karat Sah, Paratitan HG, Retaliation Roar, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon and mighty AX2 Advadnium. This will be the last weapon add to Salvage as the story rewards will stand unique at Level 11. They each have their own special twist and will be of interest to specific combat builds but worth the risk in hunting.
Contacts who sell Military and Specialist gear have gained 2 new options each with level 5 gears that are a mix of powerful offensive, defense and Attribute boosters. For those looking for a reliable pick up in ability to handle crew combat, check these out.
We've fixed the majority of reported Shock Trooper issues with Update #259, and what is left is small textual issues in certain Talent detail panels. We've resolved the issue with Deepstrike Grenade always immediately putting your Shock Trooper to penalty -- it was costing 196 Initiative! We've also fixed the issue with some of the Shock Trooper's buffs and attacks adding to Melee Accuracy or Melee Damage -- these obviously were ranged. For clarity, we're renamed the buffs that were Parry and Dodge to Melee Defense and Ranged Defense (thanks @jamesthesecond!) as these effect all dice in those pools, not only your weapon's Parry dice (etc).
Finally, we've improved the power and way that the dice roll out for Merchant's Talent "Garner Favor" which will help it have more impressive results.
- Added 7 new ultra rare level 10 Relic Weapons (Slazah Falchion, Ki-Karat Sah, Paratitan HG, Retaliation Roar, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon, AX2 Advadnium) - Added 4 new level 5 Gear for sale (2 Mil, 2 Specialist) -- defensive, offensive, Attribute boosters - Rebalanced all Snubbers to trade small percentage of weapon Accuracy for some weapon Parry - Improved application of Negotiate Skill in Merchant's Talent "Garner Favor" to give more even better Rep bonuses - Renamed buff bonus "Parry" to "Melee Defense" and "Dodge" to "Ranged Defense" for clarity - Fixed bug with Shock Trooper Talents buffing Melee Accuracy instead of ranged - Fixed issue with Deepstrike Grenade costing 196 Initiaive to use (auto Penalty)
[ 2021-03-26 19:47:55 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #259 follows up on the major new addition of the Shock Trooper job -- a frontline warrior with the sustaining power to hold slot 1 or 2 without a blade -- and adds new weapons, new gear, rebalances snubbers to further separate them from assault rifles, improves a merchant Talent and more! If you're new to the game, expect a lot of new updates with free, awesome content and be sure to leave a review and tell a friend.
For a different flavor of Trese Brothers sci-fi, check out Cyber Knights!
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Snubber Rebalance
With Update #259, we've taken a chance to push Snubbers into an even more unique class of weapon by transforming some of their Accuracy bonuses into Parry bonuses. While they can't compete with carrying a melee weapon (as you have no Blades Skill) this bonus makes any buff to Melee Defense more noticeable and some of the high level Snubbers are bringing pretty significant Parry stacks.
Level 10 Relic Weapons
We've added 7 new ultra rare level 10 Relic Weapons as possible results of Salvage -- the Slazah Falchion, Ki-Karat Sah, Paratitan HG, Retaliation Roar, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon and mighty AX2 Advadnium. This will be the last weapon add to Salvage as the story rewards will stand unique at Level 11. They each have their own special twist and will be of interest to specific combat builds but worth the risk in hunting.
Contacts Selling Level 5 Gear
Contacts who sell Military and Specialist gear have gained 2 new options each with level 5 gears that are a mix of powerful offensive, defense and Attribute boosters. For those looking for a reliable pick up in ability to handle crew combat, check these out.
Shock Trooper Clean Up
We've fixed the majority of reported Shock Trooper issues with Update #259, and what is left is small textual issues in certain Talent detail panels. We've resolved the issue with Deepstrike Grenade always immediately putting your Shock Trooper to penalty -- it was costing 196 Initiative! We've also fixed the issue with some of the Shock Trooper's buffs and attacks adding to Melee Accuracy or Melee Damage -- these obviously were ranged. For clarity, we're renamed the buffs that were Parry and Dodge to Melee Defense and Ranged Defense (thanks @jamesthesecond!) as these effect all dice in those pools, not only your weapon's Parry dice (etc).
And More
Finally, we've improved the power and way that the dice roll out for Merchant's Talent "Garner Favor" which will help it have more impressive results.
v3.1.45 - Update #259: Retaliate!
- Added 7 new ultra rare level 10 Relic Weapons (Slazah Falchion, Ki-Karat Sah, Paratitan HG, Retaliation Roar, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon, AX2 Advadnium) - Added 4 new level 5 Gear for sale (2 Mil, 2 Specialist) -- defensive, offensive, Attribute boosters - Rebalanced all Snubbers to trade small percentage of weapon Accuracy for some weapon Parry - Improved application of Negotiate Skill in Merchant's Talent "Garner Favor" to give more even better Rep bonuses - Renamed buff bonus "Parry" to "Melee Defense" and "Dodge" to "Ranged Defense" for clarity - Fixed bug with Shock Trooper Talents buffing Melee Accuracy instead of ranged - Fixed issue with Deepstrike Grenade costing 196 Initiaive to use (auto Penalty)
Save 40% and welcome New Job: Shock Trooper!
For too long, the bladesman has held sway over the front ranks of battle. At last, a complementary Job has arrived to prop up Soldier's frontline Talents and shake up the close-quarters combat on ship, salvage yard and open field. The Shock Trooper is a deadly close-quarters combat specialist, trained in the martial arts of deadly face-to-face firefights. These battle-hardened warriors charge forward, and can be found in the front lines of conflicts across the galaxy. The Shock Trooper unleashes 15 new Talents focused on joining the battle in the front 2 slots of crew combat and bringing enough sustaining power to survive it. Their unique buffing attack "Bracing Fire" allows them to resist being Pinned and resist all forced movement (your own team can still move you) -- helping them stay right where they want to be, in the enemies face. A Shock Trooper's firepower is legendary, and "Retaliation" creates the first and only ranged-fire counterattack Talent, allowing them to blast back if attacked from the enemy front 2. Like Swordsman, the Shock Trooper will return fire with a different Talent if available -- where Swordsman uses Balanced Blade, Shock Trooper will counter with Bracing Fire. The Shock Trooper's "Deepstrike Grenade" also pairs with the Soldier's "Concussion Grenade" to allow targeting the enemy's front or back ranks with a stunning grenade (both Talents now have 14 Initiative cost). In many ways, the Shock Trooper synergizes with the Soldier's Talent list Their non-crew combat Talents include a Command Save, a ship combat +Boarding Buff and a powerful "finish them" style Boarding Talent. "Hota-Cored Shells" destroy up to 3 components with at least 40% but less than 60% (damaged but not yet out) guaranteeing that they are at least 60% damage or higher. If properly timed and planned, this Talent has the potential to land a knock out punch to an enemy ship, in the absolute best scenarios on the first boarding hit!
Some exciting new meta has dripped and splattered into the Bleeding rules for crew combat. Bleeding has taken a new pace and now Bleeding Damage is rolled every time a character gets a chance to act. Naturally, we've rebalanced all of the Bleeding and Bleed Res damages but this does mean that heavier, chunkier use of Initiative will cost (Snipers) you less Hit Points to Bleeding. When thinking about who to slice up and Bleed, those characters who are high Initiative and use low Initiative attacks (Pistoleers) are your most effective targets. The new rules helps Bio-Poison stand on its own as the damage-over-time that runs once a turn where Bleeding runs every action (even if you are Stunned or Morale Break). And the Shock Trooper brings some exciting new capabilities in this area! To battle!
With Update #258, we've pushed more recruit options into some of the most commonly available Contacts -- Princes and Merchants. Princes -- with their connection to their own military elite -- offer to recruit Shock Troopers and Merchants -- with their far-flung network of trade -- offer to recruit Hyperwarp Navigators.
To ensure you spot the change, we've added a new highlight for whenever a Contact adds a story Mission to your offered list. At the end of the conversation, a highlight will play over the Mission option, reminding you that while the Contact told you about the Mission in story dialog, you do need to check it out, review its specifics and make an informed decision as to whether or not you'll accept.
We've also fixed a few bugs with Mission Offered count getting behind and showing too few or too many missions until you opened the subscreen, especially in the case of Missions expiring.
- New Bleeding rules -- Bleeding damage is applied every time you act, all Bleeding and Bleed Res rebalanced - New Job "Shock Trooper" leads with a snubber and a rack of grenades from the frontline with Rifles, Evasion, Command Skills - Shock Troopers recruited from Cadar spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - 15 new Talents for Shock troopers including multiple unique Talent types, uses and combat combos - Shock Trooper "Braced Fire" resists forced movement and Pinning - Shock Trooper "Retaliation" allows for ranged fire counterattacks - Shock Trooper "Hota-Cored Shells" boarding victory Talent knocks out already damaged components - Contact types Prince and Retired Bodyguard (new) offer Shock Troopers as recruits - Merchant Contacts now offer Hyperwarp Navigator recruits always - During Mercenaries Rumors, Shock Troopers and Bodyguards can be recruited in the Spice Hall - New Contact Trait "Military Leverage" increases costs, always willing to buy Intel, recruits Shock Troopers - Initiative on Soldier's Concussion Grenade Talent reduced to 14 - New mission highlighter shown in Contact screen if the mission count changes (due to story, etc) - Fixed bug where crew combatants could end up smaller if they had custom outfit (legs/upper/gloves) - Fixed all issues with incorrect number of pending missions listed when talking to contact - Corrected Talent icon for Wing Bomber "Ruthless Destruction" to be red
[ 2021-03-22 17:52:00 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #258 launches with all new frontline snubber-focused Shock Trooper combat job, all new Bleeding rules and Pinning resistance that shake up crew combat meta, powerful new boarding Talent, new recruit options for Princes and Merchants and more. Step on to the bridge captain, the void waits for no ship. To celebrate this major update and new Job, we're kicking off a weeklong 40% sale. Send shrapnel, shells and spice!
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Shock Trooper -- to the Front!
For too long, the bladesman has held sway over the front ranks of battle. At last, a complementary Job has arrived to prop up Soldier's frontline Talents and shake up the close-quarters combat on ship, salvage yard and open field. The Shock Trooper is a deadly close-quarters combat specialist, trained in the martial arts of deadly face-to-face firefights. These battle-hardened warriors charge forward, and can be found in the front lines of conflicts across the galaxy. The Shock Trooper unleashes 15 new Talents focused on joining the battle in the front 2 slots of crew combat and bringing enough sustaining power to survive it. Their unique buffing attack "Bracing Fire" allows them to resist being Pinned and resist all forced movement (your own team can still move you) -- helping them stay right where they want to be, in the enemies face. A Shock Trooper's firepower is legendary, and "Retaliation" creates the first and only ranged-fire counterattack Talent, allowing them to blast back if attacked from the enemy front 2. Like Swordsman, the Shock Trooper will return fire with a different Talent if available -- where Swordsman uses Balanced Blade, Shock Trooper will counter with Bracing Fire. The Shock Trooper's "Deepstrike Grenade" also pairs with the Soldier's "Concussion Grenade" to allow targeting the enemy's front or back ranks with a stunning grenade (both Talents now have 14 Initiative cost). In many ways, the Shock Trooper synergizes with the Soldier's Talent list Their non-crew combat Talents include a Command Save, a ship combat +Boarding Buff and a powerful "finish them" style Boarding Talent. "Hota-Cored Shells" destroy up to 3 components with at least 40% but less than 60% (damaged but not yet out) guaranteeing that they are at least 60% damage or higher. If properly timed and planned, this Talent has the potential to land a knock out punch to an enemy ship, in the absolute best scenarios on the first boarding hit!
Bleeding Out
Some exciting new meta has dripped and splattered into the Bleeding rules for crew combat. Bleeding has taken a new pace and now Bleeding Damage is rolled every time a character gets a chance to act. Naturally, we've rebalanced all of the Bleeding and Bleed Res damages but this does mean that heavier, chunkier use of Initiative will cost (Snipers) you less Hit Points to Bleeding. When thinking about who to slice up and Bleed, those characters who are high Initiative and use low Initiative attacks (Pistoleers) are your most effective targets. The new rules helps Bio-Poison stand on its own as the damage-over-time that runs once a turn where Bleeding runs every action (even if you are Stunned or Morale Break). And the Shock Trooper brings some exciting new capabilities in this area! To battle!
Contact Adjustments
With Update #258, we've pushed more recruit options into some of the most commonly available Contacts -- Princes and Merchants. Princes -- with their connection to their own military elite -- offer to recruit Shock Troopers and Merchants -- with their far-flung network of trade -- offer to recruit Hyperwarp Navigators.
Mission Highlight and Pending Count
To ensure you spot the change, we've added a new highlight for whenever a Contact adds a story Mission to your offered list. At the end of the conversation, a highlight will play over the Mission option, reminding you that while the Contact told you about the Mission in story dialog, you do need to check it out, review its specifics and make an informed decision as to whether or not you'll accept.
We've also fixed a few bugs with Mission Offered count getting behind and showing too few or too many missions until you opened the subscreen, especially in the case of Missions expiring.
v3.1.43 - Shock Trooper
- New Bleeding rules -- Bleeding damage is applied every time you act, all Bleeding and Bleed Res rebalanced - New Job "Shock Trooper" leads with a snubber and a rack of grenades from the frontline with Rifles, Evasion, Command Skills - Shock Troopers recruited from Cadar spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - 15 new Talents for Shock troopers including multiple unique Talent types, uses and combat combos - Shock Trooper "Braced Fire" resists forced movement and Pinning - Shock Trooper "Retaliation" allows for ranged fire counterattacks - Shock Trooper "Hota-Cored Shells" boarding victory Talent knocks out already damaged components - Contact types Prince and Retired Bodyguard (new) offer Shock Troopers as recruits - Merchant Contacts now offer Hyperwarp Navigator recruits always - During Mercenaries Rumors, Shock Troopers and Bodyguards can be recruited in the Spice Hall - New Contact Trait "Military Leverage" increases costs, always willing to buy Intel, recruits Shock Troopers - Initiative on Soldier's Concussion Grenade Talent reduced to 14 - New mission highlighter shown in Contact screen if the mission count changes (due to story, etc) - Fixed bug where crew combatants could end up smaller if they had custom outfit (legs/upper/gloves) - Fixed all issues with incorrect number of pending missions listed when talking to contact - Corrected Talent icon for Wing Bomber "Ruthless Destruction" to be red
Update #257: The Infamous Hunt
The four legendary bounty hunters -- Troy 'The Blade' Circin, April 'The Werewolf' Flowder, Draiv Solregard and Urraca Aurelius -- have long haunted the nightmares of captains and at times, come for them from the dark of the void, carrying a death warrant and a blade. Sometimes a assault rifle. Sometimes a torp. Whatever. If one of your enemies pays them well enough, they will come for your life. But, we often receive the feedback that a veteran player believes they have created the conditions that should cause one of the infamous hunters to appear but they do not. With this update, we've completely rewritten how the Bounty Hunters are deployed by Contacts to make it far less questionable whether or not they are going to appear. They are proc'd much more readily now, more like the vignettes. If you make a powerful enemy, they will not hesitate to pay these hunters to do what they do best.
We've improved the matrix of actions that a Contact Trait can cause for a Contact again with this release, working to link more Rumors to more Traits. As an example, this release we've added the link that those Contacts who are Spice Addicted are more likely to take action that will start Spice Festivals on their zones. As more and more Rumors and Traits get added, we're always working to improve this motivation matrix.
As we march toward Conflict Missions, we're continuing to grind down on any little rough edges, balance imperfections and bugs around Conflicts. With this update, we've fixed an issue related to how Conflicts were selected for those that would be targeted by Orbital Ops and any Talent that generated Conflict-related intel. The selection rules specifically used to select the oldest standing Conflict. This meant when playing an Orbital Ops like Spying you could only affect one Conflict and only gain Intel related to one Conflict. For Intel gathering Missions, this is a major problem and it would have been even worse for Conflict Missions. We've resolved this in many places -- from Orbital Ops to Unauthorized Access boarding Talent -- so that the targeted Conflict is taken from a list of possible Conflicts with a slight weighting applied by age.
For a long time now, if you trained enough flight plan Talents and used the right screen resolution, you could end up with them going off the top of the screen. This was kicked up a notch by adding Saboteur and players combining Saboteur and Wing Commando. We're now resolved this with a refresh to the interface that shows the Talent Icons in a neat little grid (less mouse movement, yah!) with hovers for their full details.
- Rebalanced rules for Legendary Bounty Hunters -- they will appear far more readily now - Contacts with Traits like Spice Addict (and others) are more likely to start Spice Festival Rumors on their own zone - Improved balance of Contact-created Rumors to run longer and be more useful to captains - Rebalanced Orbital Conflict selection and Intel Talents that target a Conflict to stop using "oldest" Conflict only - Fixed issue with too many Flight Plans going off screen - Fixed issue with selling generic Intel to Contact raising wrong Conflict Score
[ 2021-03-15 16:24:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #257 rolls out with a set of revamps to how Legendary Bounty Hunter stories are pulled into the game, adds new Contact simulation actions and fixes some outstanding issues with Conflict selection when generating Intel that were blocking the upcoming Conflict Missions. We've also continued to work on the platform updates and revisions for Mac and Linux that kicked off in Update #256.
If you like the pace of new updates, please consider leaving a review and telling a friend!
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Legendary Bounty Hunters
The four legendary bounty hunters -- Troy 'The Blade' Circin, April 'The Werewolf' Flowder, Draiv Solregard and Urraca Aurelius -- have long haunted the nightmares of captains and at times, come for them from the dark of the void, carrying a death warrant and a blade. Sometimes a assault rifle. Sometimes a torp. Whatever. If one of your enemies pays them well enough, they will come for your life. But, we often receive the feedback that a veteran player believes they have created the conditions that should cause one of the infamous hunters to appear but they do not. With this update, we've completely rewritten how the Bounty Hunters are deployed by Contacts to make it far less questionable whether or not they are going to appear. They are proc'd much more readily now, more like the vignettes. If you make a powerful enemy, they will not hesitate to pay these hunters to do what they do best.
Spicy Contacts
We've improved the matrix of actions that a Contact Trait can cause for a Contact again with this release, working to link more Rumors to more Traits. As an example, this release we've added the link that those Contacts who are Spice Addicted are more likely to take action that will start Spice Festivals on their zones. As more and more Rumors and Traits get added, we're always working to improve this motivation matrix.
Conflict Selection in Orbital Ops and Talents
As we march toward Conflict Missions, we're continuing to grind down on any little rough edges, balance imperfections and bugs around Conflicts. With this update, we've fixed an issue related to how Conflicts were selected for those that would be targeted by Orbital Ops and any Talent that generated Conflict-related intel. The selection rules specifically used to select the oldest standing Conflict. This meant when playing an Orbital Ops like Spying you could only affect one Conflict and only gain Intel related to one Conflict. For Intel gathering Missions, this is a major problem and it would have been even worse for Conflict Missions. We've resolved this in many places -- from Orbital Ops to Unauthorized Access boarding Talent -- so that the targeted Conflict is taken from a list of possible Conflicts with a slight weighting applied by age.
Flight Plan Maxing
For a long time now, if you trained enough flight plan Talents and used the right screen resolution, you could end up with them going off the top of the screen. This was kicked up a notch by adding Saboteur and players combining Saboteur and Wing Commando. We're now resolved this with a refresh to the interface that shows the Talent Icons in a neat little grid (less mouse movement, yah!) with hovers for their full details.
v3.1.41 - Update #257: The Infamous Hunt
- Rebalanced rules for Legendary Bounty Hunters -- they will appear far more readily now - Contacts with Traits like Spice Addict (and others) are more likely to start Spice Festival Rumors on their own zone - Improved balance of Contact-created Rumors to run longer and be more useful to captains - Rebalanced Orbital Conflict selection and Intel Talents that target a Conflict to stop using "oldest" Conflict only - Fixed issue with too many Flight Plans going off screen - Fixed issue with selling generic Intel to Contact raising wrong Conflict Score
Update #256: Auto-Trainer
This update also includes major upgrades to our SDKs, Steam libraries and other parts of the internal system to improve support for the latest versions of Mac OS and Linux distros -- such as Big Sur.
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
^ Experience E in the Frontier Liner
Talent training has come up on the Steam forums in many ways over the years, with many players needing to receive the advice from the veteran captain community to train up on Skill Saving Talents. But, the credit is owed to @davea for asking just the right question to set off this chain of work and key improvements to the game that every new captain will feel. The auto-trainer for bot the new game and the button in the crew manifest have had their priorities reworked significantly. The changes are all about acquiring up to a threshold of Skill Saving Talents before any other Talents are considered. if possible, the 3 or more are acquired in every core ship Skill and at least 1 is acquired in social skills.
This leads to dramatically better starts on every difficulty. In my last test on Normal, my captain who started in a Frontier Liner with E experience escorted the Arbiter, then took the mission to Faen court and to the Highwind wreckage and returned to Calagan Faen with only 2 traveling skill failures without having to do any manual Talent training.
^ Smuggler Template
^ Explorer Template
^ Pirate Template
^ Bounty Hunter Template
When reviewing different Jobs, you can now see the true list of primary, secondary and lower Skills. At early levels, this can sometimes be misleading, where Spy starts with +2 Stealth and +1 Electronics but eventually ends up with higher Electronics than Stealth as the Job progresses. For Jobs like Saboteur this can also be helpful as you don't see that you will train in Pilot Skill at all in the first level. To help reinforce this priority, the Job skill bonuses are now ordered by primary, second, etc -- so Spy reads +1 Electronics, +2 Stealth, +1 Pistol in order of primary, second, tertiary skills.
Along with the work on the Auto-Trainer we also hammered out some other fixes from the Steam boards. We fixed an issue where the Templar Militant wasn't offering his unique brand of Trait Reconditioning but instead offering Chaesin's list. We also fixed some issues with ship component types disappearing during starport shopping and Talent descriptions and icons after use.
- Major improvements to new game Talent training logic to better prioritize Skill Saving Talents - Improved crew list Auto-Train to better prioritize Skill Saving Talents - Job Listing now includes Primary, Secondary (etc) skills in order for each job - Specific bonuses for a job level are now ordered by this primary, secondary ordering - Linux and Mac Big Sur platform support improvements - Fixed issue with Templar Militant Trait Reconditioning not matching advertised list - Fixed issue with Wing Leader and Saboteur Talent descriptions - Fixed issue with preview of new ship Component List being empty, launch capability being incorrectly listed - Fixed issue with "Offensive" ship component subcategory sometimes disappearing
[ 2021-03-08 18:49:44 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #256 is an unexpected detour into an important system within the game. With a very timely and well-put post, @davea pointed out an area where we could massively improve the experience for new and veteran players through making the game's auto-trainer for Talents smarter. We took a quick break from our progression on Conflicts toward Conflict Score missions to improve the auto-trainer for the good of every captain across the expanse.
As always, a huge thanks to everyone posting feedback and helping us share the game through reviews.
Mac Big Sur and Linux Support Improvements
This update also includes major upgrades to our SDKs, Steam libraries and other parts of the internal system to improve support for the latest versions of Mac OS and Linux distros -- such as Big Sur.
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
^ Experience E in the Frontier Liner
New Game and Auto-Train Talents
Talent training has come up on the Steam forums in many ways over the years, with many players needing to receive the advice from the veteran captain community to train up on Skill Saving Talents. But, the credit is owed to @davea for asking just the right question to set off this chain of work and key improvements to the game that every new captain will feel. The auto-trainer for bot the new game and the button in the crew manifest have had their priorities reworked significantly. The changes are all about acquiring up to a threshold of Skill Saving Talents before any other Talents are considered. if possible, the 3 or more are acquired in every core ship Skill and at least 1 is acquired in social skills.
This leads to dramatically better starts on every difficulty. In my last test on Normal, my captain who started in a Frontier Liner with E experience escorted the Arbiter, then took the mission to Faen court and to the Highwind wreckage and returned to Calagan Faen with only 2 traveling skill failures without having to do any manual Talent training.
^ Smuggler Template
^ Explorer Template
^ Pirate Template
^ Bounty Hunter Template
Job Skill Priority
When reviewing different Jobs, you can now see the true list of primary, secondary and lower Skills. At early levels, this can sometimes be misleading, where Spy starts with +2 Stealth and +1 Electronics but eventually ends up with higher Electronics than Stealth as the Job progresses. For Jobs like Saboteur this can also be helpful as you don't see that you will train in Pilot Skill at all in the first level. To help reinforce this priority, the Job skill bonuses are now ordered by primary, second, etc -- so Spy reads +1 Electronics, +2 Stealth, +1 Pistol in order of primary, second, tertiary skills.
And More
Along with the work on the Auto-Trainer we also hammered out some other fixes from the Steam boards. We fixed an issue where the Templar Militant wasn't offering his unique brand of Trait Reconditioning but instead offering Chaesin's list. We also fixed some issues with ship component types disappearing during starport shopping and Talent descriptions and icons after use.
v3.1.39 - 3/8/2021
- Major improvements to new game Talent training logic to better prioritize Skill Saving Talents - Improved crew list Auto-Train to better prioritize Skill Saving Talents - Job Listing now includes Primary, Secondary (etc) skills in order for each job - Specific bonuses for a job level are now ordered by this primary, secondary ordering - Linux and Mac Big Sur platform support improvements - Fixed issue with Templar Militant Trait Reconditioning not matching advertised list - Fixed issue with Wing Leader and Saboteur Talent descriptions - Fixed issue with preview of new ship Component List being empty, launch capability being incorrectly listed - Fixed issue with "Offensive" ship component subcategory sometimes disappearing
Update #255: Economic Warfare
Every type of Conflict has its angles for you to get involved and tip the scales in the favor of one faction or another. Blockading and merchant hunting has long been the angle for Trade Wars and Trade Bans but with Update #255 we've opened up a new attack vector -- legal trading at the Exchange! Any time you make a trade over $5,000 that violates a Trade Ban or Trade War, your action can cost you Rep but will also support the opposing faction in the Conflict and increase their Conflict score by 1-4 points. In addition, any $5,000 or higher trade in an Exchange with two factions in a Trade Alliance supports the local faction and increases their economic power within the scales of balance of that Trade Alliance. The politics of the Star Traders are petty and feudal -- someone always emerges the victor, even in Alliances. This important set of updates invites merchants more actively to the Conflict table and prepares for the next big round of open-ended missions that will be coming to the game -- Conflict missions -- where you will be paid to adjust a Conflict Score by a certain amount by whatever means you can. Having more options will increase the variability of play in these missions, so expect some more Conflict Score angles appearing before these missions slide into your update feed.
A special thanks to @Pilda on Steam this week for a spot on suggestion for easy ways to improve the crew combat log. We jumped on the simple suggestion and have much nicer, much more readable crew combat logs coming out this week. Based on everyone's feedback, we'll make further improvements and then ship combat logs will get a similar treatment in the next update. In a reverse operation, we're working to upgrade crew combat hovers over characters to include the level of detail about your dice pools for accuracy and defense equal to what you can see in ship combat. With this update, we compressed and improved the overall layout of crew combat hovers to prep for this data injection. The biggest improvement this week is if you have a lot of buffs or debuffs going, things should be much more readable.
We fixed two important craft bugs with this update -- when you launch a craft an enemy ship now properly interprets this as a hostile move. It is considered as hostile as firing a weapon and reduces the enemy ship's hostility, which will trigger a fight response if they are unable to flee. Second, we fixed a longstanding issue with the Talent "Hangar Triage" which was failing to take Repair Skill into account properly and always only repairing at 10%. [h2[And a Bit More
Thanks to everyone in the community posting feedback, bugs and suggestions. We're constantly tracking and recording everything coming in. This week we hit on a few more smaller items that came through. We caught up on another set of places were Rep loss for Indies was being reported incorrectly -- the Black Market, stealing Fuel and with the Terrifying Extortion Talent. Thanks to everyone dutifully reporting this issue. We also fixed a bug with Call of the Strong's Russ Axeil where he could end up with 2 Traits that gave a second recruiting option, and based on the order you discovered them you'd only be able to recruit one or the other in the end. This is fixed for all future iterations of Russ.
- Trading $5,000 credits in violation of Trade Ban or Trade War or into a Trade Alliance increases the Conflict Score of supported faction - Improved crew combat logs color and formatting to make them easier to read during and after battle - Improved crew combat hover over characters - Fixed issue with "Hangar Triage" Talent not correctly taking Repair Skill into account - Launching craft correctly adjusts enemy ship's hostility - Fixed issue stating that taking Fuel from a non-Pirate defeated indie ship would cause you Rep loss - "Terrifying Extortion" Talent no longer reports Rep loss with indies, Black Market no longer reports Rep loss with indies - Fixed issue with Russ Axeil having two recruit Traits for future captains
[ 2021-03-02 17:34:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #255 introduces a major new way for Merchants and other traders to get involved in Trade Ban, Trade War, and Trade Alliance Conflicts. We've also made some major QOL improvements to crew combat's log and hover, fixed two longstanding bugs with craft and hammered out some more requests coming in from the community. Thanks for all your support and if you like the pace of updates, be sure to leave a review.
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Trade Conflicts
Every type of Conflict has its angles for you to get involved and tip the scales in the favor of one faction or another. Blockading and merchant hunting has long been the angle for Trade Wars and Trade Bans but with Update #255 we've opened up a new attack vector -- legal trading at the Exchange! Any time you make a trade over $5,000 that violates a Trade Ban or Trade War, your action can cost you Rep but will also support the opposing faction in the Conflict and increase their Conflict score by 1-4 points. In addition, any $5,000 or higher trade in an Exchange with two factions in a Trade Alliance supports the local faction and increases their economic power within the scales of balance of that Trade Alliance. The politics of the Star Traders are petty and feudal -- someone always emerges the victor, even in Alliances. This important set of updates invites merchants more actively to the Conflict table and prepares for the next big round of open-ended missions that will be coming to the game -- Conflict missions -- where you will be paid to adjust a Conflict Score by a certain amount by whatever means you can. Having more options will increase the variability of play in these missions, so expect some more Conflict Score angles appearing before these missions slide into your update feed.
Crew Combat Logs and Hover
A special thanks to @Pilda on Steam this week for a spot on suggestion for easy ways to improve the crew combat log. We jumped on the simple suggestion and have much nicer, much more readable crew combat logs coming out this week. Based on everyone's feedback, we'll make further improvements and then ship combat logs will get a similar treatment in the next update. In a reverse operation, we're working to upgrade crew combat hovers over characters to include the level of detail about your dice pools for accuracy and defense equal to what you can see in ship combat. With this update, we compressed and improved the overall layout of crew combat hovers to prep for this data injection. The biggest improvement this week is if you have a lot of buffs or debuffs going, things should be much more readable.
Craft Launch and Repair
We fixed two important craft bugs with this update -- when you launch a craft an enemy ship now properly interprets this as a hostile move. It is considered as hostile as firing a weapon and reduces the enemy ship's hostility, which will trigger a fight response if they are unable to flee. Second, we fixed a longstanding issue with the Talent "Hangar Triage" which was failing to take Repair Skill into account properly and always only repairing at 10%. [h2[And a Bit More
Thanks to everyone in the community posting feedback, bugs and suggestions. We're constantly tracking and recording everything coming in. This week we hit on a few more smaller items that came through. We caught up on another set of places were Rep loss for Indies was being reported incorrectly -- the Black Market, stealing Fuel and with the Terrifying Extortion Talent. Thanks to everyone dutifully reporting this issue. We also fixed a bug with Call of the Strong's Russ Axeil where he could end up with 2 Traits that gave a second recruiting option, and based on the order you discovered them you'd only be able to recruit one or the other in the end. This is fixed for all future iterations of Russ.
v3.1.37 - 3/1/2020
- Trading $5,000 credits in violation of Trade Ban or Trade War or into a Trade Alliance increases the Conflict Score of supported faction - Improved crew combat logs color and formatting to make them easier to read during and after battle - Improved crew combat hover over characters - Fixed issue with "Hangar Triage" Talent not correctly taking Repair Skill into account - Launching craft correctly adjusts enemy ship's hostility - Fixed issue stating that taking Fuel from a non-Pirate defeated indie ship would cause you Rep loss - "Terrifying Extortion" Talent no longer reports Rep loss with indies, Black Market no longer reports Rep loss with indies - Fixed issue with Russ Axeil having two recruit Traits for future captains
Update #254: Diplomat's Pact
This week we heard a (funny?) story of the plight of Diplomat who was about to get spaced if they could not help their Captain find a way to afford a high value pardon. The story came with a great request for an improvement -- to cover Pardon's with a discount Talent. We were happy to oblige and save the poor diplomat's life! Or, at least the captain has promised not to space them until after the pardon is paid. Given the captain's temperament, I imagine the Diplomat is going to have to keep earning his seat -- but that is up to all their other great Talents. The Diplomat's new rank 8 Talent, "Vindication Pact" helps cut down on the price of pardons by their Negotiate Skill, up to a maximum of 30%. Depending on how egregious your crimes have been, that can be a lot of money!
The rules for starting Contact placement on maps have always given preference to keeping your first Contacts spread across different zones. However, on some maps that led to some of the 3 starting Contacts who are designated to be local to your faction and starting quadrant having no place to live. Which meant these Contacts were getting the boot to nearby quadrants and other factions, which conflicted with the template you had established. We've rewritten the rule to allow these 3 "local" Contacts to pile up. If absolutely needed, they will all pile onto the same zone even. However, the new game placement rules now keep the promise set by your template -- all "local Contacts" are just that.
This update is full of QOL improvements coming straight off the Steam boards. A huge thanks to everyone posting there with feedback, bugs and balance improvements. Even though you were being charged, ship's with hull damage in dry dock were not getting their hull repaired. This is now resolved so your ship can be pristine and ready to launch. A certain set of factors -- including a 10 Danger world and the custom team build with a rare Bodyguard and Sniper combo -- made the Yalto Thulun battlegroup unfairly OP. We've now made some balance changes to bring it back in line on lower difficulties. There were 22 places in orbital operations where interactions with Indies might report Rep gain or loss incorrectly. Fixed! The new flight helmet had some issues -- for some heads the hair could stick out the back and it was too picky about removing eyewear. you can now have either eyepatch while wearing the helmet. Finally, we fixed a pile of reported typos, a few crashes from reports, clarified the Doctor "Medical Ward" Talent to remove an misleading phrase of "advanced medical facilities" (it just means ship's Medical Rating) and resolved a few places where mousewheel scrolling wasn't working as expected.
- Added new rank 8 Diplomat Talent "Vindication Pact" reduces price of Pardons up to 30% maximum - All "local" starting Contacts are all placed in starting quadrant, even if there are 2 to a zone - Improved balance of Yalto Thulun's battlegroup - Fixed issue where hull on drydocked ships was not being repaired correctly - Fixed issues with orbital operations logs when encountering Indies and Rep loss - Fixed issue with hair sticking out the back of flight helmets - Flight helmets now allow eyepatches - Clarified "Medical Ward" Talent's description - Fixed issues with mousewheel scrolling in all card games, recruit screen - Fixed typos and reported crashes
[ 2021-02-21 18:12:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
This week's update adds a new Talent, improves the placement rules for starting Contacts and then hits on 10 big feedback points from within the community this week. After last week's big update and sale, we'd like to welcome all new Captains to the void! We hope you're enjoying the pace of updates and new content. Let's dig into the details here --
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Vindication Pact
This week we heard a (funny?) story of the plight of Diplomat who was about to get spaced if they could not help their Captain find a way to afford a high value pardon. The story came with a great request for an improvement -- to cover Pardon's with a discount Talent. We were happy to oblige and save the poor diplomat's life! Or, at least the captain has promised not to space them until after the pardon is paid. Given the captain's temperament, I imagine the Diplomat is going to have to keep earning his seat -- but that is up to all their other great Talents. The Diplomat's new rank 8 Talent, "Vindication Pact" helps cut down on the price of pardons by their Negotiate Skill, up to a maximum of 30%. Depending on how egregious your crimes have been, that can be a lot of money!
Starting Contacts Pile In
The rules for starting Contact placement on maps have always given preference to keeping your first Contacts spread across different zones. However, on some maps that led to some of the 3 starting Contacts who are designated to be local to your faction and starting quadrant having no place to live. Which meant these Contacts were getting the boot to nearby quadrants and other factions, which conflicted with the template you had established. We've rewritten the rule to allow these 3 "local" Contacts to pile up. If absolutely needed, they will all pile onto the same zone even. However, the new game placement rules now keep the promise set by your template -- all "local Contacts" are just that.
And More Community QOL
This update is full of QOL improvements coming straight off the Steam boards. A huge thanks to everyone posting there with feedback, bugs and balance improvements. Even though you were being charged, ship's with hull damage in dry dock were not getting their hull repaired. This is now resolved so your ship can be pristine and ready to launch. A certain set of factors -- including a 10 Danger world and the custom team build with a rare Bodyguard and Sniper combo -- made the Yalto Thulun battlegroup unfairly OP. We've now made some balance changes to bring it back in line on lower difficulties. There were 22 places in orbital operations where interactions with Indies might report Rep gain or loss incorrectly. Fixed! The new flight helmet had some issues -- for some heads the hair could stick out the back and it was too picky about removing eyewear. you can now have either eyepatch while wearing the helmet. Finally, we fixed a pile of reported typos, a few crashes from reports, clarified the Doctor "Medical Ward" Talent to remove an misleading phrase of "advanced medical facilities" (it just means ship's Medical Rating) and resolved a few places where mousewheel scrolling wasn't working as expected.
v3.1.35 - 2/21/2021
- Added new rank 8 Diplomat Talent "Vindication Pact" reduces price of Pardons up to 30% maximum - All "local" starting Contacts are all placed in starting quadrant, even if there are 2 to a zone - Improved balance of Yalto Thulun's battlegroup - Fixed issue where hull on drydocked ships was not being repaired correctly - Fixed issues with orbital operations logs when encountering Indies and Rep loss - Fixed issue with hair sticking out the back of flight helmets - Flight helmets now allow eyepatches - Clarified "Medical Ward" Talent's description - Fixed issues with mousewheel scrolling in all card games, recruit screen - Fixed typos and reported crashes
Save 35% and Update #253: Lunar Slingshot
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
With Update #253 we've added a new community-requested hat for all characters. The flight helmet is perfect for all the Wing classes, your working ship crew or just anybody who wants the look! We've also added another 3 character face options including 2 beards and a scar. It is always exciting to see some new faces in the crew!
The PVM 4 came out just last week but had some of its stats wired up wrong. It's now fixed, for the glory of Rychart!
With Update #253, we've brought the details on a character's Talents up to full parity with what you can see in the status screen -- including the full description, effect and cooldown rules. If you're looking for details while picking crew, just click the >> button to slide out the detail panel as usual.
We're always pulling from the community for requests for fixes and improvements and with Update #253, we hit on some great ones! For those players having the issue where music would reset or stop after ignored combats, it's finally fixed! We've improved some of the missing or incorrect SFX and VFX for crew combat Talents for the Templar and the Jyeeta bosses as well as Interdictor flight plans. Finally, if you revealed a Contact Trait that changed their service offering, the screen used to do a poor job of updating on the fly -- now its smooth and updates immediately without having to exit. Finally, all carriers -- including Pirates -- will not suicide their Shuttles against you if they lack proper fighting crew. You will no longer find an enemy shuttle packed with whimpering Pilots and E-Techs :D
- Added new flight helmet hat -- great for craft pilots, engineering crew, everyone - Added 3 new character faces - scars, beards, beards! - Corrected bonuses for Peak Velocity Matrix 4 - Improved display of Talents shown during Crew Combat selection to match Status > Talents - Fixed issue with some Pirate carriers attempting to board without surviving fighting crew - Fixed issue with revealing Contact Traits not always refreshing Contact service offerings - Fixed inconsistencies with Talent SFX and VFX in a few spots in crew and ship combat (flight plans, Templar, jyeeta boss) - Fixed issues with keybindings on Explorer screen - Fixes music stopping and starting around ignored combats
[ 2021-02-13 01:41:58 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #253 welcomes the Steam Lunar New Year sale with a 35% discount and a pile of new content and community-driven improvements and fixes. Welcome all new captains pouring into the void this weekend and thanks to everyone posting feedback and reviews. We've got a new hat, 3 new character faces, a corrected Peak Velocity Matrix 4 and more!
For a different flavor of Trese Brothers sci-fi, check out Cyber Knights!
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Flight Helmet and Faces
With Update #253 we've added a new community-requested hat for all characters. The flight helmet is perfect for all the Wing classes, your working ship crew or just anybody who wants the look! We've also added another 3 character face options including 2 beards and a scar. It is always exciting to see some new faces in the crew!
Peak Velocity 4
The PVM 4 came out just last week but had some of its stats wired up wrong. It's now fixed, for the glory of Rychart!
Boarding Details
With Update #253, we've brought the details on a character's Talents up to full parity with what you can see in the status screen -- including the full description, effect and cooldown rules. If you're looking for details while picking crew, just click the >> button to slide out the detail panel as usual.
Community QOL
We're always pulling from the community for requests for fixes and improvements and with Update #253, we hit on some great ones! For those players having the issue where music would reset or stop after ignored combats, it's finally fixed! We've improved some of the missing or incorrect SFX and VFX for crew combat Talents for the Templar and the Jyeeta bosses as well as Interdictor flight plans. Finally, if you revealed a Contact Trait that changed their service offering, the screen used to do a poor job of updating on the fly -- now its smooth and updates immediately without having to exit. Finally, all carriers -- including Pirates -- will not suicide their Shuttles against you if they lack proper fighting crew. You will no longer find an enemy shuttle packed with whimpering Pilots and E-Techs :D
v3.1.31 - Update 253: Lunar Slingshot
- Added new flight helmet hat -- great for craft pilots, engineering crew, everyone - Added 3 new character faces - scars, beards, beards! - Corrected bonuses for Peak Velocity Matrix 4 - Improved display of Talents shown during Crew Combat selection to match Status > Talents - Fixed issue with some Pirate carriers attempting to board without surviving fighting crew - Fixed issue with revealing Contact Traits not always refreshing Contact service offerings - Fixed inconsistencies with Talent SFX and VFX in a few spots in crew and ship combat (flight plans, Templar, jyeeta boss) - Fixed issues with keybindings on Explorer screen - Fixes music stopping and starting around ignored combats
Update #252: Velocity Achieved
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
This month's community challenge is an open ended call to share the stories, builds and designs for your best and most legendary boarding combat crews. We're off to a roaring start with some absolute A-teams posted already, sporting amazing gear and even better looks. Join in and bring your #BoardingBosses to the party. https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/3066358039684902746
Rychart is bringing the speed with the latest new ship component, the Peak Velocity Matrix 4 which grants a whopping +15 Move bonus, +1 Initiative and +6 Boarding. This faction-specific component is a great addition to any quick moving ship -- for fleeing, boarding or both. We've also tweaked the starport and economy requirements for PVM 3 to ensure they were up to snuff.
When you surrender to an enemy ship, their behavior is affected not only by any Trade Permits you hold with their faction, but also by any Trade Permits you hold with factions that are in a Trade Alliance with their faction. We've fixed an issue that was causing Military Officers and Bounty Hunters not to fully respect this rule set with Update #252. For Pirates, once you reach Trade Permit 2 or higher (or have a Trade Permit with a Trade Alliance partner) they cease to loot your hold altogether, wary of angering their faction. For Military Officers, Bounty Hunters and Zealots they still demand to search your cargo in full. Each cargo is checked against your legal permits with their faction or now (correctly) with any Trade Permit of a Trade Alliance partner. While Pirates leave off at 2, you'll still need correct Permits for every good type if you want to pass through military inspection but with the Trade Alliance rules now properly respected, this just got easier.
While its an ugly moment when the crew rises up against their chartered captain, we still have come around to improving it once again. With Update #252, we've improved the details shared during mutiny -- being more specific about headcounts, Morale thresholds, amount of money offered and the results of a stand up fight (where some crew may die while others will survive by Death Save). In addition, the mutineers have wised up a little bit. Their paltry demands for a lump sum are no longer so tiny and they may demand up to as much as 5% of your entire credits on hand, depending on just how bold they are feeling and how many are standing against you. Finally, we've also improved the value of the anti-Mutiny Talents, boosting their basic Morale improvements. Those Talents relying only on Skill -- such as Doctor or Quartermaster -- have upgraded to 20 + Skill Morale. Those Talents that outright kill one of the mutineers (no Death Save!) have upgraded to 40 + Skill Morale. In both cases, if a mutiny is threatening, these Talents are going to feel a lot more powerful as ways to stave it off and worth training.
For those captains picking up a lot of Intel through Talents, we've ensured that all event logs related to Intel gathering now clearly list the faction in their top line without a need to hover over the event. We've also flipped the default sort of all places where Intel appears so that it is sorted newest first. We are prepping to add filters to Intel and then Sell All which will give a quick and easy way to offload Intel by filter to Contacts for those master spies who are sitting on big stacks.
- Added new Rychart-only Peak Velocity Matrix 4, high Movement bonus, more Pilot, gains +Init - Adjusted zone requirements for Peak Velocity Matrix 3 - Military Officers and Bounty Hunters now correctly respect Trade Permits across Trade Alliances - Improved Mutiny options and results to be more clear about cost and deaths versus wounded (death save) - Improved power of all anti-Mutiny Talents to heal Morale, now 20 + Skill base or 40 + Skill for killing a mutineer - Mutineers wised up -- demand much higher prices for calming (up to 5% of total credits on hand) - Improved event logs for Intel-generating Talents to always mention faction - Changed default sorting of Intel lists, newest Intel Records are at the top - Fixed issue with "Fuel Depot" card in Explorer not correctly saving fuel updates - Fixed typos and reported crashes
[ 2021-02-06 22:03:14 CET ] [ Original post ]
Following up on the major milestone event GREAT HOUSES, Update #252 adds new content, improves existing systems, patches up some holes here and there and caters to some of the latest community requests. We're excited to keep cranking out updates as we move through the year, targeting both completing our roadmap and starting the next big thing: modding.
If you like the pace of updates and free new content, be leave a review and tell a friend. In the meantime --
Whats the latest on Cyber Knights?
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. Were currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (make sure youve wishlisted and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
February "Boarding Bosses" Challenge
This month's community challenge is an open ended call to share the stories, builds and designs for your best and most legendary boarding combat crews. We're off to a roaring start with some absolute A-teams posted already, sporting amazing gear and even better looks. Join in and bring your #BoardingBosses to the party. https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/3066358039684902746
Peak Velocity
Rychart is bringing the speed with the latest new ship component, the Peak Velocity Matrix 4 which grants a whopping +15 Move bonus, +1 Initiative and +6 Boarding. This faction-specific component is a great addition to any quick moving ship -- for fleeing, boarding or both. We've also tweaked the starport and economy requirements for PVM 3 to ensure they were up to snuff.
Trade Alliances Respect
When you surrender to an enemy ship, their behavior is affected not only by any Trade Permits you hold with their faction, but also by any Trade Permits you hold with factions that are in a Trade Alliance with their faction. We've fixed an issue that was causing Military Officers and Bounty Hunters not to fully respect this rule set with Update #252. For Pirates, once you reach Trade Permit 2 or higher (or have a Trade Permit with a Trade Alliance partner) they cease to loot your hold altogether, wary of angering their faction. For Military Officers, Bounty Hunters and Zealots they still demand to search your cargo in full. Each cargo is checked against your legal permits with their faction or now (correctly) with any Trade Permit of a Trade Alliance partner. While Pirates leave off at 2, you'll still need correct Permits for every good type if you want to pass through military inspection but with the Trade Alliance rules now properly respected, this just got easier.
Mutineers Unite!
While its an ugly moment when the crew rises up against their chartered captain, we still have come around to improving it once again. With Update #252, we've improved the details shared during mutiny -- being more specific about headcounts, Morale thresholds, amount of money offered and the results of a stand up fight (where some crew may die while others will survive by Death Save). In addition, the mutineers have wised up a little bit. Their paltry demands for a lump sum are no longer so tiny and they may demand up to as much as 5% of your entire credits on hand, depending on just how bold they are feeling and how many are standing against you. Finally, we've also improved the value of the anti-Mutiny Talents, boosting their basic Morale improvements. Those Talents relying only on Skill -- such as Doctor or Quartermaster -- have upgraded to 20 + Skill Morale. Those Talents that outright kill one of the mutineers (no Death Save!) have upgraded to 40 + Skill Morale. In both cases, if a mutiny is threatening, these Talents are going to feel a lot more powerful as ways to stave it off and worth training.
Intel Gathering
For those captains picking up a lot of Intel through Talents, we've ensured that all event logs related to Intel gathering now clearly list the faction in their top line without a need to hover over the event. We've also flipped the default sort of all places where Intel appears so that it is sorted newest first. We are prepping to add filters to Intel and then Sell All which will give a quick and easy way to offload Intel by filter to Contacts for those master spies who are sitting on big stacks.
v3.1.29 - 2/6/2021
- Added new Rychart-only Peak Velocity Matrix 4, high Movement bonus, more Pilot, gains +Init - Adjusted zone requirements for Peak Velocity Matrix 3 - Military Officers and Bounty Hunters now correctly respect Trade Permits across Trade Alliances - Improved Mutiny options and results to be more clear about cost and deaths versus wounded (death save) - Improved power of all anti-Mutiny Talents to heal Morale, now 20 + Skill base or 40 + Skill for killing a mutineer - Mutineers wised up -- demand much higher prices for calming (up to 5% of total credits on hand) - Improved event logs for Intel-generating Talents to always mention faction - Changed default sorting of Intel lists, newest Intel Records are at the top - Fixed issue with "Fuel Depot" card in Explorer not correctly saving fuel updates - Fixed typos and reported crashes
Boarding Bosses February Community Challenge
[ 2021-02-05 17:13:00 CET ] [ Original post ]
This month we want to do a more open-ended challenge, asking a simple question: who has a boss boarding crew? Whether youve min-maxed through 50 iterations to create the ultimate xeno-grinder, or are simply proud of a combat squad that has kept you alive by the skin of their teeth, were open to all kinds of bosses here.
Show and tell us about yours with screenshots and: stories, stats, lets plays, interpretive dance videos, etc. You can share them here or in our Discord. At the end of the month, well highlight several for an official Trese Brothers nod (and possibly some memery).
Some of the things were hoping to see:
- Stories about your best crew combat accomplishment, journey to building your crew, or in-universe accomplishments.
- Screenshots of fully-customized combat crew members, special story vignette fights, or (RIP) combat captain death screens.
- Explanations of (/names for) your favorite combat tactics, equipment loadouts, or crew-combat-focused gameplay strategies.
- Stats from your best post-combat boarding results, self-imposed challenges, or high-difficulty achievements.
- Your own creative edits / showcases / celebrations of your favorite combat crew.
New Year, New Game?
Veteran players have always been able to add to their replay experience by changing the procedurally-generated universe itself at the start of a new playthrough. Now weve released map seeds version 2, allowing you to create better-balanced, more unique, and larger universe maps.
See updates #240, CARTOGRAPHER, and update #241, Mapmaker Rising, for details on the features weve added for maps. Finally in the latest GREAT HOUSES we introduced a new default map to the game from the version 2 seed.
In 2020 we added three new story vignettes to the game, two new jobs, and brand new mission types!
CATALYST, update #232, added the Scientist job along with scientific intel to the game. Another classic sci-fi archetype, the Scientist in Star Traders: Frontiers adds to both exploration gameplay and rewards for encounters with the xeno. The Blade Dancer job, from update 202, added an aggressive blades combatant, rich in Steel Song lore and unique talents, for your combat crews. And just this month weve added the Saboteur. This new job brings new boarding combat abilities, opens up more long-range boarding options, and specializes in talents for wrecking the enemy ship and crew after a successful boarding.
Story updates are always exciting, and the extensive work they take to complete pays off with some of the most unique experiences Star Traders: Frontiers has to offer. In 2020 we added three:
Its a change that would sound small to anyone new to Star Traders, but long-time players will tell you is one of the most significant changes weve made to the game since launch. In update #225, a limited number of crew members gained the ability to equip the valuable specialist gear that was previously restricted to your ships officers. This has opened up the possibilities for your crew builds quite a bit, no longer requiring the devotion of so many officers to your boarding party / crew combat A-teams. As the number of crew who can equip this gear is based on your Captains level, it also provides another nice reward for keeping your Captain (and their career) alive and growing.
We are constantly listening and responding to the feedback you all provide -- in the Steam forums, in our Discord, on Reddit, and on social media. Thanks to you, we have made countless improvements to the UI and descriptions, fixed dozens of rare but squish-worthy bugs, and been able to prioritize the gameplay improvements that matter most to you. Just to name a few of the big ones:
In a game where replayability is one of its greatest strengths, variety is essential to making that sustainable. So wherever possible, weve added more:
And we know how much many of you value customization options to ensure your Captain and crew members look the way your story about them feels. We closed out 2020 with a massive push to expand customization options, and started the year by crossing off two big content expansion milestones from our roadmap with crew outfits and crew faces.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our cyberpunk heist RPG, is going into its private alpha and aiming for Early Access by the end of the year. But even as work on that next game intensifies, Star Traders: Frontiers will continue to get new and significant content added. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/ This year will be another big year of updates. Youve seen us tease some of these here (further mission capabilities) and in our dev streams (even more map capabilities in a v3 expansion). We still have some big story milestones left on the roadmap that will see all new story quadrants and Eras to be added to the game. Thanks to your continued enjoyment and support of the game, were as enthusiastic as ever about continuing to expand it. Hope your year is off to a great start! Be sure to leave / update your review if youd like to join us in celebrating all these additions to the game, and help us spread the word!
[ 2021-01-30 17:23:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
No, not Cyber Knights with 2020 behind us now, we thought it was worth looking back at allll the things that are new with Star Traders: Frontiers over the past year. Weve more than doubled much of the content in the game since release, and after over 50 updates just last year, there might even be something you missed
1) More map control
Veteran players have always been able to add to their replay experience by changing the procedurally-generated universe itself at the start of a new playthrough. Now weve released map seeds version 2, allowing you to create better-balanced, more unique, and larger universe maps.
See updates #240, CARTOGRAPHER, and update #241, Mapmaker Rising, for details on the features weve added for maps. Finally in the latest GREAT HOUSES we introduced a new default map to the game from the version 2 seed.
2) New stories, new ways to play
In 2020 we added three new story vignettes to the game, two new jobs, and brand new mission types!
CATALYST, update #232, added the Scientist job along with scientific intel to the game. Another classic sci-fi archetype, the Scientist in Star Traders: Frontiers adds to both exploration gameplay and rewards for encounters with the xeno. The Blade Dancer job, from update 202, added an aggressive blades combatant, rich in Steel Song lore and unique talents, for your combat crews. And just this month weve added the Saboteur. This new job brings new boarding combat abilities, opens up more long-range boarding options, and specializes in talents for wrecking the enemy ship and crew after a successful boarding.
Story updates are always exciting, and the extensive work they take to complete pays off with some of the most unique experiences Star Traders: Frontiers has to offer. In 2020 we added three:
- Spirit of Cadonya - a hunt for a ship of legend, diving deep into the lore of the Exodus.
- The Clan Skyline Trade Accord - a new galactic event that creates one of the largest trade alliances in the game, opens up new advanced craft, and shakes up contacts in the political simulator.
- Avengent Lost - the capstone storyline for the Jyeeta Brood Era, this brings all new allies and enemies, new unique contact types, story-specific gear, and... Templars!
3) A limited number of crew members can now equip gear
Its a change that would sound small to anyone new to Star Traders, but long-time players will tell you is one of the most significant changes weve made to the game since launch. In update #225, a limited number of crew members gained the ability to equip the valuable specialist gear that was previously restricted to your ships officers. This has opened up the possibilities for your crew builds quite a bit, no longer requiring the devotion of so many officers to your boarding party / crew combat A-teams. As the number of crew who can equip this gear is based on your Captains level, it also provides another nice reward for keeping your Captain (and their career) alive and growing.
4) Tons of quality-of-life improvements
We are constantly listening and responding to the feedback you all provide -- in the Steam forums, in our Discord, on Reddit, and on social media. Thanks to you, we have made countless improvements to the UI and descriptions, fixed dozens of rare but squish-worthy bugs, and been able to prioritize the gameplay improvements that matter most to you. Just to name a few of the big ones:
- Added a game option setting for faster crew combat
- Added option to review a recruit before hiring
- Ship component shopping (everything is cleanly grouped by categories, better filters, ability to preview a ship hulls stats and components before buying)
- Drydock ship transfers
- Entirely-keyboard-controlled combat.
- Pay contacts to learn far-flung Economic and Recruit Rumors
- Rumors youve paid to learn about are now extended if they were about to expire
- Mission planning features added to the map & better map integration with the mission offer screen
5) Massive amounts more variety and customization
In a game where replayability is one of its greatest strengths, variety is essential to making that sustainable. So wherever possible, weve added more:
- +41 talents
- +39 new crew weapons/armor/gear
- +17 new cards for card games
- +18 new faces and over 900 new outfit combos (not even counting gloves, which can now be set separately)
- +10 new ships and 47 new ship components
- New enemy AI and leveling options, increasing the variety of challenges as you level up (and giving you the option of conscripting better enemy crew members)
And we know how much many of you value customization options to ensure your Captain and crew members look the way your story about them feels. We closed out 2020 with a massive push to expand customization options, and started the year by crossing off two big content expansion milestones from our roadmap with crew outfits and crew faces.
Still more exciting things ahead
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, our cyberpunk heist RPG, is going into its private alpha and aiming for Early Access by the end of the year. But even as work on that next game intensifies, Star Traders: Frontiers will continue to get new and significant content added. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/ This year will be another big year of updates. Youve seen us tease some of these here (further mission capabilities) and in our dev streams (even more map capabilities in a v3 expansion). We still have some big story milestones left on the roadmap that will see all new story quadrants and Eras to be added to the game. Thanks to your continued enjoyment and support of the game, were as enthusiastic as ever about continuing to expand it. Hope your year is off to a great start! Be sure to leave / update your review if youd like to join us in celebrating all these additions to the game, and help us spread the word!
Update #251: Hull Patch
Update #251 adds "Unforgiving" and "Pioneer" Contact Traits to the mix. Contacts with Unforgiving Trait are grudgebearers, pay the most attention to their Personal Rep over Faction Rep, double the price of their pardons, offer more violent missions and recruit Bounty Hunters. Contacts with Pioneer always buy Intel, increase the price of all their services slightly and recruit Exo-Scouts. We're excited to have bumped up the availability of different Jobs recruitable by Contacts over the last two releases with the 4 new Contact Traits. To avoid overlap with Traits in other areas, we've renamed last update's Contact Trait "Hawkish" to "Sabre Rattler."
A new job means a lot of new meta to sort out. Sometimes that means a nerf. "Skullshot" had a short life as perhaps the best low Initiative cost pistol Talent but the king had to fall. We've focused on keeping the low Initiative cost (1x weapon) but removed the -25% accuracy debuff and trimmed its ability to fire into the back half of the ranks -- it is only capable of targeting the first and second slot now.
We also made a change to the rules for "Demolition Joy" which prevents multiple copies of the Talent being used in the same boarding. It can now provide the intended +50% number of actions per boarding victory, not +500% as some players were finding if you stacked enough Saboteurs! Finally, the bugs related to Saboteurs being willing to get into small craft are fixed -- they will now happily pilot your boarding shuttles, as will all of your Wing Commandos. And, the same bug was affecting a Saboteur's flight plans and preventing them from flying -- now fixed. Board on, good Saboteurs!
A bug has been preventing the High Princes and Princesses of the factions from making their appearance in the Faen storyline under certain map seed conditions. We've now resolved this and they will appear in all games during missions like "Prime Pilgrimage" etc. Finally, we fixed an unlikely bug where you could generate fuel by using Skip Off the Void with negative jump cost.
- Added 2 new Contact Traits "Unforgiving" (expensive pardons, recruits Bounty Hunters) and "Pioneer" (expensive services, buys Scientific Intel, recruits Exo-Scouts) - Balanced Saboteur "Skullshot" -- cannot target slot 3, removed -25% Accuracy debuff - Fixed bug preventing Wing Commandos or Saboteurs from being assigned to shuttle craft - Fixed bug preventing Saboteur shuttles from successfully boarding - Fixed bug allowing Saboteurs to use multiple "Demolition Joy" Talents - Fixed bug in default map v2 with Calagan Faen's High Prince and Princess focused missions - Renamed Contact Trait "Hawkish" to "Sabre Rattler" - Fixed bug where Nav's "Skip Off the Void" could increase fuel
[ 2021-01-29 04:56:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #251 follows closely on the heels of the GREAT HOUSES major milestone to deliver a new set of Contact Traits and a raft of patches to the most recent splurge of new map, new job, new Talents, new new new.
Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Contact Traits
Update #251 adds "Unforgiving" and "Pioneer" Contact Traits to the mix. Contacts with Unforgiving Trait are grudgebearers, pay the most attention to their Personal Rep over Faction Rep, double the price of their pardons, offer more violent missions and recruit Bounty Hunters. Contacts with Pioneer always buy Intel, increase the price of all their services slightly and recruit Exo-Scouts. We're excited to have bumped up the availability of different Jobs recruitable by Contacts over the last two releases with the 4 new Contact Traits. To avoid overlap with Traits in other areas, we've renamed last update's Contact Trait "Hawkish" to "Sabre Rattler."
Saboteur Adjustments
A new job means a lot of new meta to sort out. Sometimes that means a nerf. "Skullshot" had a short life as perhaps the best low Initiative cost pistol Talent but the king had to fall. We've focused on keeping the low Initiative cost (1x weapon) but removed the -25% accuracy debuff and trimmed its ability to fire into the back half of the ranks -- it is only capable of targeting the first and second slot now.
We also made a change to the rules for "Demolition Joy" which prevents multiple copies of the Talent being used in the same boarding. It can now provide the intended +50% number of actions per boarding victory, not +500% as some players were finding if you stacked enough Saboteurs! Finally, the bugs related to Saboteurs being willing to get into small craft are fixed -- they will now happily pilot your boarding shuttles, as will all of your Wing Commandos. And, the same bug was affecting a Saboteur's flight plans and preventing them from flying -- now fixed. Board on, good Saboteurs!
High Prince and Princess, Where Art Thou?
A bug has been preventing the High Princes and Princesses of the factions from making their appearance in the Faen storyline under certain map seed conditions. We've now resolved this and they will appear in all games during missions like "Prime Pilgrimage" etc. Finally, we fixed an unlikely bug where you could generate fuel by using Skip Off the Void with negative jump cost.
v3.1.27 - 1/28/2020
- Added 2 new Contact Traits "Unforgiving" (expensive pardons, recruits Bounty Hunters) and "Pioneer" (expensive services, buys Scientific Intel, recruits Exo-Scouts) - Balanced Saboteur "Skullshot" -- cannot target slot 3, removed -25% Accuracy debuff - Fixed bug preventing Wing Commandos or Saboteurs from being assigned to shuttle craft - Fixed bug preventing Saboteur shuttles from successfully boarding - Fixed bug allowing Saboteurs to use multiple "Demolition Joy" Talents - Fixed bug in default map v2 with Calagan Faen's High Prince and Princess focused missions - Renamed Contact Trait "Hawkish" to "Sabre Rattler" - Fixed bug where Nav's "Skip Off the Void" could increase fuel
Save 35% on Major Milestone "GREAT HOUSES"
In November, we opened up map seed v2 with the CARTOGRAPHER update, inviting every captain to enjoy new, improved and even larger galactic maps. With GREAT HOUSES, we're finishing that arc by upgrading the game's default map to a map seed v2 map. We owe a huge thank you to the entire community who joined us is in the hunt for map seed v2's default. Many captains spent many hours looking for the perfect fit. In the end, the honor goes to @wilky with assist from @Shad1902 who helped convince us of the merits of the amazing 42 quadrant that was finally selected: "st-v02-42-2-53091310" Of course, you can continue to play the original default map as long as you like but for new players this new and exciting map v2 default will greet them on their first playthrough. Cadar has long had the honor of being the default faction due to a poll held during the Kickstarter, but it time has come to pass the crown to a GREAT HOUSE and so Thulun has now taken the position as default faction.
The Saboteur job rolls out totally new abilities as well as taking new angles on existing specialties. The Saboteur is a boarding specialist, with a total of 5 amazing boarding victory Talents capable of smashing ship, crew and morale. They also can unleash totally unique boarding combat abilities -- the ability to damage a Void Engine and to increase the number of boarding Talents that can be used in any boarding run from 2 to 3.
In addition, Saboteurs have the option to fly boarding shuttles to get themselves and their boarding party onto the enemy ship from long ranges. Either way, when they clash in combat they can deploy a bevy of debuffing pistol attacks from the midranks. They also join Spy as another Stealth and Pistol combination, giving new options for Job combinations. For any boarding focused ship combat and for carrier builds, the Saboteur opens up new and exciting possibilities to improve your builds! Saboteurs can be hired from Contacts or during Spice Festival Rumors in the spice hall and those that hail from the Rychart Syndicate get an Attribute boost.
With GREAT HOUSES, we've added 2 new Contact types -- the Ex-Mining Chief and the Racketeer. Both offer Black Market services and can recruit Saboteurs as well as other exciting services to fill in underworld economic side of Contacts. We've also added 2 new Contact Traits -- "Conspirator" which reduces mission pay, increases Intel prices, may offer Black Market and recruits Saboteurs. And finally, "Hawkish" increases mission pay, increases hostile missions and recruits Commanders.
With GREAT HOUSES, we've improved the offered and accepted mission displays across the game and fixed a few bugs introduced by Update #249. From the Contact screen where you are offered missions, you can now directly open the Galactic Map to look at your missions and help plot out there routes. The icons used on the quadrant map are now more clear -- showing the standard mission icon for those quadrants that have an accepted mission, a grayed out icon with a blue plus for those quadrants that only have an offered mission and a standard mission icon and the blue plus for those quadrants where there are both active missions and offered missions waiting.
We keep improving here, but for now the fastest way to check your routes is to open the mission list and pin it back so you can see where each mission is quickly.
Some economics got a refresh this update, We've improved fuel bonuses for Fuel Tank and Large Fuel Tank components as well as removing Jump Cost from multiple medical components and fixed the low sale price on high-end Barracks. Finally, we added 2 new keybindings for quick landing on zones from orbit. Enjoy!
- New default map from map v2 "st-v02-42-2-53091310" -- huge thanks to @wilky, @shad1902 and everyone who contributed to the exhaustive search! - New default faction rises from the GREAT HOUSES: Thulun - New Job "Saboteur" excels at debuffing pistol fighting and boarding Talents, option to fly boarding shuttle - Saboteurs recruited from Rychart spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - 15 new Talents for Saboteur including multiple unique Talent types, all new boarding abilities - New Contact Types: "Ex-Mining Chief" and "Racketeer" recruit Saboteur and offer Black Market - New Contact Trait "Conspirator": less mission pay, higher Intel price, may offer Black Market, recruits Saboteurs - New Contact Trait "Hawkish": bonus mission pay, more hostile missions, recruits Commanders - Added 30 new Barks with Lore about Factions, Jobs and Planets - Saboteurs can be recruited during Spice Festival Rumors - Commanders can be recruited during Starport Boom and UCF Recruitment Drive Rumors - Rebalanced and increased Rare Trade Good Demands for Luxury Population, Orbital and Refinery Zones - Improved Soldier's "Ferocious Crossfire" Talent to add additional damage up to Rifle Skill - Reworked trade economy for Hydrogen and Methane Fuel - Reworked trade economy for Refined Spice and Spice - Buffed Fuel Storage of 'Fuel Tank' and 'Large Fuel Tank' components - Removed Jump Cost penalty from several Medical Bay components - Fixed ridiculously low sale and repair prices on some Barracks modules - Fixed a bug preventing Traits increasing price of Intel and Scientific Intel sales from applying bonus - Fixed Linux crash on opening mission list, occasional incorrect display of pending mission as accepted - Jump to galactic map directly from Contact mission offer to better plot routes - Improved display of offered and active missions on the galactic map - Improved filtering of Mission list for "Narrative" to include story missions and story objectives - Added new keybinding for Landing on Zones from Orbit for better keyboard play
[ 2021-01-25 18:18:31 CET ] [ Original post ]
We're celebrating the launch of GREAT HOUSES major milestone and the new default map for v2 with a 35% off sale. This major milestone is packed with new -- new default map, a new boarding specialist Job Saboteur, new Contact types and Traits, new mission plotting features and new trade route opportunities in rebalanced economies.
Already our 4th big update of the year, we're welcoming 2021 with new features, new content and more. If you're enjoying the constant stream of free updates, please share the game with a friend and be sure to leave a review.
If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Default Map and Faction
In November, we opened up map seed v2 with the CARTOGRAPHER update, inviting every captain to enjoy new, improved and even larger galactic maps. With GREAT HOUSES, we're finishing that arc by upgrading the game's default map to a map seed v2 map. We owe a huge thank you to the entire community who joined us is in the hunt for map seed v2's default. Many captains spent many hours looking for the perfect fit. In the end, the honor goes to @wilky with assist from @Shad1902 who helped convince us of the merits of the amazing 42 quadrant that was finally selected: "st-v02-42-2-53091310" Of course, you can continue to play the original default map as long as you like but for new players this new and exciting map v2 default will greet them on their first playthrough. Cadar has long had the honor of being the default faction due to a poll held during the Kickstarter, but it time has come to pass the crown to a GREAT HOUSE and so Thulun has now taken the position as default faction.
New Boarding Specialist: Saboteur
The Saboteur job rolls out totally new abilities as well as taking new angles on existing specialties. The Saboteur is a boarding specialist, with a total of 5 amazing boarding victory Talents capable of smashing ship, crew and morale. They also can unleash totally unique boarding combat abilities -- the ability to damage a Void Engine and to increase the number of boarding Talents that can be used in any boarding run from 2 to 3.
In addition, Saboteurs have the option to fly boarding shuttles to get themselves and their boarding party onto the enemy ship from long ranges. Either way, when they clash in combat they can deploy a bevy of debuffing pistol attacks from the midranks. They also join Spy as another Stealth and Pistol combination, giving new options for Job combinations. For any boarding focused ship combat and for carrier builds, the Saboteur opens up new and exciting possibilities to improve your builds! Saboteurs can be hired from Contacts or during Spice Festival Rumors in the spice hall and those that hail from the Rychart Syndicate get an Attribute boost.
New Contacts and Traits
With GREAT HOUSES, we've added 2 new Contact types -- the Ex-Mining Chief and the Racketeer. Both offer Black Market services and can recruit Saboteurs as well as other exciting services to fill in underworld economic side of Contacts. We've also added 2 new Contact Traits -- "Conspirator" which reduces mission pay, increases Intel prices, may offer Black Market and recruits Saboteurs. And finally, "Hawkish" increases mission pay, increases hostile missions and recruits Commanders.
Offered and Accepted Missions
With GREAT HOUSES, we've improved the offered and accepted mission displays across the game and fixed a few bugs introduced by Update #249. From the Contact screen where you are offered missions, you can now directly open the Galactic Map to look at your missions and help plot out there routes. The icons used on the quadrant map are now more clear -- showing the standard mission icon for those quadrants that have an accepted mission, a grayed out icon with a blue plus for those quadrants that only have an offered mission and a standard mission icon and the blue plus for those quadrants where there are both active missions and offered missions waiting.
We keep improving here, but for now the fastest way to check your routes is to open the mission list and pin it back so you can see where each mission is quickly.
Rebalanced Economies and Components
Some economics got a refresh this update, We've improved fuel bonuses for Fuel Tank and Large Fuel Tank components as well as removing Jump Cost from multiple medical components and fixed the low sale price on high-end Barracks. Finally, we added 2 new keybindings for quick landing on zones from orbit. Enjoy!
v3.1.25 - 1/25/2021
- New default map from map v2 "st-v02-42-2-53091310" -- huge thanks to @wilky, @shad1902 and everyone who contributed to the exhaustive search! - New default faction rises from the GREAT HOUSES: Thulun - New Job "Saboteur" excels at debuffing pistol fighting and boarding Talents, option to fly boarding shuttle - Saboteurs recruited from Rychart spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - 15 new Talents for Saboteur including multiple unique Talent types, all new boarding abilities - New Contact Types: "Ex-Mining Chief" and "Racketeer" recruit Saboteur and offer Black Market - New Contact Trait "Conspirator": less mission pay, higher Intel price, may offer Black Market, recruits Saboteurs - New Contact Trait "Hawkish": bonus mission pay, more hostile missions, recruits Commanders - Added 30 new Barks with Lore about Factions, Jobs and Planets - Saboteurs can be recruited during Spice Festival Rumors - Commanders can be recruited during Starport Boom and UCF Recruitment Drive Rumors - Rebalanced and increased Rare Trade Good Demands for Luxury Population, Orbital and Refinery Zones - Improved Soldier's "Ferocious Crossfire" Talent to add additional damage up to Rifle Skill - Reworked trade economy for Hydrogen and Methane Fuel - Reworked trade economy for Refined Spice and Spice - Buffed Fuel Storage of 'Fuel Tank' and 'Large Fuel Tank' components - Removed Jump Cost penalty from several Medical Bay components - Fixed ridiculously low sale and repair prices on some Barracks modules - Fixed a bug preventing Traits increasing price of Intel and Scientific Intel sales from applying bonus - Fixed Linux crash on opening mission list, occasional incorrect display of pending mission as accepted - Jump to galactic map directly from Contact mission offer to better plot routes - Improved display of offered and active missions on the galactic map - Improved filtering of Mission list for "Narrative" to include story missions and story objectives - Added new keybinding for Landing on Zones from Orbit for better keyboard play
Update #249: Navigator Supreme
You may already be following us on Facebook and on the @TreseBrothers twitter, but we're now sharing news, sales, gameplay vids, guides & tips from the forums & discord, streams, memes, and more on Star Traders' own twitter account: https://twitter.com/StarTradersGame
We're also excited to say, its 2021 now and this will be the year our turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG will be coming to Steam. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
The mission list now features three new filter capabilities -- story objectives, accepted missions and offered missions. First, this allows you to quickly isolate story objectives. But, second and most importantly this allows you to have visibility into missions that Contacts have offered you but that you have not yet accepted. The mission list is available to look at from the galactic map, the map of a single quadrant and a bevy of other screens as well. The most immediate use for the new feature is to pop open your galactic map, swap over to looking at pending missions and then click through them to see where they will take you. This visibility makes route plotting for a mission focused character a lot more possible without needing to remember quadrant names or mission arcs. While you can't jump directly from the Contact mission offer screen yet, this is the first huge step. Let's go!
Speaking of the galactic map, we're getting ready to select a new default map based that takes advantage of the new map generation features we added back in November. If you have any last thoughts on what you'd like to see in the default, or map seeds you've found that feel awesome and well-balanced, post them in the forum thread ASAP.
A quick note that we fixed the crash in starport repair if you popped out the details window. Thanks to everyone for reporting it.
We've also fixed some issues with Sample Analysis, which is a rare Talent that relies on two Skills -- Doctor to trigger and Explorer to determine how many Scientific Intel are created. We've clarified its description a bit as well to ensure its clear how zone Danger can impact the results, especially for lower level characters.
- Added new filter to mission list to show missions offered by Contacts but not yet accepted - Added new filter to mission list to look at only narrative objectives - Highlight quadrant destinations of offered missions in the galactic map for better route plotting - Improved Scientist "Sample Analysis" Talent to create the correct number of Scientific Intel, clarified description - Fixed crash in starport repair if you repaired individual items - Fixed reported crashes and typos
[ 2021-01-19 17:16:29 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #249 clears some of the haze from the hyperwarp navigator's maps and gives easy visibility into the destinations of missions that contacts are offering, not only those that have already been accepted. For mission-runner focused captains, this is a big step forward in being able to effectively plot your galactic travels.
If you're enjoying the pace of new free content and improvements in updates (249 and counting!), please take a minute to post a review and share the game with a friend.
@StarTradersGame is out of drydock on twitter!
You may already be following us on Facebook and on the @TreseBrothers twitter, but we're now sharing news, sales, gameplay vids, guides & tips from the forums & discord, streams, memes, and more on Star Traders' own twitter account: https://twitter.com/StarTradersGame
Cyber Knights Heist RPG
We're also excited to say, its 2021 now and this will be the year our turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG will be coming to Steam. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Filter and View Offered Missions
The mission list now features three new filter capabilities -- story objectives, accepted missions and offered missions. First, this allows you to quickly isolate story objectives. But, second and most importantly this allows you to have visibility into missions that Contacts have offered you but that you have not yet accepted. The mission list is available to look at from the galactic map, the map of a single quadrant and a bevy of other screens as well. The most immediate use for the new feature is to pop open your galactic map, swap over to looking at pending missions and then click through them to see where they will take you. This visibility makes route plotting for a mission focused character a lot more possible without needing to remember quadrant names or mission arcs. While you can't jump directly from the Contact mission offer screen yet, this is the first huge step. Let's go!
The hunt for the new v2 default map is coming to a close...
Speaking of the galactic map, we're getting ready to select a new default map based that takes advantage of the new map generation features we added back in November. If you have any last thoughts on what you'd like to see in the default, or map seeds you've found that feel awesome and well-balanced, post them in the forum thread ASAP.
Starport Repair Crash
A quick note that we fixed the crash in starport repair if you popped out the details window. Thanks to everyone for reporting it.
Sample Analysis
We've also fixed some issues with Sample Analysis, which is a rare Talent that relies on two Skills -- Doctor to trigger and Explorer to determine how many Scientific Intel are created. We've clarified its description a bit as well to ensure its clear how zone Danger can impact the results, especially for lower level characters.
v3.1.23 - 1/19/2021
- Added new filter to mission list to show missions offered by Contacts but not yet accepted - Added new filter to mission list to look at only narrative objectives - Highlight quadrant destinations of offered missions in the galactic map for better route plotting - Improved Scientist "Sample Analysis" Talent to create the correct number of Scientific Intel, clarified description - Fixed crash in starport repair if you repaired individual items - Fixed reported crashes and typos
Update #248: New Go Round the Sun
To follow up on Update #246 and those that can before it, we've added another 6 new character faces to your crew roster. Featuring long hair, cool earrings, older characters, beards, scars and more. Enjoy the new looks.
With Update #248, you may now queue repairs for dry docked ships. Just like with queuing ship upgrades, this allows you to order the repairs and then leave without waiting for them to complete. This can save a captain huge amounts of time lost if you don't need the ship right now. Of course, while the repairs are going the ship can't be launched. Pop open the repair detail, select your drydocked ship, and then when prompted you can pick Immediately or Queue. Happy repairing!
We also fixed the description of Wing Leader's "Precise Pursuit" buff which increases chance to hit the enemy capital ship (not enemy craft). We fixed a bug that could occur when Contacts who are targeted by a mission died. And finally, more on dry dock -- we fixed an issue that prevent removing passenger cabins or prison cells on dry docked ships because you had a prisoner or passenger on your current ship.
- Added 6 new character faces including new mustache and beard - Enabled queuing of repairs on dry docked ships -- large repair jobs no longer interrupt - Fixed bug preventing removal of prison cells or passenger cabins on dry docked ships - Fixed incorrect buff description of Wing Leader "Precise Pursuit" (+50% Hit Chance, not +50% to Hit Craft) - Fixed issue with missions given related to Contacts if the Contact died - Fixed reported crashes and typos
[ 2021-01-11 16:11:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #248 comes roaring into the new year with a blast of new character art -- crushing two content expansion milestones in the process -- and a new dry dock feature. As always, if you like the pace of updates and new content, please take a moment to tell a friend or post a review.
With the new faces added in Update #248 and the 900+ outfit combinations in #246, we've closed two of the content expansion milestones off the dev roadmap. This doesn't leave much left to do here. Our focus is narrowing down on smashing these last few items and the onwards, to the stars (and whatever is next!)
We're also excited to say, its 2021 now and this will be the year our turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG will be coming to Steam. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Added 6 New Faces
To follow up on Update #246 and those that can before it, we've added another 6 new character faces to your crew roster. Featuring long hair, cool earrings, older characters, beards, scars and more. Enjoy the new looks.
Queue Dry Dock Repairs
With Update #248, you may now queue repairs for dry docked ships. Just like with queuing ship upgrades, this allows you to order the repairs and then leave without waiting for them to complete. This can save a captain huge amounts of time lost if you don't need the ship right now. Of course, while the repairs are going the ship can't be launched. Pop open the repair detail, select your drydocked ship, and then when prompted you can pick Immediately or Queue. Happy repairing!
And Few Small Extras
We also fixed the description of Wing Leader's "Precise Pursuit" buff which increases chance to hit the enemy capital ship (not enemy craft). We fixed a bug that could occur when Contacts who are targeted by a mission died. And finally, more on dry dock -- we fixed an issue that prevent removing passenger cabins or prison cells on dry docked ships because you had a prisoner or passenger on your current ship.
v3.1.21 - 1/11/2021
- Added 6 new character faces including new mustache and beard - Enabled queuing of repairs on dry docked ships -- large repair jobs no longer interrupt - Fixed bug preventing removal of prison cells or passenger cabins on dry docked ships - Fixed incorrect buff description of Wing Leader "Precise Pursuit" (+50% Hit Chance, not +50% to Hit Craft) - Fixed issue with missions given related to Contacts if the Contact died - Fixed reported crashes and typos
Friends in High Places January Challenge
All scores, questions and chatter about the January community challenge should be routed to the Discussions forum thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/discussions/0/3006682619654847940/
[ 2021-01-07 22:26:07 CET ] [ Original post ]
Across the stars, a Captain must travel through territory controlled by many different factions. Even the most zealous loyalist to a single faction knows how helpful it is to have contacts among at least a few of the other syndicates and great houses. The more powerful, the better. And even those Captains who operate in the shadows, under-the-table, or on the fringe know how useful it is to have a Prince in your pocket who can bail you out if things get too hot.
So in this challenge, we want to see how well you can cultivate your friendships in high places. At any point in your playthrough, if you have ...
- three high places (defined below) contacts
- from at least three different factions
- with at least 80 influence
High places contacts include:
- The Throne Room: High Prince, Prince, Duke, Court Scientist, Court Seer
- Faction Ministers: Diplomatic Consul, Faction Judge, Legal Consul, Politician
- Top Brass: Commander, FDF Commander, Naval Commander, Starport Commander
- Big Money: Mining Samrak, Ranking Executive, Smuggler Prince, Trade Czar, Magnate
- Big Brains: Retired Theoretician, Spymaster
Scoring Rules
Points will be awarded for:
- Sum of your Personal Reputation from your top 3 qualifying Contacts. Each contact must be from a different faction, and each must have 80+ Influence.
Bonus points for:
- +0.10x points if all three of your contacts having 90+ influence.
- +0.25x points if you have at least one officer from each of the factions of your 3 Contacts.
- +0.25x points for every difficulty level above Basic.
Screenshots required:
- Each of your 3 contacts, showing your personal rep with them and their influence. (Tip: from the Known Contacts menu, sort by Rep or Influence to find them easily, and/or use faction filters.)
- Your crew (if going for multi-faction officers bonus points).
Further Discussion, Post Scores and Ask Questions
All scores, questions and chatter about the January community challenge should be routed to the Discussions forum thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/discussions/0/3006682619654847940/
Update #247: Chasing Whispers
Joining Salvage Rumors mongers, many Contacts across the galaxy are now plugged into networks of Rumors through their Spice Halls and Exchanges. Some Contacts can now sell access to economic Rumors like Salvage, Surplus and Embargoes while other Contacts can sell access to recruitment-focused Rumors like Spice Festivals, Mercenaries and Academy Graduation. While the Contacts can only reveal existing Rumors, these offerings can give your captain's focused ability to turn up Rumors that they might go hunting for profit or talent. As with Salvage Rumors before them, the value of these new services are dependent on your captain's ability to take advantage of the conditions but with the right playstyle, these are proving to be very useful.
With Update #247, we've improved the rule set around paying to learn Rumors. It is key to know that you are always paying to learn a pre-existing Rumor. These Contact services do not create Rumors and it is not that hard to find a case where your Contact has no Rumors to sell or you've purchased them all. However, sometimes the ones you pay to discover are far away or are just about to end. With Update #247, we've adjusted the rules to ensure a duration boost is given to every Rumor you pay to uncover, guaranteeing you'll always have *some* time to check it of if you want to.
Straight from the community boards, we've patched the Star Atlas to include the quadrant name in the left hand list of planets whenever you are using the multi-quadrant filter. Without this data, it could be a bit hard to piece together where all of the zones might be situated as multiple quadrants could be 2 jumps away. It's a very nice improvement, so many thanks as always to our community. Finally, we fixed a bug with the Spirit of Cadonya storyline that could leave it half-failed in case of losing a specific combat. And we've also resolved the issue with the Entropic Estimate Talent reporting incorrect dates.
- Many contacts can now sell access to Economic Rumors -- shortages, surplus, embargo, tariffs - Many contacts can now sell access to Recruitment Rumors -- mercs, academy graduation, UCF recruitment drives, starport booms - Paying a Contact to reveal a Rumor (Salvage, Economic, Recruitment) breathes new duration into the rumor -- will no longer ever be "expiring soon" - Star Atlas now shows quadrant name when jump filter is engaged - Fixed issue in Jon Kaytyn storyline where a failed combat could leave the mission half-failed - Fixed incorrect date in Entropic Estimate Talent
[ 2021-01-03 17:09:14 CET ] [ Original post ]
Happy New Year captains! We're excited to share another big year of updates in the void with you. To get 2021 started right, we're sending out Update #247 with two new major Contact service offerings for Rumors, improved rules for paying to uncover Rumors and a very nice improvement to the Star Atlas straight from the community boards.
We're also excited to say, its 2021 now and this will be the year our turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG will be coming to Steam. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210
Economic and Recruitment Rumors
Joining Salvage Rumors mongers, many Contacts across the galaxy are now plugged into networks of Rumors through their Spice Halls and Exchanges. Some Contacts can now sell access to economic Rumors like Salvage, Surplus and Embargoes while other Contacts can sell access to recruitment-focused Rumors like Spice Festivals, Mercenaries and Academy Graduation. While the Contacts can only reveal existing Rumors, these offerings can give your captain's focused ability to turn up Rumors that they might go hunting for profit or talent. As with Salvage Rumors before them, the value of these new services are dependent on your captain's ability to take advantage of the conditions but with the right playstyle, these are proving to be very useful.
Uncovering and Extending Rumors
With Update #247, we've improved the rule set around paying to learn Rumors. It is key to know that you are always paying to learn a pre-existing Rumor. These Contact services do not create Rumors and it is not that hard to find a case where your Contact has no Rumors to sell or you've purchased them all. However, sometimes the ones you pay to discover are far away or are just about to end. With Update #247, we've adjusted the rules to ensure a duration boost is given to every Rumor you pay to uncover, guaranteeing you'll always have *some* time to check it of if you want to.
Star Atlas Improvements
Straight from the community boards, we've patched the Star Atlas to include the quadrant name in the left hand list of planets whenever you are using the multi-quadrant filter. Without this data, it could be a bit hard to piece together where all of the zones might be situated as multiple quadrants could be 2 jumps away. It's a very nice improvement, so many thanks as always to our community. Finally, we fixed a bug with the Spirit of Cadonya storyline that could leave it half-failed in case of losing a specific combat. And we've also resolved the issue with the Entropic Estimate Talent reporting incorrect dates.
v3.1.17 - 1/3/2020
- Many contacts can now sell access to Economic Rumors -- shortages, surplus, embargo, tariffs - Many contacts can now sell access to Recruitment Rumors -- mercs, academy graduation, UCF recruitment drives, starport booms - Paying a Contact to reveal a Rumor (Salvage, Economic, Recruitment) breathes new duration into the rumor -- will no longer ever be "expiring soon" - Star Atlas now shows quadrant name when jump filter is engaged - Fixed issue in Jon Kaytyn storyline where a failed combat could leave the mission half-failed - Fixed incorrect date in Entropic Estimate Talent
Update #246: 900+ New Outfit Combos
For any outfit where you want to tweak the gloves, lower body or upper body outfit, click the Unlock Outfit Combos option. This will drop out the options for the 3 parts and allow you to tweak them independently of each other. This can enable simple changes like tweaking to a new glove style or finding a new combo entirely. At any time you want to go back to the locked style (matching upper, lower and gloves) click to relock the outfit. Update #246 focuses on unlocking all the combinations for you to play with. Following updates will address some of the more obvious issues with the hundreds of new options, standardizing connections at the waist. From here, every new outfit we add with have a very powerful multiplicative effect on the total option stack!
We've fixed the crash that was introduced last update with Trait Reconditioning if you lacked the Influence or Personal Rep for it. We've also fixed an issue with your ship skill pools caching not updating correctly in some routes of paying crew through the spice hall.
- Added 900+ new outfit combinations to the game - Added exact control over the gloves for your outfit - Fixed issue with all Trait Conditioning services crashing if you lacked Influence, Rep or Credits - Fixed issue with ship skill pools caching after certain landing zone services - Fixed reported crashes and typos
[ 2020-12-27 19:56:44 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #246 is focused on a singular, ridiculous number: 925 new outfit combinations have been unleashed! If you factor in the 5 glove options per outfit, there are 4525 new outfit options to play around and test. Of course, not every single one is a winner and some of them are exposing places where our character art needs a bit more standardization (waist connections) but there are tons of new awesome combos to customize your crews look.
As 2020 comes to a close, we're looking forward to next year when our turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG will be coming to Steam. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Unlock Outfit Combos
For any outfit where you want to tweak the gloves, lower body or upper body outfit, click the Unlock Outfit Combos option. This will drop out the options for the 3 parts and allow you to tweak them independently of each other. This can enable simple changes like tweaking to a new glove style or finding a new combo entirely. At any time you want to go back to the locked style (matching upper, lower and gloves) click to relock the outfit. Update #246 focuses on unlocking all the combinations for you to play with. Following updates will address some of the more obvious issues with the hundreds of new options, standardizing connections at the waist. From here, every new outfit we add with have a very powerful multiplicative effect on the total option stack!
Community Fixes
We've fixed the crash that was introduced last update with Trait Reconditioning if you lacked the Influence or Personal Rep for it. We've also fixed an issue with your ship skill pools caching not updating correctly in some routes of paying crew through the spice hall.
v3.1.15 - 12/27/2020
- Added 900+ new outfit combinations to the game - Added exact control over the gloves for your outfit - Fixed issue with all Trait Conditioning services crashing if you lacked Influence, Rep or Credits - Fixed issue with ship skill pools caching after certain landing zone services - Fixed reported crashes and typos
Save 50% on Major Milestone: TEMPLAR
We've added a major new storyline to the Jyeeta Brood Era. If you play through the Era, you're very likely to encounter it and it will take you on a wild and truly dangerous ride. Be sure to stock your weapon locker, get an extra few bottles of lux and get ready! This one comes with all new allies and enemies, introduces new story characters and new unique contact types as well as unique story gear and unique story weapons. We're going to leave it at that. Shalun favors the brave, captains! Once you've played through the new story content in Star Traders: Frontiers, if feel like you need to know more, then check out Templar Battleforce! It might just be the xeno-crushing, mech-stomping turn-based tactics battler youve always wanted. And, it will take you on a deep dive into more of the universe's backstory that you might not already know! https://store.steampowered.com/app/370020/Templar_Battleforce/
As 2020 comes to a close, we're looking forward to next year when our turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG will be coming to Steam. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210
With the major milestone TEMPLAR we've also added 2 new high grade assault rifles -- the grade 8 AX Tall Order and grade 9 AX Rapidbreach. These can only be discovered when salvaging and more rarely when exploring. The best chance to find them is -- as you might expect -- in military base salvage rumors.
For as long as you could use Flash Charge to start a mission ship combat at range 4 or 3, it has been causing issues. When using Flash Charge, there were scenarios in certain missions where you would no longer get to see the resulting mission screen. Even though everything processed successfully, you wouldn't get to see your Rep changes, payments and Talents working. Well, this is now fixed!
- Capstone storyline added to the Jyeeta Brood Era - All new story characters, unique story items and unique story weapons - New allies, new enemies! - Added new grade 8 and 9 Assault Rifles (AX Tall Order, AX Rapidbreach) to the relic weapon salvage lists - Fixed bug with use of "Flash Charge" Talent in missions causing the end screen to be skipped
[ 2020-12-22 23:16:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
Happy holiday season and let's get the Steam Winter Sale started off right! We're launching our 50% discount -- the best price of the year, fa la la -- along with the major milestone: TEMPLAR!
This newest major milestone adds a challenging and twisted new storyline to the game -- but we don't want to spoil it. But you might already have an idea about it just from the name :D
Major Milestone: TEMPLAR
We've added a major new storyline to the Jyeeta Brood Era. If you play through the Era, you're very likely to encounter it and it will take you on a wild and truly dangerous ride. Be sure to stock your weapon locker, get an extra few bottles of lux and get ready! This one comes with all new allies and enemies, introduces new story characters and new unique contact types as well as unique story gear and unique story weapons. We're going to leave it at that. Shalun favors the brave, captains! Once you've played through the new story content in Star Traders: Frontiers, if feel like you need to know more, then check out Templar Battleforce! It might just be the xeno-crushing, mech-stomping turn-based tactics battler youve always wanted. And, it will take you on a deep dive into more of the universe's backstory that you might not already know! https://store.steampowered.com/app/370020/Templar_Battleforce/
Coming in 2021: Cyber Knights
As 2020 comes to a close, we're looking forward to next year when our turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG will be coming to Steam. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210
New Relic Rifles
With the major milestone TEMPLAR we've also added 2 new high grade assault rifles -- the grade 8 AX Tall Order and grade 9 AX Rapidbreach. These can only be discovered when salvaging and more rarely when exploring. The best chance to find them is -- as you might expect -- in military base salvage rumors.
Flash Charge and Missions
For as long as you could use Flash Charge to start a mission ship combat at range 4 or 3, it has been causing issues. When using Flash Charge, there were scenarios in certain missions where you would no longer get to see the resulting mission screen. Even though everything processed successfully, you wouldn't get to see your Rep changes, payments and Talents working. Well, this is now fixed!
v3.1.13 - 12/22/2020
- Capstone storyline added to the Jyeeta Brood Era - All new story characters, unique story items and unique story weapons - New allies, new enemies! - Added new grade 8 and 9 Assault Rifles (AX Tall Order, AX Rapidbreach) to the relic weapon salvage lists - Fixed bug with use of "Flash Charge" Talent in missions causing the end screen to be skipped
Update #244: Spice Hall Flow
To follow up on the new 12 faces that were added across Update #242 and #243, we've now added a new set of match space smuggler outfits. We're always hearing how we need more matched outfits, so we're glad to see how well these two work together and depending on the type of crew you are running, they can fill in for a lot of ship or combat roles.
The Navigator's "Flash Charge" ship encounter Talent which allows you to lunge into ship combat at either range 4 or 3 was missing from the Ship Encounter section of the Talent Manifest. It has now been added to make this easy to keep an eye on.
A huge thanks -- as always -- to our community for helping us to improve the game, fix bugs, and file down rough edges.
- Added two new outfits, matched space smugglers - Added new environment background for jungle wilderness - Added Navigator's "Flash Charge" to the Talent Manifest in Encounter Talents - "Entropic Estimate" Talent now includes the length of the Salvage Rumor as well as the estimated date of completion - Improved Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" to affect 5 targets instead of 3 - Fixed issue where Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" and Mil Officers "Call for Surrender" could be used against xeno - Fixed set of issues in orbital ops and explorer where ship skill pools could become out of date due to repair or damage - Fixed bug where Contact could have 2 Sell Intel services due to Traits - Fixed description issues with Spy's "Distracting Shots" Talent - Fixed positioning of recruit review on some window sizes and resolutions
[ 2020-12-13 21:27:37 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #242 continues to expand your character customization options, adds new wilderness zone art and plugs a few more holes in the ever expanding Talent Manifest. We've also fixed a huge raft of issues and bugs reported by the community.
We're closing in on capping of 2020 and this is our 50th update of the year! If you like the pace of updates, our dedication to improving the game and all the new, free content please take a moment to leave us a holiday present -- a wee review!
Next year will be an exciting year as our turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG will be coming to Steam. If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, its time to get on the wishlist. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Matched Smuggler Outfits
To follow up on the new 12 faces that were added across Update #242 and #243, we've now added a new set of match space smuggler outfits. We're always hearing how we need more matched outfits, so we're glad to see how well these two work together and depending on the type of crew you are running, they can fill in for a lot of ship or combat roles.
Flash Charge in Talent Manifest
The Navigator's "Flash Charge" ship encounter Talent which allows you to lunge into ship combat at either range 4 or 3 was missing from the Ship Encounter section of the Talent Manifest. It has now been added to make this easy to keep an eye on.
Community Quality of Life
A huge thanks -- as always -- to our community for helping us to improve the game, fix bugs, and file down rough edges.
- We've improved the display for the "Entropic Estimate" Talent to ensure it shows not only the duration of the Rumor but also its estimated end date.
- Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" Talent is improved to affect 5 enemy crew instead of 3 with its significant Morale damage.
- Fixing an oversight, Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" and Military Officer's "Call for Surrender" are no longer shown as options against xeno.
- We've fixed a whole close of bugs that could cause the ship skill pools to get out of date during orbital ops if components were repaired or damaged.
- We've fixed a bug where some Contacts might have two "Sell Intel" offers due to Traits.
v3.1.11 - 12/13/2020
- Added two new outfits, matched space smugglers - Added new environment background for jungle wilderness - Added Navigator's "Flash Charge" to the Talent Manifest in Encounter Talents - "Entropic Estimate" Talent now includes the length of the Salvage Rumor as well as the estimated date of completion - Improved Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" to affect 5 targets instead of 3 - Fixed issue where Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" and Mil Officers "Call for Surrender" could be used against xeno - Fixed set of issues in orbital ops and explorer where ship skill pools could become out of date due to repair or damage - Fixed bug where Contact could have 2 Sell Intel services due to Traits - Fixed description issues with Spy's "Distracting Shots" Talent - Fixed positioning of recruit review on some window sizes and resolutions
Update #243: New Friends in the Spice Hall
December's monthly community challenge has gone out and its a fun one! Check out "Santas Stash & Spacemas Cocktail" challenge :D Now with the holiday hat, you can be even more good looking for your challenge screenshots!
To follow up on Update #242, we've added another 6 new character faces AND an awesome new holiday hat. We're always hearing from the community about how new faces, hats and outfits are so much fun so we're working to hit those big goals. A lot more art will be piling into the game through the New Year, so stay tuned. Also, we've started a longer process of adjusting the proportions and connection points of the male character's head and torsos -- there will be some more changes coming to improve the look!
In an odd oversight, the E-Tech's "Signature Jammer" and Smuggler's "Garbled Identity" Talents were never included in the Talent Manifest. They have now been added under the Ship Encounter section as "Rep Protection" category to make this easy to keep an eye on.
- Added new holiday seasonal fur hat - Added 6 new character faces including new mustache and beard - Added E-Tech's "Signature Jammer" and Smuggler's "Garbled Identity" to the Talent Manifest in Encounter Talents - Fixed issue with half the crew always having an eyepatch
[ 2020-12-06 18:20:11 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #243 comes hot on the tail of Update #242 to fix a bug where half your crew was wearing an eyepatch unexpectedly. I blame the airlock!
We've also added another 6 new faces for your crew and an awesome new winter seasonal hat! Through the end of the year, we'll be doubling down on more art, outfits, faces and hats as well as new storylines. You can clearly see the part of the Content Expansion roadmap we are hammering away at :D
If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
December Community Challenge
December's monthly community challenge has gone out and its a fun one! Check out "Santas Stash & Spacemas Cocktail" challenge :D Now with the holiday hat, you can be even more good looking for your challenge screenshots!
Six New Faces in the Spice Hall
To follow up on Update #242, we've added another 6 new character faces AND an awesome new holiday hat. We're always hearing from the community about how new faces, hats and outfits are so much fun so we're working to hit those big goals. A lot more art will be piling into the game through the New Year, so stay tuned. Also, we've started a longer process of adjusting the proportions and connection points of the male character's head and torsos -- there will be some more changes coming to improve the look!
Reputation Protection in Talent Manifest
In an odd oversight, the E-Tech's "Signature Jammer" and Smuggler's "Garbled Identity" Talents were never included in the Talent Manifest. They have now been added under the Ship Encounter section as "Rep Protection" category to make this easy to keep an eye on.
v3.1.9 - 12/6/2020
- Added new holiday seasonal fur hat - Added 6 new character faces including new mustache and beard - Added E-Tech's "Signature Jammer" and Smuggler's "Garbled Identity" to the Talent Manifest in Encounter Talents - Fixed issue with half the crew always having an eyepatch
Update #242: New Worlds, New Faces
December's monthly community challenge has gone out and its a fun one! Check out "Santas Stash & Spacemas Cocktail" challenge :D
We've loved to see all the huge maps that have been created for map seeds v2. That has inspired us to raise the roof and push it even farther. With this update, we've cranked the maximum quadrant count for map seeds v2 all the way up to 70. The maps are crazy huge but 10/10 would gen again!
With Update #242, we've added 6 new character faces as well as a new wide brimmed pirate hat. We've heard from the community that we needed more faces with beards and with long hair, so we've included both in this update. Also, we've started a longer process of adjusting the proportions and connection points of the male character's head and torsos -- things should already be looking better this update.
- Increased maximum quadrant size in map v2 to 70! - Added new wide-brimmed pirate hat - Added 6 new character faces include 3 new bearded faces
[ 2020-12-04 19:51:23 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #242 expands both map generation for v2 seeds as well as the roster of interesting faces that might join your crew. Not to mention a boss hat! Through the end of the year, we'll be doubling down on more art, outfits, faces and hats as well as new storylines.
We'll jump into the extra details for this update below, but first a few things you might want to know!
If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
December Community Challenge
December's monthly community challenge has gone out and its a fun one! Check out "Santas Stash & Spacemas Cocktail" challenge :D
Map Seed v2 Max Upgrade
We've loved to see all the huge maps that have been created for map seeds v2. That has inspired us to raise the roof and push it even farther. With this update, we've cranked the maximum quadrant count for map seeds v2 all the way up to 70. The maps are crazy huge but 10/10 would gen again!
New Faces, New Hat!
With Update #242, we've added 6 new character faces as well as a new wide brimmed pirate hat. We've heard from the community that we needed more faces with beards and with long hair, so we've included both in this update. Also, we've started a longer process of adjusting the proportions and connection points of the male character's head and torsos -- things should already be looking better this update.
v3.1.7 - 12/4/2020
- Increased maximum quadrant size in map v2 to 70! - Added new wide-brimmed pirate hat - Added 6 new character faces include 3 new bearded faces
"Santas Stash & Spacemas Cocktail" December Challenge
[hr][/hr] Captains, to start this challenge you must find a system with both a) a wild zone and b) an urban zone of any of these types: Mining, Tradeway, or Orbital. This will be your Stash System.
You can take as much time as you like to find your Stash System and to prepare your ship, bankroll, and knowledge of the galaxy. Once youre ready to begin, navigate to your Stash System and take a screenshot of it from orbit -- this will show the starting date, that the system meets the criteria (one wild zone and one mining, tradeway or orbital zone) and that there is nothing currently stashed on the system (as there is no green stash icon in orbit). From this point, you have 1 in-game year (e.g. from 219.05AE to 220.05AE) to acquire and stash as much Vudka (supplied by Farming, Refinery Zones with Trade Law 7 or less, piratable from many Smugglers and Pirates) as you can possibly find into your Stash System. Selecting a well-located Stash System will be critical to your success, as you will need quick access to multiple locations supplying Vudka. There are a few other restrictions about where you vudka may come from, all based around the requirement that you must obtain your stash *after* the start of your year.
To report your challenges score, provide the following screenshots and text:
Clear your cargo holds and check your trade routes captains. Maybe put that new Map generator to work for you. And we cant wait to see what drinks you come up with!
All scores, questions and chatter about the December community challenge should be routed to the Discussions forum thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/discussions/0/2962769352270501993/
[ 2020-12-03 16:06:20 CET ] [ Original post ]
[hr][/hr]
Twas the night before Spacemas, and all through the Void, Not a Captain was flying, not even the employed. The quadrants were gripped with a paralyzing fear, Like nothing seen before, rumors said: a massive xeno fleet was near. The gravs knew only stories, but spacers were filled with dread, If these rumors were true, all humanity might be dead. It was too late for another Exodus, there was no time for flight, Deep in the governmental Palace, the Prince wrestled with the plight. Theres too many to fight them, our buildings too big to hide, His advisors all bemoaned, Shalun save us again, how will we possibly survive!? As the noble Prince brooded and his soft courtiers despaired, BANG BANG on the Palace doors -- an intruder, who would dare!? As the massive doors opened, none were prepared for the sight. A striking red color and spectacular hat, a Star Trader stood, one theyd heard of alright. The captains exploits were infamous, the officers too; the first mate stood with him, representing all the crew. He spoke for his captain, grim-faced, mustache... burred We have an idea, and we demand to be heard! We must flee the city, and outwait the assault. Deep within the wilderness, weve stocked a hidden vault. Preposterous! a royal idiot shouted, and ridiculous too! Hear hear, another shouted. We are hundreds of thousands, what kind of stockpile could do? But the Captains reputation was epic, and the Princes influence strong; they knew the worth of working together, and the Prince spoke to play along: Our people are resilient, and food we carry can be shared. The problems not in feeding them, its what will they do for weeks when they are scared? The same thing we do in space, that grizzled first officer did tell. Remember your duty, trust your crewmates, and pass the vudka til all is well.
[hr][/hr] Captains, to start this challenge you must find a system with both a) a wild zone and b) an urban zone of any of these types: Mining, Tradeway, or Orbital. This will be your Stash System.
You can take as much time as you like to find your Stash System and to prepare your ship, bankroll, and knowledge of the galaxy. Once youre ready to begin, navigate to your Stash System and take a screenshot of it from orbit -- this will show the starting date, that the system meets the criteria (one wild zone and one mining, tradeway or orbital zone) and that there is nothing currently stashed on the system (as there is no green stash icon in orbit). From this point, you have 1 in-game year (e.g. from 219.05AE to 220.05AE) to acquire and stash as much Vudka (supplied by Farming, Refinery Zones with Trade Law 7 or less, piratable from many Smugglers and Pirates) as you can possibly find into your Stash System. Selecting a well-located Stash System will be critical to your success, as you will need quick access to multiple locations supplying Vudka. There are a few other restrictions about where you vudka may come from, all based around the requirement that you must obtain your stash *after* the start of your year.
- You may not move any Vudka from another stash
- You may not have any Vudka already in your cargo hold
- You may not move any Vudka from a drydocked ship's cargo hold
- Contain vudka (vodka is acceptable), rum (because pirates), or a base drink with no alcohol whatsoever (water-fuel).
- Have at least two-other Star Traders-themed ingredients / toppers. Creative substitutes for actual Kongon Locusts, xeno blood, hydrogen fuel, etc. are acceptable as these may not be available on your planet.
Scoring Rules
Points awarded for:
- +1 point per unit of vudka stashed
Bonus points:
- +5000 points for creating a cocktail with a recipe and photo
- Use the new Map Gen v2 - points x 2
- Screenshot your holiday captain outfit - points x 1.25
- x 1(+0.1 points per difficulty level above basic)
Screenshots:
To report your challenges score, provide the following screenshots and text:
- Recipe & Photo -- for your Star Traders cocktail / mocktail.
- Screenshot -- Your Stash System from orbit -- this will show the starting date, that the system meets the criteria (one wild zone and one mining, tradeway or orbital zone) and that there is nothing currently stashed on the system (as there is no green treasure chest stash icon in orbit)
- Screenshot -- Your total stash and the ending stardate.
Clear your cargo holds and check your trade routes captains. Maybe put that new Map generator to work for you. And we cant wait to see what drinks you come up with!
Further Discussion, Post Scores and Ask Questions
All scores, questions and chatter about the December community challenge should be routed to the Discussions forum thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/discussions/0/2962769352270501993/
Update #241: Mapmaker Rising
Clicks are evil and the less of them we ask, the better for everyone. To this end, we've enabled the map generator to remember the settings from the last map generation -- quadrant count, density, map version. If you are looking to find a certain type of Max Density, 42 quadrant, version 2 map you now quickly generate new maps with the same settings on repeat.
We've included the map seed in the preview which makes sharing your maps easy and fast. Snap a screenshot of the preview and its everything you need to know -- the seed, the gate connections, its size, where the starting quads are. Happy sharing!
For those players looking for a certain setup with starting danger, we've added that detail to the map list. You can now see the quadrant name and starting danger for each faction in the summary. Especially for those looking for a new default map or wanting to play as a specific faction, this is a big help and increases the pace of the search.
Thanks to @DrSpendlove for suggesting this missing blade -- there is now a level 9 strength-based blade you can find in relic weapon salvage cards.
- Added "Kamguard Deathblade" a level 9 salvagable strength-based blade - Map preview screen now includes map seed so a single screenshot is enough to share your map - Map gen settings including quadrant count, density and map version are remembered between gens, much faster repeat generation - Starting quadrant name and Danger rating are now included in map list details - Clarified maximum Intel creation rates with Unauthorized Access and Genetic Sequencing boarding Talents - Fixed seed copying bug that could result in broken 1 quadrant map
[ 2020-11-28 19:09:00 CET ] [ Original post ]
Big updates drive a flurry of new play and from that falls a pile of great feedback. We've spent the last few days since releasing major milestone CARTOGRAPHER putting your feedback straight into the game to improve the ease of generating and sharing maps.
This time of year is a special season on Steam -- its time to nominate the games we love for Steam awards. This year, we're going up for Labor of Love and hope you'll join in by nominating us!
If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Settings Remembered
Clicks are evil and the less of them we ask, the better for everyone. To this end, we've enabled the map generator to remember the settings from the last map generation -- quadrant count, density, map version. If you are looking to find a certain type of Max Density, 42 quadrant, version 2 map you now quickly generate new maps with the same settings on repeat.
Easy Sharing
We've included the map seed in the preview which makes sharing your maps easy and fast. Snap a screenshot of the preview and its everything you need to know -- the seed, the gate connections, its size, where the starting quads are. Happy sharing!
Starting Danger
For those players looking for a certain setup with starting danger, we've added that detail to the map list. You can now see the quadrant name and starting danger for each faction in the summary. Especially for those looking for a new default map or wanting to play as a specific faction, this is a big help and increases the pace of the search.
Kamguard Deathblade
Thanks to @DrSpendlove for suggesting this missing blade -- there is now a level 9 strength-based blade you can find in relic weapon salvage cards.
v3.1.5 - 11/28/2020
- Added "Kamguard Deathblade" a level 9 salvagable strength-based blade - Map preview screen now includes map seed so a single screenshot is enough to share your map - Map gen settings including quadrant count, density and map version are remembered between gens, much faster repeat generation - Starting quadrant name and Danger rating are now included in map list details - Clarified maximum Intel creation rates with Unauthorized Access and Genetic Sequencing boarding Talents - Fixed seed copying bug that could result in broken 1 quadrant map
Let's Go: Labor of Love!
[ 2020-11-25 18:01:22 CET ] [ Original post ]
Last year we were more than qualified for Steam's Labor of Love nomation and we've dropped almost an additional 100 updates since then! All the updates are coming to the game free without additional cost, without gimmicks -- just amazing features, new contents, system improvements, and now the Map v2 generator.
We're not done with Star Traders: Frontiers yet and still have more to do. In fact, 2021 is going to bring some of the most exciting changes yet as we complete the long-posted public roadmap and look to what's next.
As they say, Shalun favors the brave so let's charge the fences and nominate Star Traders: Frontiers for this years Labor of Love.
Major Milestone "CARTOGRAPHER" and 50% off sale
Just make sure the "Use Map v2 Generator" checkbox is enabled when create a new map to use all the new map proc gen rules and content. You can still create v1 maps by unchecking the box.
Joining map seeds v2 in Update #240 is the all new map preview feature set. When you are browsing maps you can now see a quick summary of the details for that map, including the counts of how many quadrants each faction owns as well as the total zone count for each faction. If you need to know more, you can pop open the map preview from within the map list and take a spin around the map without needing to start a new game. This map preview includes everything you need to know, showing all the gates, quadrants, systems and their zones as well as all the stats. You can filter and sort the data just as you would in the game. Finally, this display also highlights the starting quadrant for each faction so you can look and see exactly where you'd get going (and what Danger you'd find) if you started as Javat versus Thulun. For map grinders, this is really exciting. If you're looking for a certain structure, something new and original, or a map that is tilted toward a certain faction you can now grind and examine maps far more quickly and enjoyably.
We have decided not to roll out a default map for map seed v2 yet. If you start a new game and use the default map, you will start on the map v1 default map. We are putting out a call to all captains to suggest seeds for the default map. The default map for v1 was discovered in this way during the game's alpha, found and promoted by some enterprising captains. Please share the coolest seeds you find on the Map V2 Seed Exchange thread and post your seeds that could be candidates for the v2 default map to the Default Map V2 thread.
- Map Seed v2 creates all new, improved, larger maps - Create endless new map variety, improved balance and proc gen rules, up to 60 quads - Improved variety of quadrant maps including very large and dense maps - Keep playing v1 seeds and captains as much as you like - New map preview features allows you to examine a map before playing it - Map preview includes starting quadrants, ability to look at all zone data - New map details shown when selecting a map including faction quadrants and zones - When drawing a "Strike a Blow" card from Spying, added Electronics save to be extra sneaky and avoid Rep loss - Fixed reward and availability of Major Score orbital ops card
- Fixed some issues with hyperwarp gate linking in v2 maps
- Fixed crash in v2 map gen for Mac OS
[ 2020-11-25 18:01:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
Last Updated 11/25/2020 at 6 PM EST
We're celebrating the Autumn Sale and the coming close of the year with a series of big updates! With Update #240, we're rolling out the major milestone "CARTOGRAPHER" which debuts the highly anticipated map generator version 2.0.
Major Milestone CARTOGRAPHER adds map seeds v2 to the map generator as a new option. These new maps feature better balance, more variety and up to 60 max quadrants. Within the quadrants themselves, we've improved the variety of the maps to include both quadrants that are much larger and harder to traverse as well as those that are even denser. The changes are a roll-up of all the feedback we've gathered from 3 years and hundreds of thousands of maps generated with v1. It is hard to summarize them all, except to say that map v2 are going to create more exciting, more varied and (if you configure it) larger galaxies.
It is critical to say up front that you can keep playing all of your captains who are on v1 maps. You can also keep starting new games on v1 maps you love. If you create new maps in v2, they will come with all the improvements but ALL of our updates are always fully backwards compatible so there is no concern of invalidated saved games or any of those amateur-hour shenanigans.
If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
It is also that special season of the year when Steam asks us all to nominate amazing games that we love. This year, we're going up for Labor of Love and hope you'll join in by nominating us!
Create New V2 Maps!
Just make sure the "Use Map v2 Generator" checkbox is enabled when create a new map to use all the new map proc gen rules and content. You can still create v1 maps by unchecking the box.
Map Preview
Joining map seeds v2 in Update #240 is the all new map preview feature set. When you are browsing maps you can now see a quick summary of the details for that map, including the counts of how many quadrants each faction owns as well as the total zone count for each faction. If you need to know more, you can pop open the map preview from within the map list and take a spin around the map without needing to start a new game. This map preview includes everything you need to know, showing all the gates, quadrants, systems and their zones as well as all the stats. You can filter and sort the data just as you would in the game. Finally, this display also highlights the starting quadrant for each faction so you can look and see exactly where you'd get going (and what Danger you'd find) if you started as Javat versus Thulun. For map grinders, this is really exciting. If you're looking for a certain structure, something new and original, or a map that is tilted toward a certain faction you can now grind and examine maps far more quickly and enjoyably.
Default Map for V2
We have decided not to roll out a default map for map seed v2 yet. If you start a new game and use the default map, you will start on the map v1 default map. We are putting out a call to all captains to suggest seeds for the default map. The default map for v1 was discovered in this way during the game's alpha, found and promoted by some enterprising captains. Please share the coolest seeds you find on the Map V2 Seed Exchange thread and post your seeds that could be candidates for the v2 default map to the Default Map V2 thread.
v3.1.1 - 11/25/2020
- Map Seed v2 creates all new, improved, larger maps - Create endless new map variety, improved balance and proc gen rules, up to 60 quads - Improved variety of quadrant maps including very large and dense maps - Keep playing v1 seeds and captains as much as you like - New map preview features allows you to examine a map before playing it - Map preview includes starting quadrants, ability to look at all zone data - New map details shown when selecting a map including faction quadrants and zones - When drawing a "Strike a Blow" card from Spying, added Electronics save to be extra sneaky and avoid Rep loss - Fixed reward and availability of Major Score orbital ops card
v3.1.3 - 11/25/2020
- Fixed some issues with hyperwarp gate linking in v2 maps
v3.1.4 - Mac Only
- Fixed crash in v2 map gen for Mac OS
Update #239: Send Blades, Guns and Hex!
If you haven't heard the rumors of Cyber Knights: Flashpoint crackling across the matrix in 2231, maybe you should just read about it on PCGamer.com! They've just helped us share our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint which is on its way to Steam in 2021. Mixing elements of stealth, hacking and tactical combat, Flashpoint is a true turn-based tactics RPG. You'll want to Wishlist this puppy today because -- that's right, you can get cyberdog and cybercat companions. If you didn't know, now you know. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
To the tune of over $350,000 and requiring a starport with Military Rating 10, the A6 is the most difficult of weapon lockers to secure for your ship. However, boasting grade 6 Phoenix-class weaponry and armor, it provides the easiest full-team access to the most powerful weaponry. The A6 focuses on providing a direct ramp up in power and utility from the A5. However, as these are mid to late game weaponry, a small percentage of the Accuracy bonus points have been shaved off (usually 1-2 pts) and dedicated their value to the Damage, Parry, Init and Piercing scores. Enemy ships -- especially those of the military design -- will start to install A6 in mid to late game as of Update #238, so be sure to be ready for their harder hits.
All Contacts who sell gear -- specialist, military or wing -- now offer grade 5. Some powerful and truly cool items are landing with this update including the new GAATSO Interlink and Mammothshot.
The ramifications of destroying enemy ships during Solar War and Trade War Conflicts was not previously well expressed in the game. We've now added it to the tooltips for Conflicts and slightly expanded the rule for Trade Wars. If you destroy a Military Officer, Bounty Hunter, Zealot, Spy or Pirate ship during a Solar War, you strike a blow in the Conflict for the other faction and gain Rep with that faction. If you destroy a Smugger, Merchant or Pirate (new addition!) during a Trade War, you strike a blow as well. This is another great way you can take action in Conflicts on top of all the other options.
- Added ship component Weapon Locker A6 provides Phoenix-class weapons and armor (6 new weapons, 3 new armors) - Contacts now sell up to grade 5 for all gear types (Military, Specialist, Wing) - Added 4 new grade 5 gears (Mammothshot, Cambre Cutter, GAATSO Interlink, Vrax Harness) - Added 6 new ultra rare level 9 Relic Weapons (Towerblade, Kiret Karat, Titan Heavy, Arbitration Breacher, Otrike Mauler, Solar Viper Heavy) - Added 3 new ultra rare level 8 Relic Armors (Frozburn Mesh, Strak Heavy, Gauzlight Stern) - Rebalanced prices of Armor for sale by Contact and found salvaging - Rebalanced prices of Weapons found salvaging - Minor bebalance to some level 5 and 6 gear, Bladeguide Aegis, Plasfire Cutter - Added rules for supporting Conflicts by destroying ships to Conflict tooltips - Destroy Merchant, Smuggler or Pirate ships to support Trade War and gain Rep - Destroy Military Officer, Bounty Hunter, Zealot, Spy or Pirate ships to support Trade War and gain Rep
[ 2020-11-17 16:08:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #239 cuts down another major content milestone on our dev roadmap by delivering a heaping mile of new guns, armor and gear. With 22 new high level pieces of equipment added -- between Contacts, ship's weapon lockers and Salvage-ready relics -- there is a bevy of new stuff to go hunting. We know your officers will be bickering over who gets what!
With this major new blast of equipment, we're excited to announce we've far exceeded the content expansion for weapons, armor and gear and have officially struck it from the roadmap. We had it penciled in at 200% and this new set has brought us over the 300% line. It is high time to knock it from the list and move on to what is next! As with all the content expansion milestones, this is not a promise that we won't add more later :D
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
If you haven't heard the rumors of Cyber Knights: Flashpoint crackling across the matrix in 2231, maybe you should just read about it on PCGamer.com! They've just helped us share our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint which is on its way to Steam in 2021. Mixing elements of stealth, hacking and tactical combat, Flashpoint is a true turn-based tactics RPG. You'll want to Wishlist this puppy today because -- that's right, you can get cyberdog and cybercat companions. If you didn't know, now you know. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Weapon Locker A6
To the tune of over $350,000 and requiring a starport with Military Rating 10, the A6 is the most difficult of weapon lockers to secure for your ship. However, boasting grade 6 Phoenix-class weaponry and armor, it provides the easiest full-team access to the most powerful weaponry. The A6 focuses on providing a direct ramp up in power and utility from the A5. However, as these are mid to late game weaponry, a small percentage of the Accuracy bonus points have been shaved off (usually 1-2 pts) and dedicated their value to the Damage, Parry, Init and Piercing scores. Enemy ships -- especially those of the military design -- will start to install A6 in mid to late game as of Update #238, so be sure to be ready for their harder hits.
Grade 5 Gear
All Contacts who sell gear -- specialist, military or wing -- now offer grade 5. Some powerful and truly cool items are landing with this update including the new GAATSO Interlink and Mammothshot.
Destroying Ships to Support Conflicts
The ramifications of destroying enemy ships during Solar War and Trade War Conflicts was not previously well expressed in the game. We've now added it to the tooltips for Conflicts and slightly expanded the rule for Trade Wars. If you destroy a Military Officer, Bounty Hunter, Zealot, Spy or Pirate ship during a Solar War, you strike a blow in the Conflict for the other faction and gain Rep with that faction. If you destroy a Smugger, Merchant or Pirate (new addition!) during a Trade War, you strike a blow as well. This is another great way you can take action in Conflicts on top of all the other options.
v3.0.125 - 11/16/2020
- Added ship component Weapon Locker A6 provides Phoenix-class weapons and armor (6 new weapons, 3 new armors) - Contacts now sell up to grade 5 for all gear types (Military, Specialist, Wing) - Added 4 new grade 5 gears (Mammothshot, Cambre Cutter, GAATSO Interlink, Vrax Harness) - Added 6 new ultra rare level 9 Relic Weapons (Towerblade, Kiret Karat, Titan Heavy, Arbitration Breacher, Otrike Mauler, Solar Viper Heavy) - Added 3 new ultra rare level 8 Relic Armors (Frozburn Mesh, Strak Heavy, Gauzlight Stern) - Rebalanced prices of Armor for sale by Contact and found salvaging - Rebalanced prices of Weapons found salvaging - Minor bebalance to some level 5 and 6 gear, Bladeguide Aegis, Plasfire Cutter - Added rules for supporting Conflicts by destroying ships to Conflict tooltips - Destroy Merchant, Smuggler or Pirate ships to support Trade War and gain Rep - Destroy Military Officer, Bounty Hunter, Zealot, Spy or Pirate ships to support Trade War and gain Rep
Update #238: Data Arteries
We've kicked off a new Community Challenge for the month of November, challenging you to build your best Away Team of 3 and see how rich you can get exploring before someone falls. https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/335620/view/2961640281625025897
Two new Contacts have joined the ranks of gravs. The Military Researcher provides rank, recruits Soldiers, sells Military Gear and buys Scientific Intel. The Retired Theoretician recruits Scientists, has Black Market potential, sells Specialist Gear and buys Scientific Intel. These two new additions help improve the recruitment tables, expands access to Scientists and adds more options for selling Scientific Intel.
With Update #238, we've expanded the Contact Trait system around Traits that enable buying Intel. Contacts with Trait "Covert" and "Data Hound" are now always willing to buy Intel, even if they already bought Scientific Intel. Contacts with Trait "Researcher" and "Technologist" are now always willing to buy Scientific Intel even if they already bought Intel. These Traits now create cool situations in which a Contact will buy both, giving you even more avenues to Rep up with your Contacts.
To help you find Contacts who will buy your Scientific Intel, we've added a new filter to the Contact list specifically for Scientific Intel. The Intel filter is now only for faction espionage Intel, making it faster to find exactly what you need.
If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the dome, seeped through the cracked concrete down to your safehouse, we've got news for you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes elements of stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and base building. You'll want to Wishlist this puppy today because -- that's right, you can get cyberdog and cybercat companions. If you didn't know, now you know. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Added 2 new Contact types -- Military Researcher and Retired Theoretician offering variety of buying Scientific Intel, recruits, rank and permit - Added Contact list filter for "Buys Scientific Intel" separate from "Buys Intel" - Contacts with Trait "Covert" and "Data Hound" are now always willing to buy Intel - Contacts with Trait "Researcher" and "Technologist" are now always willing to buy Scientific - Fixed issues with Intel buying Traits when overlapping with Contact type services, Contacts with such Traits might by both types of Intel - Improved clarity in a few places with Scientific Intel, fixed other typos
[ 2020-11-06 21:51:54 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #238 continues some of the follow-up work from the major milestone CATALYST released last month. With this update, we've added 2 new Contacts and upgraded more Contact Traits to better enable Intel / Scientific Intel. We've also improved the dual-Intel system to better allow Contacts to be fully interested in both types. Finally, we've added a filter to the Contact list dedicated to Scientific Intel.
Away Team Community Challenge
We've kicked off a new Community Challenge for the month of November, challenging you to build your best Away Team of 3 and see how rich you can get exploring before someone falls. https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/335620/view/2961640281625025897
New Contacts
Two new Contacts have joined the ranks of gravs. The Military Researcher provides rank, recruits Soldiers, sells Military Gear and buys Scientific Intel. The Retired Theoretician recruits Scientists, has Black Market potential, sells Specialist Gear and buys Scientific Intel. These two new additions help improve the recruitment tables, expands access to Scientists and adds more options for selling Scientific Intel.
Intel-Buying Traits
With Update #238, we've expanded the Contact Trait system around Traits that enable buying Intel. Contacts with Trait "Covert" and "Data Hound" are now always willing to buy Intel, even if they already bought Scientific Intel. Contacts with Trait "Researcher" and "Technologist" are now always willing to buy Scientific Intel even if they already bought Intel. These Traits now create cool situations in which a Contact will buy both, giving you even more avenues to Rep up with your Contacts.
Improved Filtering
To help you find Contacts who will buy your Scientific Intel, we've added a new filter to the Contact list specifically for Scientific Intel. The Intel filter is now only for faction espionage Intel, making it faster to find exactly what you need.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the dome, seeped through the cracked concrete down to your safehouse, we've got news for you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes elements of stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and base building. You'll want to Wishlist this puppy today because -- that's right, you can get cyberdog and cybercat companions. If you didn't know, now you know. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.123 - 11/6/2020
- Added 2 new Contact types -- Military Researcher and Retired Theoretician offering variety of buying Scientific Intel, recruits, rank and permit - Added Contact list filter for "Buys Scientific Intel" separate from "Buys Intel" - Contacts with Trait "Covert" and "Data Hound" are now always willing to buy Intel - Contacts with Trait "Researcher" and "Technologist" are now always willing to buy Scientific - Fixed issues with Intel buying Traits when overlapping with Contact type services, Contacts with such Traits might by both types of Intel - Improved clarity in a few places with Scientific Intel, fixed other typos
"Away Team" November Community Challenge
Choose an away team of 3 crew members -- it can include your captain or officers but must include at least one regular crew member. No other crew members may have more Exploring Talents than any member of your away team trio at any time. This includes both talents that remove or replace risk cards and Talents that passively increase Explorer rewards. We want to see who can explore the most while keeping the same consistent away team alive and kicking. Away Team of Only 3 Whenever you encounter a crew combat while Exploring, you must include your entire 3 character Away Team in the battle, regardless of their condition. The fourth position in your combat squad is yours to fill as you see fit and is not a member of the Away Team This 4th character is completely up to you, does not need to be the same character between fights, can be crew/officer/captain and does not need to have any Explorer Talents. If you encounter a combat outside of Exploring, you can send anyone to the fight you want and have no requirement to use the Away Team but you may chose to do so. Ends if Away Team Member Dies If you lose a member of your away team, your run has ended. Regardless of how your Away Team member dies -- killed in an Explorer combat, killed in a non-Explorer combat, dead by torpedo, lost in an airlock accident -- at that time, use the scoring rules shown here to total your score. However, after totaling your score you may start a second run of the challenge by selecting a new away team from your crew. For your second run, select a new away team of 3, but:
Points awarded for: 1 point per exploration expeditions without losing an away team member (running the explorer card game, not explorer-based combats) 5 points per Scientific Intel sold to contacts 20 points each for up to 3 wilderness zones you include in your report, with at least three sentences about your adventures on the surface Bonus points: +0.25x points per difficulty level above basic 2x points for surviving 100 crew battles started from exploration 1.5x points for including a Scientist Captain in the away team Screenshots: At the start and end of a run, the required screenshots are of: Ship Status > Captains Log > Stats showing the Traveling Far section which includes exploration count and crew combats from exploration Your away team members at the start of the run, any survivors at the end of the run. Tasteful black-and-white in memoriam screenshots / memes of any dead members are optional. Winners will receive internet fame and leaderboard-backed bragging rights, but honorable mentions await those who display creativity and effort as well. Alright captains, ready your away teams. Its wild out there, dont get munched.
To join in on the challenge, discuss the meta, ask questions or post your away team's scores join us on the discussion thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/eventcomments/2993165479015935342
You can also check out some of the awesome community challenges that have been run before:
[ 2020-11-01 22:10:01 CET ] [ Original post ]
We're kicking off a new run of brand new community challenges for you! This ones for the explorers, the wilderness seekers, our Captains whose journeys through the void are to seek out strange, new worlds and see what valuables might be hiding on them.
The Challenge
Choose an away team of 3 crew members -- it can include your captain or officers but must include at least one regular crew member. No other crew members may have more Exploring Talents than any member of your away team trio at any time. This includes both talents that remove or replace risk cards and Talents that passively increase Explorer rewards. We want to see who can explore the most while keeping the same consistent away team alive and kicking. Away Team of Only 3 Whenever you encounter a crew combat while Exploring, you must include your entire 3 character Away Team in the battle, regardless of their condition. The fourth position in your combat squad is yours to fill as you see fit and is not a member of the Away Team This 4th character is completely up to you, does not need to be the same character between fights, can be crew/officer/captain and does not need to have any Explorer Talents. If you encounter a combat outside of Exploring, you can send anyone to the fight you want and have no requirement to use the Away Team but you may chose to do so. Ends if Away Team Member Dies If you lose a member of your away team, your run has ended. Regardless of how your Away Team member dies -- killed in an Explorer combat, killed in a non-Explorer combat, dead by torpedo, lost in an airlock accident -- at that time, use the scoring rules shown here to total your score. However, after totaling your score you may start a second run of the challenge by selecting a new away team from your crew. For your second run, select a new away team of 3, but:
- Only one member from your previous away team may be part of your second away team. Traumatized by the death of their close companion, if the other member is surviving they must be dismissed or retrained to have fewer Explorer Talents than the new away team trio.
- Any unsold Scientific Intel must be sold before starting a new run. This Scientific Intel counts toward the score of your first run.
Scoring Rules
Points awarded for: 1 point per exploration expeditions without losing an away team member (running the explorer card game, not explorer-based combats) 5 points per Scientific Intel sold to contacts 20 points each for up to 3 wilderness zones you include in your report, with at least three sentences about your adventures on the surface Bonus points: +0.25x points per difficulty level above basic 2x points for surviving 100 crew battles started from exploration 1.5x points for including a Scientist Captain in the away team Screenshots: At the start and end of a run, the required screenshots are of: Ship Status > Captains Log > Stats showing the Traveling Far section which includes exploration count and crew combats from exploration Your away team members at the start of the run, any survivors at the end of the run. Tasteful black-and-white in memoriam screenshots / memes of any dead members are optional. Winners will receive internet fame and leaderboard-backed bragging rights, but honorable mentions await those who display creativity and effort as well. Alright captains, ready your away teams. Its wild out there, dont get munched.
Discuss and Post Progress
To join in on the challenge, discuss the meta, ask questions or post your away team's scores join us on the discussion thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/eventcomments/2993165479015935342
Previous Challenges
You can also check out some of the awesome community challenges that have been run before:
- Firefly Tour travels the galaxy with only your officers
- Underworld Renown tests Smugglers
- Legendary Hunter challenges Bounty Hunters
- Small Ship to Prize Ship can burn even the best combat captain
Update #237: Junker Life
You may already be following us on Facebook and on the @TreseBrothers twitter, but we're now sharing news, sales, gameplay vids, guides & tips from the forums & discord, streams, memes, and more on Star Traders' own twitter account: https://twitter.com/StarTradersGame
Those Contacts who offer Salvage Missions just got a lot more serious about it! They will now replace their usual Conflict-related mission offer with an offer to run Salvage Missions at any Salvage Rumor you already know. They rely on your intelligence to uncover the Rumors, so you need to either use your own Traits, Talents or their Learn Rumor service to track down viable Rumors. Once granted, you can play the Salvage Mission like a Patrol or Blockade Mission, hunting that all important golden card. Watch out -- orbital salvage can be a harsh master. In my last testing run, I made $200,000 credits in rich salvage, lost 2 crew members to death saves, killed 2 bands of pirates, got one of my Contacts killed, gained a Relic Weapon and finally completed the 2 Salvage Missions I had been chasing to the tune of $400,000. Whew, what an exciting couple of weeks! This new capability of the mission system also opens up the future potential to make more missions that are driven by Rumors -- embargos, civil unrest, artifact finds and more, oh my!
With the new Salvage-based missions arriving, we've taken this moment to buff both of the Scavenger Captain's starting Traits. First, the Junker Trait now includes a +10% chance to draw Salvage mission cards along with the ability to repair whenever salvaging. Second, we've changed when the Roughneck Trait runs to make it far more effective. Previously running only when the Captain spiced, it is now run whenever the crew spices which vastly increases the chances of turning up new and exciting Salvage Rumors -- which you need for your Salvage missions! Also, the Junker Trait now grants a repair bonus when salvaging at the wreck of a xeno ship, so enjoy that. Not to mention their rank 11 "Rescue Mission" Talent finally makes sense =D
A huge thanks to everyone in the community posting different issues and bugs. We fixed a mix up in the shopping categories for Mass Modulators and Reducers with #237 as well as fixing the price on the newly introduced Reinforced / Shielded Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells. Finally, we fixed a longstanding bug that has been kicking around, Salvage Bay 5s were not working in some of the conditions of salvage.
- Added new type of Missions -- Salvage missions to zones with Salvage Rumors - All new way to run missions in the highest risk/reward orbital operation - Added 8 new multi-step Salvage missions -- high risk and high reward! - Improved Scavenger Trait "Junker" to add Salvage Missions start with +10% chance to draw Mission card - Improved Scavenger Trait "Roughneck" so it runs whenever anyone spices, not just the Captain -- far more effective - Increased availability of Intel and Scientific Intel missions from interested Contacts - Added new score to captain's log scores -- number of crew battles faced in explorer - Fixed issue where Scavenger Trait "Junker" was not properly firing against xeno ships salvaged - Fixed issues with Salvage Bay 5 and salvaging bonus when destroying human ships - Fixed category organization issues in Mass Modulator and Reducers - Fixed prices on Shielded/Reinforced Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells - Improved display of faction in mission that are anti-Hunna
[ 2020-10-28 19:51:56 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #237 keeps hammering on the mission theme and with 8 new missions and all new Salvage Mission types it helps us close out another Content Expansion Goal from our dev roadmap. Since the update and its new missions are all focused on Salvage, this is the moment we've been waiting for to buff the Scavenger Captain's Traits toward these mission activities.
With CATALYST full released two weeks ago and +18 new mission types and 2 major new categories of missions rolled out, we're excited to announce we've hit the content expansion for missions and have officially struck it from the roadmap. The list is getting smaller all the time now. Onwards to Weapons, Armor and Gear!
If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the dome, seeped through the cracked concrete down to your safehouse, we've got news for you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes elements of stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and base building. You'll want to Wishlist this puppy today because -- that's right, you can get cyberdog and cybercat companions. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
@StarTradersGame is out of drydock on twitter!
You may already be following us on Facebook and on the @TreseBrothers twitter, but we're now sharing news, sales, gameplay vids, guides & tips from the forums & discord, streams, memes, and more on Star Traders' own twitter account: https://twitter.com/StarTradersGame
Salvage Missions!
Those Contacts who offer Salvage Missions just got a lot more serious about it! They will now replace their usual Conflict-related mission offer with an offer to run Salvage Missions at any Salvage Rumor you already know. They rely on your intelligence to uncover the Rumors, so you need to either use your own Traits, Talents or their Learn Rumor service to track down viable Rumors. Once granted, you can play the Salvage Mission like a Patrol or Blockade Mission, hunting that all important golden card. Watch out -- orbital salvage can be a harsh master. In my last testing run, I made $200,000 credits in rich salvage, lost 2 crew members to death saves, killed 2 bands of pirates, got one of my Contacts killed, gained a Relic Weapon and finally completed the 2 Salvage Missions I had been chasing to the tune of $400,000. Whew, what an exciting couple of weeks! This new capability of the mission system also opens up the future potential to make more missions that are driven by Rumors -- embargos, civil unrest, artifact finds and more, oh my!
Scavenger Captain Traits
With the new Salvage-based missions arriving, we've taken this moment to buff both of the Scavenger Captain's starting Traits. First, the Junker Trait now includes a +10% chance to draw Salvage mission cards along with the ability to repair whenever salvaging. Second, we've changed when the Roughneck Trait runs to make it far more effective. Previously running only when the Captain spiced, it is now run whenever the crew spices which vastly increases the chances of turning up new and exciting Salvage Rumors -- which you need for your Salvage missions! Also, the Junker Trait now grants a repair bonus when salvaging at the wreck of a xeno ship, so enjoy that. Not to mention their rank 11 "Rescue Mission" Talent finally makes sense =D
Ship Component Fixes
A huge thanks to everyone in the community posting different issues and bugs. We fixed a mix up in the shopping categories for Mass Modulators and Reducers with #237 as well as fixing the price on the newly introduced Reinforced / Shielded Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells. Finally, we fixed a longstanding bug that has been kicking around, Salvage Bay 5s were not working in some of the conditions of salvage.
v3.0.121 - 10/28/2020
- Added new type of Missions -- Salvage missions to zones with Salvage Rumors - All new way to run missions in the highest risk/reward orbital operation - Added 8 new multi-step Salvage missions -- high risk and high reward! - Improved Scavenger Trait "Junker" to add Salvage Missions start with +10% chance to draw Mission card - Improved Scavenger Trait "Roughneck" so it runs whenever anyone spices, not just the Captain -- far more effective - Increased availability of Intel and Scientific Intel missions from interested Contacts - Added new score to captain's log scores -- number of crew battles faced in explorer - Fixed issue where Scavenger Trait "Junker" was not properly firing against xeno ships salvaged - Fixed issues with Salvage Bay 5 and salvaging bonus when destroying human ships - Fixed category organization issues in Mass Modulator and Reducers - Fixed prices on Shielded/Reinforced Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells - Improved display of faction in mission that are anti-Hunna
Update #236: Secrets Unbound
Update #236 opens up an entirely new frontier for self-directed Missions in Spying, Exploring and Salvaging. The addition of Missions that require you gather Intel and Scientific Intel from specific sources bring a new type of challenge to these operations. A captain who excels at direct Spying missions will want a certain set of Talents to seek out and obtain the golden Mission card, while a captain who excels at Intel gathering missions will need a different set of Talents -- to flip for Intel or Scientific Intel -- along with reward Talents that increase Intel gather and a ship that can further boost those rewards. Intel gathering missions come in a few forms including -- gathering Scientific Intel, gathering generic Intel (any faction or conflict), gathering faction specific Intel (single faction, any conflict) or the most expensive and difficult to obtain, Conflict Intel (one specific Conflict). Often these missions have a follow up set of steps that draw you deeper into your Contact's purpose and scheme. These new missions also open up a new way to use Intel. Where before Intel was always a lower credit reward for higher Reputation and Influence, if you chose to sell your Intel into these Missions you now make Mission money (much higher!) and Mission Rep and Influence changes (when compared to selling Intel directly much lower). We can't wait to see these play out in the game and hear your new stories, captains. As mentioned above, more Mission types are coming!
We've also added a 16th mission giver type, that of Science Missions. Previously, these Contacts gave Explorer Missions. Science Missions is a derivative of Explorer Missions with a higher weighting on Scientific Intel missions and these Contacts are less likely to engage in Smuggling and other underhanded acts.
Both Doctor and Engineer gained new Talents with Update #236, two of which help round out the availability of Scientific Intel Talents. The Doctor can now replace a risk card in Exploring with a Scientific Intel reward card at rank 11 and the Engineer can help boost the price of all Scientific Intel sold to Contacts. Finally, to ensure the Doctor's position commands the proper respect aboard a starship, they have gained a rank 8 Talent to save Command Skill rolls.
- Added new type of self-directed Missions -- gather Scientific, generic, Faction or Conflict-specific Intel - New way to convert your Intel gathering abilities into high credit rewards with lower Rep and Influence gains (mission money, mission rep) - Added 4 new types of Scientific Intel focused missions with unique follow-ups and conditions - Added 6 new types of Intel focused missions with unique follow-ups and conditions - Created new Mission Giver type for Contacts who "Offer Scientific Missions" to find Scientific Intel, Explore and Salvage - Improved Intel creation details for Intel created by Boarding Talents, properly linking to origin system - Added 2 new Talents for Doctors -- "Professional Respect" Command saving Talent at rank 8, and "Sawbones Seeker" replaces Exploring risk card with Scientific Intel - Added new rank 8 Engineer Talent "Contemplative View" increases the price of all Scientific Intel sold to Contacts by 30% + Electronics - Fixed issues with Field Distortion Log Entries during Radiation Storms - Fixed issues with Talents not triggering during planetary Ion Storms
[ 2020-10-21 17:43:22 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #236 takes the new features of CATALYST and injects them straight into the mission system with uncompromisingly awesome results. We've added an entirely new class of mission -- freeform gathering of Scientific or espionage Intel -- along with a new mission giver type to help Contacts like Court Scientist focus on an even more sciencey agenda than before. On top of the major burst of mission activity, Update #236 rounds out Scientific Intel missions with a new Doctor rank 8 and 11 Talent and a new Engineering rank 8 Talent as well.
With CATALYST full released and through its early patch cycle, we are now turning our attention back to the dev roadmap. First to fall will be -- as indicated by this update -- the +100% Missions. Now that Intel and Scientific Intel missions are in, next up will be Salvage Missions to strike the item from the list. Then, onwards to Weapons, Armor and Gear!
If word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the dome, seeped through the cracked concrete down to your safehouse, we've got news for you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2021 and mixes elements of stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and base building. You'll want to Wishlist this puppy today because -- that's right, you can get cyberdog and cybercat companions. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
New Mission Frontier
Update #236 opens up an entirely new frontier for self-directed Missions in Spying, Exploring and Salvaging. The addition of Missions that require you gather Intel and Scientific Intel from specific sources bring a new type of challenge to these operations. A captain who excels at direct Spying missions will want a certain set of Talents to seek out and obtain the golden Mission card, while a captain who excels at Intel gathering missions will need a different set of Talents -- to flip for Intel or Scientific Intel -- along with reward Talents that increase Intel gather and a ship that can further boost those rewards. Intel gathering missions come in a few forms including -- gathering Scientific Intel, gathering generic Intel (any faction or conflict), gathering faction specific Intel (single faction, any conflict) or the most expensive and difficult to obtain, Conflict Intel (one specific Conflict). Often these missions have a follow up set of steps that draw you deeper into your Contact's purpose and scheme. These new missions also open up a new way to use Intel. Where before Intel was always a lower credit reward for higher Reputation and Influence, if you chose to sell your Intel into these Missions you now make Mission money (much higher!) and Mission Rep and Influence changes (when compared to selling Intel directly much lower). We can't wait to see these play out in the game and hear your new stories, captains. As mentioned above, more Mission types are coming!
Science Mission Giver
We've also added a 16th mission giver type, that of Science Missions. Previously, these Contacts gave Explorer Missions. Science Missions is a derivative of Explorer Missions with a higher weighting on Scientific Intel missions and these Contacts are less likely to engage in Smuggling and other underhanded acts.
Doctor and Engineer
Both Doctor and Engineer gained new Talents with Update #236, two of which help round out the availability of Scientific Intel Talents. The Doctor can now replace a risk card in Exploring with a Scientific Intel reward card at rank 11 and the Engineer can help boost the price of all Scientific Intel sold to Contacts. Finally, to ensure the Doctor's position commands the proper respect aboard a starship, they have gained a rank 8 Talent to save Command Skill rolls.
v3.0.119 - 10/21/2020
- Added new type of self-directed Missions -- gather Scientific, generic, Faction or Conflict-specific Intel - New way to convert your Intel gathering abilities into high credit rewards with lower Rep and Influence gains (mission money, mission rep) - Added 4 new types of Scientific Intel focused missions with unique follow-ups and conditions - Added 6 new types of Intel focused missions with unique follow-ups and conditions - Created new Mission Giver type for Contacts who "Offer Scientific Missions" to find Scientific Intel, Explore and Salvage - Improved Intel creation details for Intel created by Boarding Talents, properly linking to origin system - Added 2 new Talents for Doctors -- "Professional Respect" Command saving Talent at rank 8, and "Sawbones Seeker" replaces Exploring risk card with Scientific Intel - Added new rank 8 Engineer Talent "Contemplative View" increases the price of all Scientific Intel sold to Contacts by 30% + Electronics - Fixed issues with Field Distortion Log Entries during Radiation Storms - Fixed issues with Talents not triggering during planetary Ion Storms
Update #235: Catalyst Unbound and 45% off sale to celebrate
The Mortifor Carrier embodies exactly what you'd expect from a Javat flagship. Weighing in at 8000 Mass, the Mortifor boasts best-in-class starting Armor and very strong starting Shielding. Packing 42 crew and 7 officers it also allows for 5 max craft, running neck and neck with the Skylift and Harbinger Carriers. Where the Mortifor shines like no other 8000 Mass ship is in its 15 small slots (!!!), 8 medium and 6 large slot component layout. Coming off the starport line with a Traveler Engine and 3 hangars for craft, the Mortifor is ready to engage at a starting price of $2.4m.
The last update, Update #234, accidentally bopped Scavenger off the profession list. Scavenger is back with Update #235 and Scientist has stayed so all is now right in the void. For just a minute. Before the next xeno attack. Enjoy it :D
We've caught up with the Talent Manifest after the round of new Talents being released by adding the Scientist's selling of Scientific Intel as well as the Explorer and Salvage Talents that add Scientific Intel cards.
With Update #235, we've expanded into a progression for passenger cabins, prison cells and wards. we've added 4 new component options for higher price tag that allow you to upgrade your standard small slot cells and cabins. You can bulk up to include either Armor with the Reinforced Passenger Cabin or Shields with the Shielded Passenger Cabin and the same options are available for small slot Prison Cells. In addition, we've pushed the Interrogation Ward to be a second tier component by creating a lesser large slot Prison Ward which holds 4 prisoners and offers +5% Shielding. Interrogation Ward -- which creates valuable Intel -- is now a second level large slot component that holds 4 prisoners and costs a bit more to install. Finally, to ensure the balance stays correct across these critical mission components, we've pushed the jump cost for all of the large slot components higher.
- New Javat-only Ship: Mortifor Carrier (8000M Heavy Carrier) - Fixes issues with Scavenger profession - Improved Talent Manifest: Added Science Intel Cards, Scientific Record Sales - New Components: Reinforced Passenger Cabin, Reinforced Prison Cell, Shielded Passenger Cabin, Shielded Prison Cell - New Component: Prison Ward is the starter large slot prison component, holds 4 prisoners and does not create intel - Improved large slot Interrogation Ward to hold 4 Prisoners and doubled price to install - Large slot prisons and passenger suites increase jump fuel cost - Fixed formatting on some Explorer & Salvage Cards
[ 2020-10-17 14:42:11 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #235 is the third update this week of the 45% off sale to continue to drive features and improvements for the new Scientist profession and Job released in the Major Milestone CATALYST. There has rarely been a better time to step on to the bridge of a ship and explore the void with this new systems, playstyle and job now available. If you haven't seen CATALYST and the addition of Scientific Intel to the game as a new play style, be sure to check it out below. With Update #235, we've added a new Javat-only flagship carrier, improved the Talent Manifest for all Science Talents and completed some important rebalancing and expansion of the prisoner and passenger component types.
And if you haven't seen it, we're excited to be sharing our upcoming turn-based tactical RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint which will be coming to Steam in 2021. Mixing elements of stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and base building, you'll want to Wishlist today if you haven't already. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210
Javat Launches the Mortifor Carrier
The Mortifor Carrier embodies exactly what you'd expect from a Javat flagship. Weighing in at 8000 Mass, the Mortifor boasts best-in-class starting Armor and very strong starting Shielding. Packing 42 crew and 7 officers it also allows for 5 max craft, running neck and neck with the Skylift and Harbinger Carriers. Where the Mortifor shines like no other 8000 Mass ship is in its 15 small slots (!!!), 8 medium and 6 large slot component layout. Coming off the starport line with a Traveler Engine and 3 hangars for craft, the Mortifor is ready to engage at a starting price of $2.4m.
Scavenger Returns!
The last update, Update #234, accidentally bopped Scavenger off the profession list. Scavenger is back with Update #235 and Scientist has stayed so all is now right in the void. For just a minute. Before the next xeno attack. Enjoy it :D
Talent Manifest
We've caught up with the Talent Manifest after the round of new Talents being released by adding the Scientist's selling of Scientific Intel as well as the Explorer and Salvage Talents that add Scientific Intel cards.
Passenger Cabins, Prison Cells and Wards
With Update #235, we've expanded into a progression for passenger cabins, prison cells and wards. we've added 4 new component options for higher price tag that allow you to upgrade your standard small slot cells and cabins. You can bulk up to include either Armor with the Reinforced Passenger Cabin or Shields with the Shielded Passenger Cabin and the same options are available for small slot Prison Cells. In addition, we've pushed the Interrogation Ward to be a second tier component by creating a lesser large slot Prison Ward which holds 4 prisoners and offers +5% Shielding. Interrogation Ward -- which creates valuable Intel -- is now a second level large slot component that holds 4 prisoners and costs a bit more to install. Finally, to ensure the balance stays correct across these critical mission components, we've pushed the jump cost for all of the large slot components higher.
v3.0.117 - 10/17/2020
- New Javat-only Ship: Mortifor Carrier (8000M Heavy Carrier) - Fixes issues with Scavenger profession - Improved Talent Manifest: Added Science Intel Cards, Scientific Record Sales - New Components: Reinforced Passenger Cabin, Reinforced Prison Cell, Shielded Passenger Cabin, Shielded Prison Cell - New Component: Prison Ward is the starter large slot prison component, holds 4 prisoners and does not create intel - Improved large slot Interrogation Ward to hold 4 Prisoners and doubled price to install - Large slot prisons and passenger suites increase jump fuel cost - Fixed formatting on some Explorer & Salvage Cards
Update #234: Scientist Profession and 45% off sale to celebrate
Update #234 adds the Scientist as a full blown starting profession you can add to your new captain templates. With two powerful unique traits -- Theoretical and Cerebral Seeker -- the Scientist captain excels at a strategic mix of Exploring, Salvaging and xeno hunting to reap Scientific Intel at every turn. Great for multi-Jobbing with Explorer, Doctor, Scavenger and more, the Scientist captain rounds out the new and exciting angles of play here.
A new starting Contact -- the Court Scientist -- and a Contact created only by the simulation -- the Academy Consul -- are both interested in buying Scientific Intel and recruiting Scientists along with offering a mix of other exciting services like Trait-driven Black Market access, a mix of Permit, Rank and Edict as well as Introductions, gear and more. Keep an eye out for these new players and consider the Court Scientist when setting up your new Scientist captain templates.
Exo-Scouts gain new rank 15 Talent, Earned Revelations that replace risk card with Scientific Intel reward cards. Only the most veteran and highly capable exo-scouts have the chops to record valuable Intel from their exploration missions but those who can stand to make a killing among their network of contacts.
- Scientist is now available as a Captain profession with 2 unique captain traits, Theoretician and Cerebral Seeker - Added new starting Contact type, Court Scientist who purchase Scientific Intel and recruts Scientist - Added new proc-gen Contact type, Academy Consul who purchase Scientific Intel and recruts Scientist - Exo-Scouts gain new rank 15 Talent, Earned Revelations that replace risk card with Scientific Intel reward cards - Fixed issue with Repair/Explorer skill in new game templates - Fixed reported crashes
[ 2020-10-15 03:06:57 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #234 is a follow on update to the Major Milestone CATALYST that further expands the new systems, playstyle and jobs available there. If you haven't seen CATALYST and the addition of Scientific Intel to the game as a new play style, be sure to check it out below. With Update #234, we've added a new captain profession (SCIENCE!), a new rank 15 Exo-Scout Talent and 2 new Contact types.
And if you haven't seen it, we're excited to be sharing our upcoming turn-based tactical RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint which will be coming to Steam in 2021. Mixing elements of stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and base building, you'll want to Wishlist today if you haven't already. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Scientist Profession
Update #234 adds the Scientist as a full blown starting profession you can add to your new captain templates. With two powerful unique traits -- Theoretical and Cerebral Seeker -- the Scientist captain excels at a strategic mix of Exploring, Salvaging and xeno hunting to reap Scientific Intel at every turn. Great for multi-Jobbing with Explorer, Doctor, Scavenger and more, the Scientist captain rounds out the new and exciting angles of play here.
New Contacts
A new starting Contact -- the Court Scientist -- and a Contact created only by the simulation -- the Academy Consul -- are both interested in buying Scientific Intel and recruiting Scientists along with offering a mix of other exciting services like Trait-driven Black Market access, a mix of Permit, Rank and Edict as well as Introductions, gear and more. Keep an eye out for these new players and consider the Court Scientist when setting up your new Scientist captain templates.
Exo-Scout Rank 15
Exo-Scouts gain new rank 15 Talent, Earned Revelations that replace risk card with Scientific Intel reward cards. Only the most veteran and highly capable exo-scouts have the chops to record valuable Intel from their exploration missions but those who can stand to make a killing among their network of contacts.
v3.0.115 - 10/14/2020
- Scientist is now available as a Captain profession with 2 unique captain traits, Theoretician and Cerebral Seeker - Added new starting Contact type, Court Scientist who purchase Scientific Intel and recruts Scientist - Added new proc-gen Contact type, Academy Consul who purchase Scientific Intel and recruts Scientist - Exo-Scouts gain new rank 15 Talent, Earned Revelations that replace risk card with Scientific Intel reward cards - Fixed issue with Repair/Explorer skill in new game templates - Fixed reported crashes
Major Milestone "CATALYST" and 45% off sale to celebrate
Major Milestone CATALYST comes with a new Job, but not just any new Job -- the highest community requested, the venerable and respected Scientist or Science Officer, if you chose to promote. The Scientist is a powerful supporting character bringing Doctor, Explorer and Command Skills to the ship. From a Talent perspective, the Scientist can play in both Orbital Salvage and Explorer, knocking out and replacing risk cards or boosting results. But where the Scientist truly shines is in the discovery and capture of a new type of data -- Scientific Intel. Startling observations, dangerous new concepts, recorded anomalies, encounters with the other can all produce Scientific Intel when cast through the lens of a trained eyed -- the eye of the Scientist. The Scientists Talents and 5 new cards added across Salvage and Explorer can impart this valuable and dangerous knowledge in the form of Scientific Intel. Like espionage-based Intel, this Scientific Intel is highly prized by Contacts and 14 Contacts will now buy Scientific Intel, including 5 of the Starting Contacts. Mostly, these are a Contacts who did not previously buy Intel and now have a new angle through which you can increase their Influence and Rep, but a few are swap overs from Intel to Scientific Intel. The new rules and system have also touched on a huge number of Contact Traits that will recruit Scientists or prefer to purchase Scientific Intel if possible or will pay heavily (Cult Leaders!) for the secrets, often farmed directly from xeno encounters. Scientists can be promoted or recruited during Academy Graduations or from Sage of Records, Medical Provost and Xenologist Contact Types.
For those veteran captains still sailing the void after 70 years and reaching the level cap of 40, we've made a major lift with CATALYST to open the gates all the way to 45. This also includes a big uptick in maximum job level from 32 to 36. The job levels are especially exciting as they come with a solid chunk of Skill points which we've used creatively to fill gaps, catch up certain off skills, or double down on the primary skill. On top of the extra Skill points, the Captain and Officers both net a total of 2 Talents, giving you even more powerful build options.
The Vark Carrier is a technical marvel and the heaviest 6000-class hull architecture ever devised. While the exact details of the design are a tightly-held Zenrin secret, the build borrows heavily from the expertise of Zenrin's friends among the Star Trader Houses and Clans. While the Vark is heavily shielded and armored, the massive hull is built around the Traveler Void Engine, rather than the Dual-Field popular on large warships, strictly for speed. Zenrin Captains, and the fearless aces of small craft combat stand ready to face any Xeno threat, no matter how distant. Among the 6000-class ships, the Vark Carrier is the only one capable of docking 5 craft.
We've also updated the rules for the Spice Festival Rumor to further reduce Trade Law, now applying a massive -4 over the previously -2. And, for those Spies selling traditional Intel, we've bumped up the price of Conflict Intel to which the Contact is directly related by more than 50%. We've also fixed the Armor/Shield stats on Performance Hyperwarp Drives and rebalanced the prices of both Neutiquam Cruiser and resolved its issue of having 8/7 Officer Cabins.
- Increased max level cap to 45 for all Captain, Officer and Crew -- new Job and Talents points! - Increased max level of all Jobs from 32 to 36 -- more Skill points! - Added new Zenrin-only ship, the mighty Vark Carrier (6000M Zenrin, heavy attack Carrier) - All new Scientist Job seeks the unknown in the void to gain Scientific Intel and bonus Experience - All new type of Scientific Intel can be gathered through ops and Talents and sold to interested Contacts - 14 Contacts including 5 starting Contacts now buy Scientific Intel - Added 3 new Orbital Salvage cards and 2 new Explorer cards with Scientific Intel rewards - Scientists can be recruited from Sage of Records, Medical Provost and Xenologist - Added new Contact Trait Technologist, increases price for Scientific Data and recruits Scientists - Contacts with Tinkerer, Techno Addict, Heritage Hunter, Xeno Obsessed, Cult Leader, Collector and Researcher all buy Scientific Intel at better prices - Contact Trait Researcher will enable buying Scientific Intel if the Contact doesn't already buy Intel - Scientist is recruitable during Academy Graduation Rumors and in any Spice Hall in the Jyeeta Brood quadrant - Spice Festival Rumor now reduces Trade Law by -4 instead of -2 - Increased the sale price of Conflict Intel when the Contact's faction is involved in the Conflict - Fixed issue with Neutiquam Cruiser having 8 officer cabins - Fixed issue with Performance Hyperwarp Drives having too much armor/shield - Increased price of Neutiquam Cruiser by $500K - Increased price of Extremis Carrier by $425K
- Increased chances of Scientific Intel Cards appearing during Explorer & Salvage - Scientific Intel now appears more often during Xeno Fleets, Jyeeta Incursions and Radiation Storms - Reputation gains from selling Scientific Intel buffed by 12% - Fixed issue with all Diplomat Talents requiring incorrect Job Rank
[ 2020-10-12 19:30:51 CET ] [ Original post ]
Last edited 10/13/2020 @ 2 PM EST - we've released patch 3.0.113, see release notes at the bottom
With Update #232 we're hitting another major milestone, dubbed SCIENCE with huge raft of new content, a new playstyle to chase and a 12% raise to the maximum level cap.
Major Milestone CATALYST introduces the Scientist who can fill the iconic position aboard your starship as your Science Officer or perhaps your xenobiologist or part time xeno hunter. Your Scientist eagerly seeks the unknown -- and in the void the unknown is inexorably intertwined with the dangerous. Along with the Scientist comes an entirely new type of Scientific Intel that can be gathered when encounter xeno, exploring, salvaging or traveling space under terribly conditions such as Radiation Storms.
This Milestone also raises the level cap from 40 to 45 and all jobs have had their max level expanded from 32 to 36. This is a major new infusion of Skill points for everyone and up to 2 new Talents for both Captain and Officers.
And if you haven't seen it, we're excited to be sharing our upcoming turn-based tactical RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint which will be coming to Steam in 2021. Mixing elements of stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and base building, you'll want to Wishlist today if you haven't already. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
To keep up with all the latest news, sales, gameplay vids, guides & tips from the forums & discord, streams, memes, and more, follow us on the Star Traders' twitter account: https://twitter.com/StarTradersGame
Scientist Job and Scientific Intel
Major Milestone CATALYST comes with a new Job, but not just any new Job -- the highest community requested, the venerable and respected Scientist or Science Officer, if you chose to promote. The Scientist is a powerful supporting character bringing Doctor, Explorer and Command Skills to the ship. From a Talent perspective, the Scientist can play in both Orbital Salvage and Explorer, knocking out and replacing risk cards or boosting results. But where the Scientist truly shines is in the discovery and capture of a new type of data -- Scientific Intel. Startling observations, dangerous new concepts, recorded anomalies, encounters with the other can all produce Scientific Intel when cast through the lens of a trained eyed -- the eye of the Scientist. The Scientists Talents and 5 new cards added across Salvage and Explorer can impart this valuable and dangerous knowledge in the form of Scientific Intel. Like espionage-based Intel, this Scientific Intel is highly prized by Contacts and 14 Contacts will now buy Scientific Intel, including 5 of the Starting Contacts. Mostly, these are a Contacts who did not previously buy Intel and now have a new angle through which you can increase their Influence and Rep, but a few are swap overs from Intel to Scientific Intel. The new rules and system have also touched on a huge number of Contact Traits that will recruit Scientists or prefer to purchase Scientific Intel if possible or will pay heavily (Cult Leaders!) for the secrets, often farmed directly from xeno encounters. Scientists can be promoted or recruited during Academy Graduations or from Sage of Records, Medical Provost and Xenologist Contact Types.
New Level Cap 45
For those veteran captains still sailing the void after 70 years and reaching the level cap of 40, we've made a major lift with CATALYST to open the gates all the way to 45. This also includes a big uptick in maximum job level from 32 to 36. The job levels are especially exciting as they come with a solid chunk of Skill points which we've used creatively to fill gaps, catch up certain off skills, or double down on the primary skill. On top of the extra Skill points, the Captain and Officers both net a total of 2 Talents, giving you even more powerful build options.
Zenrin-only Vark Carrier
The Vark Carrier is a technical marvel and the heaviest 6000-class hull architecture ever devised. While the exact details of the design are a tightly-held Zenrin secret, the build borrows heavily from the expertise of Zenrin's friends among the Star Trader Houses and Clans. While the Vark is heavily shielded and armored, the massive hull is built around the Traveler Void Engine, rather than the Dual-Field popular on large warships, strictly for speed. Zenrin Captains, and the fearless aces of small craft combat stand ready to face any Xeno threat, no matter how distant. Among the 6000-class ships, the Vark Carrier is the only one capable of docking 5 craft.
And More
We've also updated the rules for the Spice Festival Rumor to further reduce Trade Law, now applying a massive -4 over the previously -2. And, for those Spies selling traditional Intel, we've bumped up the price of Conflict Intel to which the Contact is directly related by more than 50%. We've also fixed the Armor/Shield stats on Performance Hyperwarp Drives and rebalanced the prices of both Neutiquam Cruiser and resolved its issue of having 8/7 Officer Cabins.
v3.0.111 - 10/12/2020
- Increased max level cap to 45 for all Captain, Officer and Crew -- new Job and Talents points! - Increased max level of all Jobs from 32 to 36 -- more Skill points! - Added new Zenrin-only ship, the mighty Vark Carrier (6000M Zenrin, heavy attack Carrier) - All new Scientist Job seeks the unknown in the void to gain Scientific Intel and bonus Experience - All new type of Scientific Intel can be gathered through ops and Talents and sold to interested Contacts - 14 Contacts including 5 starting Contacts now buy Scientific Intel - Added 3 new Orbital Salvage cards and 2 new Explorer cards with Scientific Intel rewards - Scientists can be recruited from Sage of Records, Medical Provost and Xenologist - Added new Contact Trait Technologist, increases price for Scientific Data and recruits Scientists - Contacts with Tinkerer, Techno Addict, Heritage Hunter, Xeno Obsessed, Cult Leader, Collector and Researcher all buy Scientific Intel at better prices - Contact Trait Researcher will enable buying Scientific Intel if the Contact doesn't already buy Intel - Scientist is recruitable during Academy Graduation Rumors and in any Spice Hall in the Jyeeta Brood quadrant - Spice Festival Rumor now reduces Trade Law by -4 instead of -2 - Increased the sale price of Conflict Intel when the Contact's faction is involved in the Conflict - Fixed issue with Neutiquam Cruiser having 8 officer cabins - Fixed issue with Performance Hyperwarp Drives having too much armor/shield - Increased price of Neutiquam Cruiser by $500K - Increased price of Extremis Carrier by $425K
v3.0.113 - 10/13/2020
- Increased chances of Scientific Intel Cards appearing during Explorer & Salvage - Scientific Intel now appears more often during Xeno Fleets, Jyeeta Incursions and Radiation Storms - Reputation gains from selling Scientific Intel buffed by 12% - Fixed issue with all Diplomat Talents requiring incorrect Job Rank
Update #231: Precision Unleashed
With Update #231 we have closed two of the major content milestones we have been tracking to since the game's release in August 2018. With the addition of the Neutiquam Cruiser and Tempus Freighter we have completed a long march to triple the size of the ship catalog across Mass spectrum. And with the blast of 5 new components in the last update and 12 new components in this update, we have hit our goal to double the size of the ship component catalog, massively expanding the ways in which different captain professions can specialize their individual ship and hit the metrics they feel are necessary to safely sail the void. Of course, hitting the milestone goal doesn't mean we won't be adding more :D https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1696055855739611821
The Tempus Freighter is a contender for the crown of most advanced large-capacity and long-haul cargo ship. Produced exclusively by the De Valtos syndicate, the Tempus Freighter carries an exceptional fuel and cargo load while still maintaining heavy armor and shield. The merchants of De Valtos value their sprawling cargo holds but know that the best cargo delivery is one that is made safely. While formidable without any upgrades, a fully built Tempus Freighter delivers top-tier cargo storage and unparalleled combat survivability. Boasting 11 medium and 8 large slots and a trailing 9 small slots, the Tempus has the capacity for another $5M-$6M in upgrades to create the ultimate merchant-warriors freighter or anything in between. The Neutiquam Cruiser is a compact, heavily armored ship that soaks damage like a much larger hull. Built for boarding combat, attack shuttles and anti-carrier duty the Neutiquam Cruiser is difficult to hit and harder to kill. Sold for under $2.5M at Steel Song starports, this military vessel can be reasonably effective without upgrades, it truly shines after an overhaul and new weapons package. Boasting 11 small, 9 medium and 5 large slots, this Cruiser could soak up additional millions to be fully upgraded as a legendary Bounty Hunter's personal flagship or the death barge of a roaming Steel Song assassin.
A big thanks to the community from bringing this up and discussing it -- how to best build a Scavenger captain. To assist with this, we've made one of the recommended changes which is to add Repair to the list of Skills that a captain can increase in their character creation template. Enjoy those extra bonuses in Talents and Orbital Salvage! The second change will come with the addition of Orbital Salvage missions, which require mission cards which will adjust their starting Traits. But that is for another day, another update!
Update #230 was not shy about adding new components and #231 cranks it up another level with a full set of 12. First, we've added a fourth tier of the Water-Fuel Reclamation systems, once again Javat-only. This component adds less fuel than the WFR 3 but trades that for a +1 Engine Safety bonus. For those ships looking to travel safer, farther, this is a worth consideration. Carriers have long had a gap in their ability to build out a heavily focused set of components to empower their activities. You needed to install launch bays and hangars, but the rest of the build was in your crew and Talents. With Update #230, we began addressing that with a carrier-focused bridge and two new powerful launch bays but Update #231 kicks open the door to ultra carrier builds with the addition of Joint Precision Launch Systems 1-3 which each add craft boost bonuses to any and all launched craft. These bonuses stack, adding to Craft Damage, Hit % and Boarding rolls and so now a carrier has a whole new option for how to invest their small slots. Every carrier build needs some, how many will you install? Some Star Traders aim to travel far but others aim to travel *fast*. For those speed demons of the void, we've released a series of new Performance Hyperwarp Drives that all reduce the time taken in making hyperwarp jumps from 25% for the lowest mass drives to 12% for the highest mass drives. These drives trade higher fuel burn for their speed but over the longhaul, they'll help you scoot across the galaxy -- and especially large maps -- much more efficiently.
While we are hard at work supporting the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we've been developing our next game for going on 2 years now! If you like our style of endless updates, new features and content, wishlist it today! Cyber Knights is a tactical RPG that plunges you and your team of hackers, mercs and thieves into the neon-soaked future of 2231. Hire the right team under the crumbling New Boston Zone and mix stealth, hacking and combat skills to claw your way to the top of the criminal heap. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New captain templates can now include Repair Skill bonuses for jobs like Scavenger - New Ship: Neutiquam Cruiser (Steel Song, 6000M Attack Cruiser) - New Ship: Tempus Freighter (De Valtos, 8000M Long Range Hauler) - Added 8 new Performance Hyperwarp Drives that reduce jump time by 12% to 25% based on ship mass in trade for higher fuel costs - Added 3 new Joint Precision Launch System components to provide craft boost for carriers in small slot - stack for ultra carrier - Added new Javat-only Water-Fuel Reclamation 4 component in medium slot with +1 Engine Safety but lower fuel bonus - Defense Pattern Matrix 4 rebalanced to grant 6% defense instead of 5% - Fixed AI issues with: Reach Carrier, Azurite Cruiser, Larimar Battlecruiser
[ 2020-10-07 17:23:54 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #231 continues to deliver on exciting new ship and component expansions, bringing new options and new meta to the table. With this update, we've included 2 new end-game faction ships and 12 new components that all make use of the completely new ship effect types (Engine Safety, Jump Time reduction, Craft Boost) released in Update #230. We're excited to announce as well that this update completes two of our content milestones on the publicly posted dev roadmap -- moving us closer and closer to completing it entirely!
We've also made a big rule change for Scavenger captains (Repair in new game templates!), improved the Defense Pattern Matrix 4 and fixed some issues with how the AI was trying to build out a set of big end-game ships.
If you enjoy the stream of updates, free content and general game support please remember to leave a review and tell a friend!
Roadmap Content Milestones
With Update #231 we have closed two of the major content milestones we have been tracking to since the game's release in August 2018. With the addition of the Neutiquam Cruiser and Tempus Freighter we have completed a long march to triple the size of the ship catalog across Mass spectrum. And with the blast of 5 new components in the last update and 12 new components in this update, we have hit our goal to double the size of the ship component catalog, massively expanding the ways in which different captain professions can specialize their individual ship and hit the metrics they feel are necessary to safely sail the void. Of course, hitting the milestone goal doesn't mean we won't be adding more :D https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1696055855739611821
Faction Flagships
The Tempus Freighter is a contender for the crown of most advanced large-capacity and long-haul cargo ship. Produced exclusively by the De Valtos syndicate, the Tempus Freighter carries an exceptional fuel and cargo load while still maintaining heavy armor and shield. The merchants of De Valtos value their sprawling cargo holds but know that the best cargo delivery is one that is made safely. While formidable without any upgrades, a fully built Tempus Freighter delivers top-tier cargo storage and unparalleled combat survivability. Boasting 11 medium and 8 large slots and a trailing 9 small slots, the Tempus has the capacity for another $5M-$6M in upgrades to create the ultimate merchant-warriors freighter or anything in between. The Neutiquam Cruiser is a compact, heavily armored ship that soaks damage like a much larger hull. Built for boarding combat, attack shuttles and anti-carrier duty the Neutiquam Cruiser is difficult to hit and harder to kill. Sold for under $2.5M at Steel Song starports, this military vessel can be reasonably effective without upgrades, it truly shines after an overhaul and new weapons package. Boasting 11 small, 9 medium and 5 large slots, this Cruiser could soak up additional millions to be fully upgraded as a legendary Bounty Hunter's personal flagship or the death barge of a roaming Steel Song assassin.
Scavenger Retrofit
A big thanks to the community from bringing this up and discussing it -- how to best build a Scavenger captain. To assist with this, we've made one of the recommended changes which is to add Repair to the list of Skills that a captain can increase in their character creation template. Enjoy those extra bonuses in Talents and Orbital Salvage! The second change will come with the addition of Orbital Salvage missions, which require mission cards which will adjust their starting Traits. But that is for another day, another update!
12 New Components
Update #230 was not shy about adding new components and #231 cranks it up another level with a full set of 12. First, we've added a fourth tier of the Water-Fuel Reclamation systems, once again Javat-only. This component adds less fuel than the WFR 3 but trades that for a +1 Engine Safety bonus. For those ships looking to travel safer, farther, this is a worth consideration. Carriers have long had a gap in their ability to build out a heavily focused set of components to empower their activities. You needed to install launch bays and hangars, but the rest of the build was in your crew and Talents. With Update #230, we began addressing that with a carrier-focused bridge and two new powerful launch bays but Update #231 kicks open the door to ultra carrier builds with the addition of Joint Precision Launch Systems 1-3 which each add craft boost bonuses to any and all launched craft. These bonuses stack, adding to Craft Damage, Hit % and Boarding rolls and so now a carrier has a whole new option for how to invest their small slots. Every carrier build needs some, how many will you install? Some Star Traders aim to travel far but others aim to travel *fast*. For those speed demons of the void, we've released a series of new Performance Hyperwarp Drives that all reduce the time taken in making hyperwarp jumps from 25% for the lowest mass drives to 12% for the highest mass drives. These drives trade higher fuel burn for their speed but over the longhaul, they'll help you scoot across the galaxy -- and especially large maps -- much more efficiently.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
While we are hard at work supporting the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we've been developing our next game for going on 2 years now! If you like our style of endless updates, new features and content, wishlist it today! Cyber Knights is a tactical RPG that plunges you and your team of hackers, mercs and thieves into the neon-soaked future of 2231. Hire the right team under the crumbling New Boston Zone and mix stealth, hacking and combat skills to claw your way to the top of the criminal heap. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.109 - 10/7/2020
- New captain templates can now include Repair Skill bonuses for jobs like Scavenger - New Ship: Neutiquam Cruiser (Steel Song, 6000M Attack Cruiser) - New Ship: Tempus Freighter (De Valtos, 8000M Long Range Hauler) - Added 8 new Performance Hyperwarp Drives that reduce jump time by 12% to 25% based on ship mass in trade for higher fuel costs - Added 3 new Joint Precision Launch System components to provide craft boost for carriers in small slot - stack for ultra carrier - Added new Javat-only Water-Fuel Reclamation 4 component in medium slot with +1 Engine Safety but lower fuel bonus - Defense Pattern Matrix 4 rebalanced to grant 6% defense instead of 5% - Fixed AI issues with: Reach Carrier, Azurite Cruiser, Larimar Battlecruiser
Update #230: Slicing the Void
With Update #230, ship components can now do some even more exciting things! While your Void Engine sets your Safety Rating, other ship components can now add bonuses (or, in the future, reduce) that up to a maximum of +6 Safety. This can help you offset riskier engine choices. Second, ship components can now reduce the amount of time spent in hyperwarp jumps. Each jump has its own defined length which you can see relative to other jumps on the galactic map. All in all, these traveling events can add up to a lot of time and ship components are now capable of increasing or reducing that traveling time with ship components to a maximum of -50%. Finally, to assist with carrier builds we've added a effect dubbed Craft Boost that allows the capital ship to increase the Damage, Hit % and Boarding rolls for all launched craft. The carrier's capital ship systems can now help increase the effective aggressive features of all craft it has launched.
The Engineering and Navigation Annex have been added in Update #230. Both are medium slot components that provide space for a single officer but also some very powerful bonuses, including Skill points. The Engineering Annex adds +2 Safety Rating and is great for ships that are trying to travel long distances. In addition, the Engineering Annex provides a constant protection against Morale damage over time effects. The Navigation Annex reduces hyperwarp jump time by 15% as well as hyperwarp jump cost by -10 fuel. The Engineering Annex is Zenrin only while the Navigation Annex is to be found in Alta Mesa starports only.
Update #230 adds a new Scout-Vanguard Bridge 5 which compares well with the 3 recently added Scout 5 options -- Skirmisher, Hauler and Stealth. For those small ships that want to adjust their component builds away from craft defense, the Vanguard provides a major 30% to Evade Craft Attacks, fully double what the Scout-Skirmisher 5 provides in exchange for its Accuracy bonus and some Armor and Shield. You can only find this extreme craft defense bridge for small ships in Steel Song starports. Update #230 has also modified the Capital Carrier Bridge 5 to include the all new Craft Boost bonus. This powerful bridge for large-scale carriers adds +12% to the Damage, Hit % and Boarding for all aggressive crafts. It is a new must-have component for those captains looking to built ultra-carriers. Finally, we've updated the Compact Capital Bridge 4 to include a +1 Safety Rating as well to go along with its significantly lower Mass and solid Skill bonuses, making it a possible contender for the slot for non-combat captains.
Before Update #230, the highest level launch bays -- the Advanced and Hyperion -- both provided massive Fuel bonuses to help offset the carrier's consumption but did little to support aggressive craft activity. Now, a level 3 and level 4 combat focused launch bays have been added. the Battle Launch Bay at level 3 is available only from De Valtos and is extra shiny with its best in class +15% Craft Boost. The highly sought after and highly expensive Warhawk Launch Bay could be made by none other than Alta Mesa boasting a +8% craft boost and housing 1 officer. If combined with the Capital Carrier Bridge (as it should be!) these could net a 20% to 27% Craft Boost bonus, making your very larger, very expensive carriers even more deadly.
We've worked on training up the enemy AI ship builder on a few additional types of components to help round out their ships, including C-Taks, better use of Fuel Tanks, upgraded Battle Bridges and Mass Dampeners. Finally, we fixed the Pallas Freighter's bug being 1,000 Mass over at purchase time. If you happened to buy one of these broken ships, sorry you have to keep it (or sell it). Only new ships coming off the line are fixed.
While we are hard at work supporting the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we've been developing our next game for going on 2 years now! If you like our style of endless updates, new features and content, wishlist it today! Cyber Knights is a tactical RPG that plunges you and your team of hackers, mercs and thieves into the neon-soaked future of 2231. Hire the right team under the crumbling New Boston Zone and mix stealth, hacking and combat skills to claw your way to the top of the criminal heap. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Added 3 New Ship Component Effects: increase Engine Safety, reduce Hyperwarp Jump Time, Craft Boost adds Dmg, Hit % and Boarding to all launched craft - New Zenrin-only Component: Engineering Annex, medium slot for 1 officer adds +2 Safety Rating and other bonuses - New Alta Mesa-only Component: Navigation Annex, medium slot for 1 officer reduces Hyperwarp Jump time and other bonuses - New Steel Song-only Component: Scout-Vanguard Bridge 5 provides +30% to Evade Craft Attacks and other bonuses - New De Valtos-only Battle Launch Bay trades lvl 3 Advanced Launch Bay's fuel for +15% Craft Boost, combat focused launch bay - New Alta Mesa-only Warhawk Launch Bay trades lvl 4 Hyperion Launch Bay's fuel for +8% Craft Boost, combat focused launch bay - Improved Capital Carrier Bridge 5 to include +12% Craft Boost bonus, powerful bridge for large-scale carriers - Improved Compact Capital Bridge 4 to include +1 Engine Safety bonus - Fixed issue with Pallas Freighters starting 1000 Mass over - Enemy AI ship builder is more capable at using C-Taks, Battle Bridges, Fuel Pods and Mass Dampeners
[ 2020-09-30 04:26:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #230 launches can be installed at a starport near you in the form of a heap of new exciting ship components that roll out 3 completely new types of effects not previously available through any component. We've also further improved the recently released high level Capital Bridges with these new effects, fixed the launch-preventing bug with the Pallas Freighter and trained the enemy AI ship builder on even more components.
New Effects
With Update #230, ship components can now do some even more exciting things! While your Void Engine sets your Safety Rating, other ship components can now add bonuses (or, in the future, reduce) that up to a maximum of +6 Safety. This can help you offset riskier engine choices. Second, ship components can now reduce the amount of time spent in hyperwarp jumps. Each jump has its own defined length which you can see relative to other jumps on the galactic map. All in all, these traveling events can add up to a lot of time and ship components are now capable of increasing or reducing that traveling time with ship components to a maximum of -50%. Finally, to assist with carrier builds we've added a effect dubbed Craft Boost that allows the capital ship to increase the Damage, Hit % and Boarding rolls for all launched craft. The carrier's capital ship systems can now help increase the effective aggressive features of all craft it has launched.
Two Annexes
The Engineering and Navigation Annex have been added in Update #230. Both are medium slot components that provide space for a single officer but also some very powerful bonuses, including Skill points. The Engineering Annex adds +2 Safety Rating and is great for ships that are trying to travel long distances. In addition, the Engineering Annex provides a constant protection against Morale damage over time effects. The Navigation Annex reduces hyperwarp jump time by 15% as well as hyperwarp jump cost by -10 fuel. The Engineering Annex is Zenrin only while the Navigation Annex is to be found in Alta Mesa starports only.
New and Updated Bridges
Update #230 adds a new Scout-Vanguard Bridge 5 which compares well with the 3 recently added Scout 5 options -- Skirmisher, Hauler and Stealth. For those small ships that want to adjust their component builds away from craft defense, the Vanguard provides a major 30% to Evade Craft Attacks, fully double what the Scout-Skirmisher 5 provides in exchange for its Accuracy bonus and some Armor and Shield. You can only find this extreme craft defense bridge for small ships in Steel Song starports. Update #230 has also modified the Capital Carrier Bridge 5 to include the all new Craft Boost bonus. This powerful bridge for large-scale carriers adds +12% to the Damage, Hit % and Boarding for all aggressive crafts. It is a new must-have component for those captains looking to built ultra-carriers. Finally, we've updated the Compact Capital Bridge 4 to include a +1 Safety Rating as well to go along with its significantly lower Mass and solid Skill bonuses, making it a possible contender for the slot for non-combat captains.
Battle Launch Bays
Before Update #230, the highest level launch bays -- the Advanced and Hyperion -- both provided massive Fuel bonuses to help offset the carrier's consumption but did little to support aggressive craft activity. Now, a level 3 and level 4 combat focused launch bays have been added. the Battle Launch Bay at level 3 is available only from De Valtos and is extra shiny with its best in class +15% Craft Boost. The highly sought after and highly expensive Warhawk Launch Bay could be made by none other than Alta Mesa boasting a +8% craft boost and housing 1 officer. If combined with the Capital Carrier Bridge (as it should be!) these could net a 20% to 27% Craft Boost bonus, making your very larger, very expensive carriers even more deadly.
AI Training
We've worked on training up the enemy AI ship builder on a few additional types of components to help round out their ships, including C-Taks, better use of Fuel Tanks, upgraded Battle Bridges and Mass Dampeners. Finally, we fixed the Pallas Freighter's bug being 1,000 Mass over at purchase time. If you happened to buy one of these broken ships, sorry you have to keep it (or sell it). Only new ships coming off the line are fixed.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
While we are hard at work supporting the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we've been developing our next game for going on 2 years now! If you like our style of endless updates, new features and content, wishlist it today! Cyber Knights is a tactical RPG that plunges you and your team of hackers, mercs and thieves into the neon-soaked future of 2231. Hire the right team under the crumbling New Boston Zone and mix stealth, hacking and combat skills to claw your way to the top of the criminal heap. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.107 - 9/30/2020
- Added 3 New Ship Component Effects: increase Engine Safety, reduce Hyperwarp Jump Time, Craft Boost adds Dmg, Hit % and Boarding to all launched craft - New Zenrin-only Component: Engineering Annex, medium slot for 1 officer adds +2 Safety Rating and other bonuses - New Alta Mesa-only Component: Navigation Annex, medium slot for 1 officer reduces Hyperwarp Jump time and other bonuses - New Steel Song-only Component: Scout-Vanguard Bridge 5 provides +30% to Evade Craft Attacks and other bonuses - New De Valtos-only Battle Launch Bay trades lvl 3 Advanced Launch Bay's fuel for +15% Craft Boost, combat focused launch bay - New Alta Mesa-only Warhawk Launch Bay trades lvl 4 Hyperion Launch Bay's fuel for +8% Craft Boost, combat focused launch bay - Improved Capital Carrier Bridge 5 to include +12% Craft Boost bonus, powerful bridge for large-scale carriers - Improved Compact Capital Bridge 4 to include +1 Engine Safety bonus - Fixed issue with Pallas Freighters starting 1000 Mass over - Enemy AI ship builder is more capable at using C-Taks, Battle Bridges, Fuel Pods and Mass Dampeners
Update #229: Capital Bridges
Changes in prep for map gen v2 in Update #228 and caused a rolling set of bugs with generating new maps under this release. Update #229 resolves all of these issues and puts us back on track to release map seeds v2 soon.
With Update #229, we've added a new set of ship components for your high level ships and especially for capital ships with large bridges. The Shielded Barracks 5 joins the fun with space for 36 crew and 4 Shielding points in trade for 5 Jump Cost. It can be a nice way to stack up your shielding so you can focus other components elsewhere if you can manage the credit and fuel cost. Three new types of Capital Bridges have joined the fray -- the Freighter, Carrier and Compact version. The Freighter variation includes bonus cargo and fuel capacity while reducing jump cost and is of course, controlled by Clan Moklumnue. The Carrier Capital Bridge is built exclusively by Alta Mesa with best in class Electronics and Navigation. And finally, the Compact Capital Bridge is available from Clan Zenrin at a reduced Mass of 480 for those capital ships looking to allocate their mass elsewhere. To be completely honest, the Compact and Carrier bridges are casualties of the fast release cycle to fix the maps issue here. Neither are done and both will be improved to be specific to their niche in the next update. Sold only by De Valtos, the Fuel-Cargo Hold 5 offers 35 cargo and 135 fuel storage. For a much higher price tag, it offers the best in class fuel and cargo storage for those ships that can dedicate large slots to it.
We've fixed a bug with how Salvage worked over indie planets where there is no local faction. This removes the issues with the "Faction Rep Bonus" card which had no where to stash the bonus Rep, as indies do not do Rep. We've also improved the card iconography to include better icons for cards that grant Experience.
- Fixes bug with map generation - New Components: Shielded Barracks 5, Capital Freighter Bridge, Capital Carrier Bridge, Compact Capital Bridge, Fuel-Cargo Hold 5 - Fixed Orbital Salvage Faction Rep Boost Over Indie Planets - Fixed incorrect icons on some Experience granting cards
[ 2020-09-18 03:29:20 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #229 had to come in a bit of a rush because map gen v2 tried to escape the lab in Update #228. We're pushing this update to directly address these issues as well as include some new ship components and some bug fixes to orbital ops.
Map Gen
Changes in prep for map gen v2 in Update #228 and caused a rolling set of bugs with generating new maps under this release. Update #229 resolves all of these issues and puts us back on track to release map seeds v2 soon.
Rank 5 Components
With Update #229, we've added a new set of ship components for your high level ships and especially for capital ships with large bridges. The Shielded Barracks 5 joins the fun with space for 36 crew and 4 Shielding points in trade for 5 Jump Cost. It can be a nice way to stack up your shielding so you can focus other components elsewhere if you can manage the credit and fuel cost. Three new types of Capital Bridges have joined the fray -- the Freighter, Carrier and Compact version. The Freighter variation includes bonus cargo and fuel capacity while reducing jump cost and is of course, controlled by Clan Moklumnue. The Carrier Capital Bridge is built exclusively by Alta Mesa with best in class Electronics and Navigation. And finally, the Compact Capital Bridge is available from Clan Zenrin at a reduced Mass of 480 for those capital ships looking to allocate their mass elsewhere. To be completely honest, the Compact and Carrier bridges are casualties of the fast release cycle to fix the maps issue here. Neither are done and both will be improved to be specific to their niche in the next update. Sold only by De Valtos, the Fuel-Cargo Hold 5 offers 35 cargo and 135 fuel storage. For a much higher price tag, it offers the best in class fuel and cargo storage for those ships that can dedicate large slots to it.
Orbital Ops
We've fixed a bug with how Salvage worked over indie planets where there is no local faction. This removes the issues with the "Faction Rep Bonus" card which had no where to stash the bonus Rep, as indies do not do Rep. We've also improved the card iconography to include better icons for cards that grant Experience.
v3.0.103 - 9/17/2020
- Fixes bug with map generation - New Components: Shielded Barracks 5, Capital Freighter Bridge, Capital Carrier Bridge, Compact Capital Bridge, Fuel-Cargo Hold 5 - Fixed Orbital Salvage Faction Rep Boost Over Indie Planets - Fixed incorrect icons on some Experience granting cards
Update #228: Sunset in the Void
In response to some great community feedback, we're beefing up the availability of saving Talents for core ship Skills. With Update #228 we've focused on Ship Ops and Electronics, adding 3 new saving Talents for each Skill to different ship operational jobs. These new saving Talent options greatly expand the viable types of crew you can assemble to cover the needs of a ship's Skill Pools and saving Talents. You'll still need core crew, but you've got more room to include specialists who can help cover those spots. First, the Crew Dog has gained additional utility by gaining an Electronics saving Talent at rank 8 to add to their Ship Ops saving Talent at rank 1. In addition, Engineers and Wing Techs have both gained an Electronics save at rank 8. Second, to help augment the available Ship Ops saving Talents offered by Crew Dogs and Quartermasters, we've added the Talent type to 3 new Jobs -- Mechanic, Gundeck Boss and Wing Tech. Wing Techs get access to the Talent first at rank 5 while both Gundeck Boss and Mechanics need to reach rank 8 before they can lend a guaranteed saving hand to Ship Ops.
With Update #228, we've made further improvements to the stats to some engines that needed a little more boost to fit into the new scheme. In order to ensure that Warhammers and Behemoth engines are fairly safe, their Safety Ratings have been increased by roughly +1 across the board from the Mass 5000 to Mass 8000 engines. This removes any 4 Safety Rating engines -- which basically could never find a quadrant with Danger below their engine -- from the game and leaves a minimum of 5 Safety. For Speed and Agility we've made a few more changes to keep the engines in balance. The Mass 8000 Chase Void Engine has gained +2 Agility to fit correctly into the class scheme. Also, to ensure they live up to their price tag and are competitive with other engine types, the Warhammer Void Engines have gained +1 or +2 Agility across the entire line regardless of Mass and the Behemoth engine line has gained +1 to +2 Speed.
We've rebalanced the Gunnery values on rank 7 and 8 Gravcannons. More boom!
If you're playing at 1080p and are finding the text too small (playing on a TV, etc) we've made some changes to allow the UI to scale up to 110% instead of maxing at 100%. Give it a try and let us know if it helps!
If you're loving Star Traders: Frontiers, its 228 updates, its constant new features and content or just the style of our studio, then be sure to wishlist our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Turn-based tactics lovers and XCOM fans are not going to want to miss this one -- https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Improved Agility by +1-2 points on Warhammer engine line, improved Speed by +1-2 points on Behemoth line - Improved Agility on M8000 Chaser Void Engine by +2 - Improved Safety on M5000 to M8000 Warhammer / Behemoth engines by +1 - Added 6 new Ship Ops and Electronics Talents across a wider selection of jobs - New Electronic saving Talents for Engineer (rank 8), Wing Tech (rank 8) and Crew Dog (rank 8) - New Ship Ops saving Talents for Mechanic (rank 8), Gundeck Boss (rank 8), Wing Tech (rank 5) - Increased Gunnery of large slot rank 7 and 8 Gravcannons - Added combat effects like +Void Res to starport upgrade summary screen - Adjusted UI Scaling option to allow 110% scaling at 1080p - Prevented Traits "Rigidly Lawful" and "Spice Addict" from mutating onto same character
[ 2020-09-16 20:16:12 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #228 reaches the version number 3.0101, indicating 50 releases in this family (that is, 3.0.x). However, we're very excited to share that this release family is sun-setting with 3.1.x coming in fast. On our Trese Brothers Twitch development livestream last week, Cory debuted a major map preview feature we are buttoning up which allows you to check out maps you are making in the new game before you play which is a key feature of map seed version 2. We're also now getting to a point where we will be sharing map seeds v2 on Twitch and the big release of the new system is coming in just around the corner.
In the mean time, v3.0.x still has some life in it! We're finishing balancing out engines stats as well as introducing new exciting build potential for how to setup your ship operations crew by introducing a slew of new saving Talents. Update #228 also includes Gravcannon updates, changes to 1080p resolution options, upgraded stat display when shopping for ship components and fixes for Traits that should never proc together on the same character, so for everything check the full release notes
You may already be following us on Facebook and on the @TreseBrothers twitter, but we're now sharing news, sales, gameplay vids, guides & tips from the forums & discord, streams, memes, and more on Star Traders' own twitter account: https://twitter.com/StarTradersGame
Improved Crew Builds
In response to some great community feedback, we're beefing up the availability of saving Talents for core ship Skills. With Update #228 we've focused on Ship Ops and Electronics, adding 3 new saving Talents for each Skill to different ship operational jobs. These new saving Talent options greatly expand the viable types of crew you can assemble to cover the needs of a ship's Skill Pools and saving Talents. You'll still need core crew, but you've got more room to include specialists who can help cover those spots. First, the Crew Dog has gained additional utility by gaining an Electronics saving Talent at rank 8 to add to their Ship Ops saving Talent at rank 1. In addition, Engineers and Wing Techs have both gained an Electronics save at rank 8. Second, to help augment the available Ship Ops saving Talents offered by Crew Dogs and Quartermasters, we've added the Talent type to 3 new Jobs -- Mechanic, Gundeck Boss and Wing Tech. Wing Techs get access to the Talent first at rank 5 while both Gundeck Boss and Mechanics need to reach rank 8 before they can lend a guaranteed saving hand to Ship Ops.
Engine Adjustments
With Update #228, we've made further improvements to the stats to some engines that needed a little more boost to fit into the new scheme. In order to ensure that Warhammers and Behemoth engines are fairly safe, their Safety Ratings have been increased by roughly +1 across the board from the Mass 5000 to Mass 8000 engines. This removes any 4 Safety Rating engines -- which basically could never find a quadrant with Danger below their engine -- from the game and leaves a minimum of 5 Safety. For Speed and Agility we've made a few more changes to keep the engines in balance. The Mass 8000 Chase Void Engine has gained +2 Agility to fit correctly into the class scheme. Also, to ensure they live up to their price tag and are competitive with other engine types, the Warhammer Void Engines have gained +1 or +2 Agility across the entire line regardless of Mass and the Behemoth engine line has gained +1 to +2 Speed.
Grav Cannons
We've rebalanced the Gunnery values on rank 7 and 8 Gravcannons. More boom!
Resolution 1080p
If you're playing at 1080p and are finding the text too small (playing on a TV, etc) we've made some changes to allow the UI to scale up to 110% instead of maxing at 100%. Give it a try and let us know if it helps!
Wishlist that Cyber Knights
If you're loving Star Traders: Frontiers, its 228 updates, its constant new features and content or just the style of our studio, then be sure to wishlist our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Turn-based tactics lovers and XCOM fans are not going to want to miss this one -- https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.101 - 9/16/2020
- Improved Agility by +1-2 points on Warhammer engine line, improved Speed by +1-2 points on Behemoth line - Improved Agility on M8000 Chaser Void Engine by +2 - Improved Safety on M5000 to M8000 Warhammer / Behemoth engines by +1 - Added 6 new Ship Ops and Electronics Talents across a wider selection of jobs - New Electronic saving Talents for Engineer (rank 8), Wing Tech (rank 8) and Crew Dog (rank 8) - New Ship Ops saving Talents for Mechanic (rank 8), Gundeck Boss (rank 8), Wing Tech (rank 5) - Increased Gunnery of large slot rank 7 and 8 Gravcannons - Added combat effects like +Void Res to starport upgrade summary screen - Adjusted UI Scaling option to allow 110% scaling at 1080p - Prevented Traits "Rigidly Lawful" and "Spice Addict" from mutating onto same character
Update #227: Dry Dock Transport
If you're buying and outfitting a ship, sometimes you really need it to be in a different zone -- to access faction-specific components or to access higher military or economic ratings. Or perhaps you bought it somewhere with a nice discount but not a nice enough starport to do years of upgrades. Whatever the reason, it has long been a pain to move ships around -- you had to swap to them, fly them yourself and then find another ride (i.e. buy another ship) back to the original ship. We're excited to announce the ability to transfer dry dock ship across the galaxy with Update #227. You can pay a reasonable fee of $100,000 credits per hyperwarp jump and an extra 11% for each Mass class at or above 6000 Mass.
In order to initiate this ferry service, you must first land on the zone where you dry docked ship resides. Then open the Star Atlas -- from the zone, from the galactic map, etc -- and find the zone you want to transfer the ship to. At the bottom of the zone, you'll find a transfer offer and price. Of course, you must meet the requirements of Military Rank 1 and the zone must have 7 Starport or a rare 9 in the case of Indies. If you can afford the fee, the transfer is made instantly -- basically, as fast as you can fly there the ship will be waiting for you. To all those captains building out a glorious fleet and asking for dry dock transfer, enjoy!
- Added new feature: pay to transfer dry docked ship from one starport to another using Star Atlas - Star Atlas now includes a note about any zone that has a ship in dry dock - Fixed issue allowing free fuel travel within quadrants for low Mass ships - Fixed issue where starport repair detail text could still report an incorrect timeline for repairs
[ 2020-09-09 03:42:04 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #227 follows quickly on the heals of #226 because of the "Free Fuel" bug that accidentally slipped through in the last update. We know everyone has been enjoying the free cruiser around the galaxy but we've got to get that fixed with Update #227. To assuage the suffering of once again burning Water Fuel, we've added a killer feature from the community request list -- transferring dry docked ships between zones!
Transfer Dry Dock Ships
If you're buying and outfitting a ship, sometimes you really need it to be in a different zone -- to access faction-specific components or to access higher military or economic ratings. Or perhaps you bought it somewhere with a nice discount but not a nice enough starport to do years of upgrades. Whatever the reason, it has long been a pain to move ships around -- you had to swap to them, fly them yourself and then find another ride (i.e. buy another ship) back to the original ship. We're excited to announce the ability to transfer dry dock ship across the galaxy with Update #227. You can pay a reasonable fee of $100,000 credits per hyperwarp jump and an extra 11% for each Mass class at or above 6000 Mass.
In order to initiate this ferry service, you must first land on the zone where you dry docked ship resides. Then open the Star Atlas -- from the zone, from the galactic map, etc -- and find the zone you want to transfer the ship to. At the bottom of the zone, you'll find a transfer offer and price. Of course, you must meet the requirements of Military Rank 1 and the zone must have 7 Starport or a rare 9 in the case of Indies. If you can afford the fee, the transfer is made instantly -- basically, as fast as you can fly there the ship will be waiting for you. To all those captains building out a glorious fleet and asking for dry dock transfer, enjoy!
v3.0.99 - 9/8/2020
- Added new feature: pay to transfer dry docked ship from one starport to another using Star Atlas - Star Atlas now includes a note about any zone that has a ship in dry dock - Fixed issue allowing free fuel travel within quadrants for low Mass ships - Fixed issue where starport repair detail text could still report an incorrect timeline for repairs
Update #226: Beating Void-Heart of a Ship
The void engine is part of the daily life on a Star Trader's ship. It is the heart of a ship and its energy fields change Star Traders who live near them, granting long life, makes their diet and medicine so complicated and shutting down many of the body's natural processes. Update #226 includes two big rebalances for the void engine at any and all mass classes. There will be follow-up upgrades that expand upon these changes, including allowing ship components to modify critical stats like void engine Safety. First, we've updated Safety Rating display for your engine, getting away from the % scale used. Safety Rating is directly compared to the Danger of Quadrants in its impact on traveling, and so it is now displayed as a simple number, just like Danger. Second, we've rebuilt the Safety Ratings for every void engine, basing their ratings around their class (Chaser, Longhaul, etc) as well as their Mass grouping. Small ships are no longer inherently unsafe Longhaul engines are now the safest, built for extended traveling conditions. Balanced and Dual-Field engines are next down the list with standard Safety Ratings. Chasers and Travelers are lower in safety than their standard counter-parts with their focus on either Speed or Agility. Finally, Warhammers and Behemoths, huge monstrosities capable of producing the highest Reactor Points in combat have the lowest Safety Ratings. Finally, for void engines in the the Mass 6000 and above group, there is now a fuel cost per encounter with an enemy ship. This includes encounters during travel as well as those made for missions and any type of orbital ops. The fuel cost can be as low as 1 per encounter up to 10 per encounter for the largest, heaviest combat engines like the Behemoth. Chaser class engines, built for combat efficiency, have the lowest encounter costs in each Mass grouping with the 6000 Mass Chaser still having 0 fuel cost per encounter. High speed Traveler engines have the highest fuel cost to when encountering another ship, while Balanced, Dual-Field and Longhaul engines all have average costs within their Mass grouping. This new fuel tax for large engines may require some changes in play and you might want to use a bit more of your large ship component slots to stock up on fuel.
Update #226 includes a new level 5 specialist gear now for sale from Contacts, the Interlink Wireset which grants a big boost to Wisdom. Check out the Talents your crew and officers are using and see if you might find a Wisdom boost helpful! We've also added 3 more exciting gear that can be found via Salvage, the Ultra Heavy Jack, Isotriphate Injector and Betaphate Drip. Each comes with big Attribute bonus -- Fortitude, Quickness and Fortitude again in order. The Quickness boost is so high on the Injector that it had to come along with a -Initiative debuff to keep the peace!
We've also fixed a bug with Salvage Bay 5 not actually working when salvaging ships and adjusted the Armored Salvage Bay 5 to display its proper bonus, which is 49%, not 54%. Finally, we fixed a bug that could lead to Zette's storyline spawning multiple copies of the same mission.
Pilot a fleet of battle drones, lead a pack of cybernetically enhanced war dogs, mind-meld with a cybercat, charge your nano-blade, get your arms replaced, stalk the night of New Boston as a cybernetic mercenary-beast of 2231. If you like these words, wishlist Cyber Knights: Flashpoint today. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/ You can't tell me you don't want this cyber beagle on your team? [previewyoutube=5DbOJqRLTAo;full][/previewyoutube]
- Void Engine Rebalance: improved significance of engine safety, rebalanced safety ratings and added encounter fuel cost to larger engines - Void engines at 6000 Mass and higher now have a per-encounter Fuel Cost (travel, landing, orbital ops) - Improved Display of Engine Safety to use the same scale as Quadrant Danger as the two are directly compared - Increased impact of Engine Safety on results of Pilot and Ship Ops failures in dangerous quadrants - New Attribute Boosting Gear for sale in Specialist Gear level 5: Interlink Wireset (+Wisdom) - Added 3 new salvage Relics, Ultra Heavy Jack (+Debuff Res) and Isotriphate Injector (+Quickness), Betaphate Drip - Fixed bug with Salvage Bay 5 not adding bonus while salvaging ships - Fixed incorrect text in Armored Salvage Bay 5, it adds 49% bonus to all salvage operations - Fixed bug with duplicate missions during Zette's storyline
[ 2020-09-07 19:41:25 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #226 comes in as a heavy-weight with an important rebalance to Void Engines across the mass and class spectrum. We're continuing to work through our planned updates and improvements to the meta with some very exciting new things coming once we are able to clear this set of hurdles. We've also added 3 new top tier pieces of gear that your officers or crew (!!) can now equip and fixed a number of minor ship component and story bugs.
If you're enjoying the pace of updates, be sure to leave a review and tell a friend. If you need more Star Traders: Frontiers memes in your day, we're now sharing them, along with news, sales, gameplay vids and more at Star Traders' own twitter account: @StarTradersGame
Void Engine Rebalance
The void engine is part of the daily life on a Star Trader's ship. It is the heart of a ship and its energy fields change Star Traders who live near them, granting long life, makes their diet and medicine so complicated and shutting down many of the body's natural processes. Update #226 includes two big rebalances for the void engine at any and all mass classes. There will be follow-up upgrades that expand upon these changes, including allowing ship components to modify critical stats like void engine Safety. First, we've updated Safety Rating display for your engine, getting away from the % scale used. Safety Rating is directly compared to the Danger of Quadrants in its impact on traveling, and so it is now displayed as a simple number, just like Danger. Second, we've rebuilt the Safety Ratings for every void engine, basing their ratings around their class (Chaser, Longhaul, etc) as well as their Mass grouping. Small ships are no longer inherently unsafe Longhaul engines are now the safest, built for extended traveling conditions. Balanced and Dual-Field engines are next down the list with standard Safety Ratings. Chasers and Travelers are lower in safety than their standard counter-parts with their focus on either Speed or Agility. Finally, Warhammers and Behemoths, huge monstrosities capable of producing the highest Reactor Points in combat have the lowest Safety Ratings. Finally, for void engines in the the Mass 6000 and above group, there is now a fuel cost per encounter with an enemy ship. This includes encounters during travel as well as those made for missions and any type of orbital ops. The fuel cost can be as low as 1 per encounter up to 10 per encounter for the largest, heaviest combat engines like the Behemoth. Chaser class engines, built for combat efficiency, have the lowest encounter costs in each Mass grouping with the 6000 Mass Chaser still having 0 fuel cost per encounter. High speed Traveler engines have the highest fuel cost to when encountering another ship, while Balanced, Dual-Field and Longhaul engines all have average costs within their Mass grouping. This new fuel tax for large engines may require some changes in play and you might want to use a bit more of your large ship component slots to stock up on fuel.
Booster Gear
Update #226 includes a new level 5 specialist gear now for sale from Contacts, the Interlink Wireset which grants a big boost to Wisdom. Check out the Talents your crew and officers are using and see if you might find a Wisdom boost helpful! We've also added 3 more exciting gear that can be found via Salvage, the Ultra Heavy Jack, Isotriphate Injector and Betaphate Drip. Each comes with big Attribute bonus -- Fortitude, Quickness and Fortitude again in order. The Quickness boost is so high on the Injector that it had to come along with a -Initiative debuff to keep the peace!
Some Bug Fixes
We've also fixed a bug with Salvage Bay 5 not actually working when salvaging ships and adjusted the Armored Salvage Bay 5 to display its proper bonus, which is 49%, not 54%. Finally, we fixed a bug that could lead to Zette's storyline spawning multiple copies of the same mission.
Wishlist Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
Pilot a fleet of battle drones, lead a pack of cybernetically enhanced war dogs, mind-meld with a cybercat, charge your nano-blade, get your arms replaced, stalk the night of New Boston as a cybernetic mercenary-beast of 2231. If you like these words, wishlist Cyber Knights: Flashpoint today. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/ You can't tell me you don't want this cyber beagle on your team? [previewyoutube=5DbOJqRLTAo;full][/previewyoutube]
v3.0.97 - 9/7/2020
- Void Engine Rebalance: improved significance of engine safety, rebalanced safety ratings and added encounter fuel cost to larger engines - Void engines at 6000 Mass and higher now have a per-encounter Fuel Cost (travel, landing, orbital ops) - Improved Display of Engine Safety to use the same scale as Quadrant Danger as the two are directly compared - Increased impact of Engine Safety on results of Pilot and Ship Ops failures in dangerous quadrants - New Attribute Boosting Gear for sale in Specialist Gear level 5: Interlink Wireset (+Wisdom) - Added 3 new salvage Relics, Ultra Heavy Jack (+Debuff Res) and Isotriphate Injector (+Quickness), Betaphate Drip - Fixed bug with Salvage Bay 5 not adding bonus while salvaging ships - Fixed incorrect text in Armored Salvage Bay 5, it adds 49% bonus to all salvage operations - Fixed bug with duplicate missions during Zette's storyline
Update #225: Gear Up!
Update #225 offers some new possible paths for your design of combat crew and craft pilots by allowing you to equip a limited number of crew members to equip gear. As your captain increases in level, the number of crew who can equip gear increases as well, all the way to up to 6 high potential individuals. While this does not replace the need or value of using officers for craft pilots and as crew combatants, it increases the viability of exceptional crew members taking on these rolls. Within your crew, look for your best, brightest lights. First, keep them away from airlock duty. Then, equip them with some awesome gear and send them to battle! Starting at level 5, you can equip your first crew member. At 8, 12, 16, 32 and 38 you gain an additional equip point. This means that by level 16, you could field an entire gear-equipped combat team with a single officer or run a sizeable craft fleet with gear-equipped crew pilots only. To help track these chracters, we've added 3 new filters to the crew list -- one for weapons, armor and gear. These filters show only those characters who you have equipped with a unique weapon, armor or gear or those that have had a special equip decision within a weapon locker. So, if you give a character special sniper rifle you bought from a contact or salvaged from a hive, they will show up here. But if you pick a combat character and manually assign that they should use a snubber over the default pick of a rifle, they will also show up here. Anyone using gear will appear in the gear filter, making it easy to find those crew who have joined this new echelon of crew.
The enemy AI that designs the crew to staff a ship has received some exciting updates with #225. As always, enemy crew builder intelligence is modulated by game difficulty, so some of these will not appear -- or appear only rarely -- in easier difficulty games. The first big change starts to open the door for more exciting enemy boarding combat teams. Traditional, the enemy boarding team is a mix of Swordsman, Pistoleers and Soldiers but now the crew builder may decide to include Snipers and/or Combat Medics to mix up these teams. These are especially more likely on military ships that have more than 4 combat crew -- a second boarding team or defensive team deployed. The second change focuses on ship crew specifically, allowing for the enemy crew builder to consider Mechanics, Military Officers, Smugglers and Commanders among the crew ranks. These are only in consideration based on the enemy captain type (Smugglers and Explorer captains can include Smugglers but won't include Military Officers). These new additions cause some changes to the stats of an enemy ship that can be beneficial, but due to their limited number of slots, their impact will be felt mostly through the unique and new Talents they can use on behalf of their captain. Finally, we did further increase the intelligence of high difficulty AI to make smarter decisions about both Pilot and Navigation dice pools and their allocation of Pilot and Navigator Jobs versus other options. Their pool allocation will be a little sleeker, leaving a bit more space for specialists when they can hit the 150% to 200% Skill Pool target comfortably.
The Crimson Defender has long been missing a 12th small slot due to a minor data processing error on our part. We've resolved the issue and a new starting Officer Cabin has materialized from the void, bringing the Defender up to its fully operationally 12 small slot target.
To help clarify the on-going difficulty changes that we are making, we've modified the in-game description of difficulties and custom difficulty to make it clear that as you increase the enemy challenge level, their cleverness increases as well. We've made many changes and improvements to the enemy ship and crew builders over the last year and at times, we've failed to make it clear that these AI improvements require a certain level of intelligence from the difficulty scaler to be used. Certainly, higher difficulty will result in higher statistic enemies, but it is generally because they are making more intelligent decisions about how to setup their crew and ship.
You may already be following us on Facebook and on the @TreseBrothers twitter, but we're now sharing news, sales, gameplay vids, guides & tips from the forums & discord, streams, memes, and more on Star Traders' own twitter account: https://twitter.com/StarTradersGame
Pilot a fleet of battle drones, lead a pack of cybernetically enhanced war dogs, mind-meld with a cybercat, charge your nano-blade, get your arms replaced, stalk the night of New Boston as a cybernetic mercenary-beast of 2231. If you like these words, wishlist Cyber Knights: Flashpoint today. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Limited number of crew members may now equip Gear based on Captain Level (starting at level 5) - Gear-wearing crew are better candidates for joining combat teams or flying craft - At highest level, 6 crew can equip gear (progression, 5/8/12/16/32/38) - Added 3 new crew list filters -- Weapon/Armor/Gear which show any officer or crew with custom equip - Military Enemy AI may add Snipers and Combat Medics to their boarding teams - Depending on their type, enemy AI can seed their crews with Mechanics, Military Officers, Commanders and Smugglers - Enemy AI at higher difficulties better balance their allocation of Pilots and Navigators - Clarified difficulty / custom difficulty description to be clear where AI cleverness is increased - Fixed major balance bug with Crimson Defender, missing 12th Small Slot (Officer Cabin) re-instated! - Fixed inconsistency with display of ransom value in ship ransom with Talents and Traits - Fixed race condition between Duel of Assassins and "Blood for Blood" mission that could cut story short
[ 2020-09-01 18:29:48 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #225 opens new and exciting possibilities for your own crew builds even as it gives more options and variety into the hands of the enemy AI crew builder. We've also improved some of the difficulty descriptions to be clear where difficulty increases are actually increasing the cleverness of the enemy AI builders. Finally, we've made an important fix to the Crimson Defender and closed a story race condition with "Blood for Blood" Faen missions.
Thanks to everyone posting reviews and playing and if you enjoy the constant stream of improvements, be sure to tell a friend and post a review!
Crew Champions, Gear Up!
Update #225 offers some new possible paths for your design of combat crew and craft pilots by allowing you to equip a limited number of crew members to equip gear. As your captain increases in level, the number of crew who can equip gear increases as well, all the way to up to 6 high potential individuals. While this does not replace the need or value of using officers for craft pilots and as crew combatants, it increases the viability of exceptional crew members taking on these rolls. Within your crew, look for your best, brightest lights. First, keep them away from airlock duty. Then, equip them with some awesome gear and send them to battle! Starting at level 5, you can equip your first crew member. At 8, 12, 16, 32 and 38 you gain an additional equip point. This means that by level 16, you could field an entire gear-equipped combat team with a single officer or run a sizeable craft fleet with gear-equipped crew pilots only. To help track these chracters, we've added 3 new filters to the crew list -- one for weapons, armor and gear. These filters show only those characters who you have equipped with a unique weapon, armor or gear or those that have had a special equip decision within a weapon locker. So, if you give a character special sniper rifle you bought from a contact or salvaged from a hive, they will show up here. But if you pick a combat character and manually assign that they should use a snubber over the default pick of a rifle, they will also show up here. Anyone using gear will appear in the gear filter, making it easy to find those crew who have joined this new echelon of crew.
Enemy Crew Builder Variety
The enemy AI that designs the crew to staff a ship has received some exciting updates with #225. As always, enemy crew builder intelligence is modulated by game difficulty, so some of these will not appear -- or appear only rarely -- in easier difficulty games. The first big change starts to open the door for more exciting enemy boarding combat teams. Traditional, the enemy boarding team is a mix of Swordsman, Pistoleers and Soldiers but now the crew builder may decide to include Snipers and/or Combat Medics to mix up these teams. These are especially more likely on military ships that have more than 4 combat crew -- a second boarding team or defensive team deployed. The second change focuses on ship crew specifically, allowing for the enemy crew builder to consider Mechanics, Military Officers, Smugglers and Commanders among the crew ranks. These are only in consideration based on the enemy captain type (Smugglers and Explorer captains can include Smugglers but won't include Military Officers). These new additions cause some changes to the stats of an enemy ship that can be beneficial, but due to their limited number of slots, their impact will be felt mostly through the unique and new Talents they can use on behalf of their captain. Finally, we did further increase the intelligence of high difficulty AI to make smarter decisions about both Pilot and Navigation dice pools and their allocation of Pilot and Navigator Jobs versus other options. Their pool allocation will be a little sleeker, leaving a bit more space for specialists when they can hit the 150% to 200% Skill Pool target comfortably.
Crimson Defender!
The Crimson Defender has long been missing a 12th small slot due to a minor data processing error on our part. We've resolved the issue and a new starting Officer Cabin has materialized from the void, bringing the Defender up to its fully operationally 12 small slot target.
Clarifying Difficulty
To help clarify the on-going difficulty changes that we are making, we've modified the in-game description of difficulties and custom difficulty to make it clear that as you increase the enemy challenge level, their cleverness increases as well. We've made many changes and improvements to the enemy ship and crew builders over the last year and at times, we've failed to make it clear that these AI improvements require a certain level of intelligence from the difficulty scaler to be used. Certainly, higher difficulty will result in higher statistic enemies, but it is generally because they are making more intelligent decisions about how to setup their crew and ship.
@StarTradersGame is out of drydock on twitter!
You may already be following us on Facebook and on the @TreseBrothers twitter, but we're now sharing news, sales, gameplay vids, guides & tips from the forums & discord, streams, memes, and more on Star Traders' own twitter account: https://twitter.com/StarTradersGame
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
Pilot a fleet of battle drones, lead a pack of cybernetically enhanced war dogs, mind-meld with a cybercat, charge your nano-blade, get your arms replaced, stalk the night of New Boston as a cybernetic mercenary-beast of 2231. If you like these words, wishlist Cyber Knights: Flashpoint today. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.95 - 9/1/2020
- Limited number of crew members may now equip Gear based on Captain Level (starting at level 5) - Gear-wearing crew are better candidates for joining combat teams or flying craft - At highest level, 6 crew can equip gear (progression, 5/8/12/16/32/38) - Added 3 new crew list filters -- Weapon/Armor/Gear which show any officer or crew with custom equip - Military Enemy AI may add Snipers and Combat Medics to their boarding teams - Depending on their type, enemy AI can seed their crews with Mechanics, Military Officers, Commanders and Smugglers - Enemy AI at higher difficulties better balance their allocation of Pilots and Navigators - Clarified difficulty / custom difficulty description to be clear where AI cleverness is increased - Fixed major balance bug with Crimson Defender, missing 12th Small Slot (Officer Cabin) re-instated! - Fixed inconsistency with display of ransom value in ship ransom with Talents and Traits - Fixed race condition between Duel of Assassins and "Blood for Blood" mission that could cut story short
Update #224: Deathward
Update #224 introduces 4 new high level pieces of gear that can be found in Salvage and Explorer. While the new Bladeguide Aegis is combat focused, the other three types of gear are big Attribute boosters for Officers using builds that require high Attributes, such as Charisma. These can make gear more appealing to non-combat officers as well as their battling brethren. In addition, we've opened up for the first time the ability for Contact's with the Specialist Gear service to sell level 5 gear. The first piece of gear up for sale is the powerful Bexian Deathward which massively increases Resilience (+10!!) and Bleed Resistance (+25!!) making it an interesting piece to consider in the mix. More level 5 gear will be coming online soon after this first toe-dip.
Thanks to everyone in the community continuing to post feedback on the new component categories and their internal balance. We'll be continuing to improve the balance with the goal of raising more components up to the level where they fit a clear and powerful purpose within builds. With Update #224, we've put a target on ECCM Screen to ensure they have a place within the meta. We've both significantly increased their +Escape bonuses but added important Craft Evasion bonuses that can help ensure they can offer better coverage for ships like Smugglers and Spies who are built to disengage and flee combat. For Reactor Spike Modules, we had to make a price increase to the first level (+$7K) and reduced the fuel stored within that module down to 5. Fine tuning another great component that is now viable for many types of builds. As part of this adjustment, we upgraded the 8000 Mass Broadsword Class to use a RSM 2 instead of an RSM 1.
Hopefully for a while, we've completed the last set of tweaks to category shopping based on all the feedback we're hearing from within the community.
Have you seen -- and wishlisted -- our next upcoming game? Cyberpunk turn-based tactics under the shadows of the crumbling New Boston dome is not something you want to miss. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New Rare Relic Gear: Bladeguide Aegis, Slindo Trade Slate, Perk Balm, Allistar Edgeweave (Attribute Boosters for Talent Officer Builds) - New level 5 Specialist Gear sold by Contacts: Bexian Deathward (Resilience + Bleed Resistance) - Improved +Escape Bonus on ECCM Screen Matrices and added +Craft Evade to all levels - Balanced Reactor Spike Module 1 with minor Fuel reduction, minor price increase - Improved "Type Match" filter in component shopping, if there is only one matching subtype, the subtype is expanded automatically - Fixed alphabetical sorting when viewing ship components categories - Adjusted ship build for Broadsword Class 8000M to use Reactor Spike Module 2 instead of 1 - Fixed duplicate small slot Mass Reducer categories showing up in component shopping - Fixed issues with Faction-filtering making some component categories disappear in component shopping
[ 2020-08-22 21:05:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #224, we're wrapping up a big series of updates focused on ship component shopping, rebalances and starting to move on to the next series of exciting changes and content adds. We've added a set of new relic gear and the first level 5 gear sold by a Contact with more to come as well as we prep for some very exciting rule changes about gear itself.
If you're enjoying the constant, more than weekly updates, please remember to tell a friend and leave a review!
New Relics and Level 5 Specialist Gear
Update #224 introduces 4 new high level pieces of gear that can be found in Salvage and Explorer. While the new Bladeguide Aegis is combat focused, the other three types of gear are big Attribute boosters for Officers using builds that require high Attributes, such as Charisma. These can make gear more appealing to non-combat officers as well as their battling brethren. In addition, we've opened up for the first time the ability for Contact's with the Specialist Gear service to sell level 5 gear. The first piece of gear up for sale is the powerful Bexian Deathward which massively increases Resilience (+10!!) and Bleed Resistance (+25!!) making it an interesting piece to consider in the mix. More level 5 gear will be coming online soon after this first toe-dip.
ECCM Screens and Reactor Spike Balance
Thanks to everyone in the community continuing to post feedback on the new component categories and their internal balance. We'll be continuing to improve the balance with the goal of raising more components up to the level where they fit a clear and powerful purpose within builds. With Update #224, we've put a target on ECCM Screen to ensure they have a place within the meta. We've both significantly increased their +Escape bonuses but added important Craft Evasion bonuses that can help ensure they can offer better coverage for ships like Smugglers and Spies who are built to disengage and flee combat. For Reactor Spike Modules, we had to make a price increase to the first level (+$7K) and reduced the fuel stored within that module down to 5. Fine tuning another great component that is now viable for many types of builds. As part of this adjustment, we upgraded the 8000 Mass Broadsword Class to use a RSM 2 instead of an RSM 1.
Final Category Tweaks
Hopefully for a while, we've completed the last set of tweaks to category shopping based on all the feedback we're hearing from within the community.
- If you use the "Type Match" filter and there is only one category that matches, then this category is automatically expanded to avoid double clicks.
- We fixed both A-Z and Z-A alphabetical sorting when you are browsing categories.
- We fixed the remaining duplicate of small slot Mass Reducers when looking at categories
- We fixed an issue with faction filtering causing some categories to disappear if the first item in the category was faction locked even if others were not
Seen Cyber Knights?
Have you seen -- and wishlisted -- our next upcoming game? Cyberpunk turn-based tactics under the shadows of the crumbling New Boston dome is not something you want to miss. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.93 - 8/22/2020
- New Rare Relic Gear: Bladeguide Aegis, Slindo Trade Slate, Perk Balm, Allistar Edgeweave (Attribute Boosters for Talent Officer Builds) - New level 5 Specialist Gear sold by Contacts: Bexian Deathward (Resilience + Bleed Resistance) - Improved +Escape Bonus on ECCM Screen Matrices and added +Craft Evade to all levels - Balanced Reactor Spike Module 1 with minor Fuel reduction, minor price increase - Improved "Type Match" filter in component shopping, if there is only one matching subtype, the subtype is expanded automatically - Fixed alphabetical sorting when viewing ship components categories - Adjusted ship build for Broadsword Class 8000M to use Reactor Spike Module 2 instead of 1 - Fixed duplicate small slot Mass Reducer categories showing up in component shopping - Fixed issues with Faction-filtering making some component categories disappear in component shopping
Update #223: Precision Matrices
In case you ran into any of these issues, here is the full list of what was fixed in Update #223 for ship component shopping:
One of our follow-on tasks to this major shopping upgrade will be to ensure there are enough good options behind every category. In some cases, this means adding more components and in other cases it will mean rebalancing the bonuses. For Water-Fuel Reclamation systems, we've now added a grade 3 component which increases the Fuel storage, further reduces Jump Cost and provides even nicer Electronics bonus.
With Update #223, we've delivered on the promised addition value for Reactor Spike Modules -- that is the bonuses to both Range Change and Escape. While these are small, they can add up with other components or with stacked RSMs quickly.
We've made two small adjustments to fine-tune the balance of defensive ship modules with this update. The highest level Pulse Boosters came out of the gate a little strong with +4% Defense and +40 Res to its targeted special damage type. To keep things competitive with other defensive options and as there will be higher levels of the Pulse Booster released under a faction flag in the future, we've trimmed this down to +3% Defense. Finally, the Defense Pattern Matrix has long held on to a +1 Initiative bonus at DPM 4. While this is a minor bonus, when stacked this grants the DPM very powerful sway of Initiative in who fires first in ship combat. This uncharacteristic bonus on a defensive module has finally been removed.
- Added missing +Range Change and +Escape bonuses to Reactor Spike Modules - Added new Javat-only component Water-Fuel Reclamation 3, minor price bump to WFR 2 - Removed +Initiative bonus from Defense Pattern Matrix 4 - Reduced max Defense % on Pulse Boosters level 3 to 3% - Fixed issues with certain categories (barracks, gravcannons) not showing in certain component sizes (large) - Fixed duplicate Pulse Booster and Fuel Tank categories in small slot - Fixed issues with wrong damage icon showing for some weapon types causing Radiation or Void - Further fine-tuned sorting of components with shopping lists
[ 2020-08-18 14:54:50 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #223 starts to work on filling out the component count and stat bonuses for some of the under-developed categories for ship components, as well as fixing all of the reported issues with the new category system within shopping for ship components.
Thanks to everyone posting feedback and reviews!
Shop by Category Fixes
In case you ran into any of these issues, here is the full list of what was fixed in Update #223 for ship component shopping:
- Some components, such as small Fuel Tanks and Pulse Boosters, appeared twice on the category list
- Some components, such as large Gravcannons and large Barracks, did not appear on the list at all. Across the set of 58 categories and 3 sizes, there were 15 misses in total. All are now resolved.
- Some ship weapons were showing the wrong icon for their type of special damage -- showing Ship Ops icon and stating "Causes Radiation". Sounds like an airlock issue to me.
Water-Fuel Reclamation 3
One of our follow-on tasks to this major shopping upgrade will be to ensure there are enough good options behind every category. In some cases, this means adding more components and in other cases it will mean rebalancing the bonuses. For Water-Fuel Reclamation systems, we've now added a grade 3 component which increases the Fuel storage, further reduces Jump Cost and provides even nicer Electronics bonus.
Reactors Spike Modules
With Update #223, we've delivered on the promised addition value for Reactor Spike Modules -- that is the bonuses to both Range Change and Escape. While these are small, they can add up with other components or with stacked RSMs quickly.
Defensive Tweaks
We've made two small adjustments to fine-tune the balance of defensive ship modules with this update. The highest level Pulse Boosters came out of the gate a little strong with +4% Defense and +40 Res to its targeted special damage type. To keep things competitive with other defensive options and as there will be higher levels of the Pulse Booster released under a faction flag in the future, we've trimmed this down to +3% Defense. Finally, the Defense Pattern Matrix has long held on to a +1 Initiative bonus at DPM 4. While this is a minor bonus, when stacked this grants the DPM very powerful sway of Initiative in who fires first in ship combat. This uncharacteristic bonus on a defensive module has finally been removed.
v3.0.91 - 8/17/2020
- Added missing +Range Change and +Escape bonuses to Reactor Spike Modules - Added new Javat-only component Water-Fuel Reclamation 3, minor price bump to WFR 2 - Removed +Initiative bonus from Defense Pattern Matrix 4 - Reduced max Defense % on Pulse Boosters level 3 to 3% - Fixed issues with certain categories (barracks, gravcannons) not showing in certain component sizes (large) - Fixed duplicate Pulse Booster and Fuel Tank categories in small slot - Fixed issues with wrong damage icon showing for some weapon types causing Radiation or Void - Further fine-tuned sorting of components with shopping lists
Update #222: Void Searcher
The major ship component shopping upgrade in #222 allows you to quickly browse categories of ship components before drilling down into their specific progression. As you browse the categories offered, you can see a useful summary of what the component type has to offer, what Skills it will boost in your ship and for weapons what Reactor Point range it fires in, how it stacks up against small craft and what types of special damage (Void, Radiation) it causes. This boils the 586 components in the game down to 58 categories and makes searching faster and more efficient. It will also help many players who may have previously overlooked a component type to see the value and goal of the component type and how it might fit into a ship build. Once you drill into a category, you'll see only the components in its progress and be able to consider what you can afford. If you've finished browsing a category, use the ALL button to hop up to the main list. Category browsing works with all the other filter types, so you can quickly narrow your categories to Weapons or Weapons that fire at range 4 and still see the summaries. Of course, if you're just bonkers about the old way of shopping the entire list, you can click the "Expand All" filter to jump back to the old setup. In addition to adding this new browsing feature, we've increased the consistency of sorting across the board between the different sort types.
With Update #222 we've added 4 new components to extend the Radi-Pulse and Void-Pulse Boosters beyond a single component to a full progression. You can now invest in Radi-Pulse and Void-Pulse Boosters 1 to 3. The first grade of these have had their bonuses to void and radiation increased and the 2nd and 3rd grade have more powerful Radiation and Void resistances as well as +Defense % bonuses. These new levels help push alternative options to other defensive components and open up new build paths for ships of all sizes.
We've expanded the use case for Reactor Spike Modules which are still excellent smaller sources of additional fuel but these high-pressure fuel injection system increases both your Range Change bonus as well as your Escape bonus. In trade for their new bonuses which help them be more relevant in the mid to end game component design, RSM 2 thru 4 have gained in price. To better even out the component set, we've increased the prices of Defense Pattern Matrixes 2-4 as well.
We've added two new positive cards to Explorer mini-game which can help a crew keep going a bit longer in the wildlands. The first card -- an extreme Experience bonus -- is rare but can help increase the XP efficiency of an exploration crew that is working on zones with high reward percentages. The second card is also very rare -- the discovery of a Zendu ruin -- and restores the Morale of the entire crew as well as possibly causing a positive Trait mutations.
With Update #222, we're dusting off the Jyeeta BROOD era and making some improvements base on player feedback. We're prepping for some bigger changes and the first tweak here is the better improve the era's timer's reactivity. You will now consistently extend the era's timeline as you are battle the Jyeeta, the extensions were previously limited to doing missions but now you can gain through any victorious encounter with the Jyeeta (ship or ground).
We're cooking up a mighty mix of turn-base tactics, cyberpunk and grimy, gritty, nano-radioative story from New Boston 2231 in our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Check it out and wishlist today -- https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/ In addition to CK's Facebook page and the @TreseBrothers twitter, we now have a twitter account you can plug into to keep updated *and* get your regular cyberpunk fix. Sharing concept art, gameplay previews, news & interviews, highlights from the forums & discord, shout-outs to other awesome cyberpunk creators, and more. Follow us here: https://twitter.com/CyberKnightsRPG
- New "Extra Large Experience" Explorer Card - New "Full Morale Recovery" Explorer Card - Major upgrade to ship component shopping - browse categories first and then drill down to specific components - Read quick summaries of 58 component types to find what you need - Use "Expand All" filter within ship component shopping to access the old setup - Improved consistency of sorting in all cases for ship component shopping - Added 4 new components, Radi-Pulse and Void-Pulse Boosters 2 and 3, opens up new defensive build paths - Improved Radi-Pulse and Void-Pulse Boosters rank 1 with more void/radiation resistance - Improved Reactor Spike Modules to add +Move and +Escape bonuses, reduced to 100 Mass, increased prices significantly - Increased prices of Defense Pattern Matrix 2-4 - Improved reactivity of Jyeeta Brood Era timer to your actions -- better extending timeline as you keep fighting - Fixed issues clicking through the filter UI on some screens - Fixed combat keyboard selection issue with Talents like Steadfast Aim not being able to target first slot
[ 2020-08-15 00:42:01 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #222 arrives with a major upgrade to ship component shopping that matches the new ship preview capability of Update #220 in size and scope. Finding and considering components to install on your ship has never been easier or faster with the new browse by category feature. With this update, we've also added 4 Pulse Booster components and improved the entire Reactor Spike Module set to round out the new set of 54 categories. Plus, new Explorer cards, better timing rules for the Jyeeta Era and some critical bug fixes!
If you like the pace of updates, new content and new features be sure to leave a review!
Browse by Component Type
The major ship component shopping upgrade in #222 allows you to quickly browse categories of ship components before drilling down into their specific progression. As you browse the categories offered, you can see a useful summary of what the component type has to offer, what Skills it will boost in your ship and for weapons what Reactor Point range it fires in, how it stacks up against small craft and what types of special damage (Void, Radiation) it causes. This boils the 586 components in the game down to 58 categories and makes searching faster and more efficient. It will also help many players who may have previously overlooked a component type to see the value and goal of the component type and how it might fit into a ship build. Once you drill into a category, you'll see only the components in its progress and be able to consider what you can afford. If you've finished browsing a category, use the ALL button to hop up to the main list. Category browsing works with all the other filter types, so you can quickly narrow your categories to Weapons or Weapons that fire at range 4 and still see the summaries. Of course, if you're just bonkers about the old way of shopping the entire list, you can click the "Expand All" filter to jump back to the old setup. In addition to adding this new browsing feature, we've increased the consistency of sorting across the board between the different sort types.
New Pulse Boosters
With Update #222 we've added 4 new components to extend the Radi-Pulse and Void-Pulse Boosters beyond a single component to a full progression. You can now invest in Radi-Pulse and Void-Pulse Boosters 1 to 3. The first grade of these have had their bonuses to void and radiation increased and the 2nd and 3rd grade have more powerful Radiation and Void resistances as well as +Defense % bonuses. These new levels help push alternative options to other defensive components and open up new build paths for ships of all sizes.
Reactor Spikes and Defense Patterns
We've expanded the use case for Reactor Spike Modules which are still excellent smaller sources of additional fuel but these high-pressure fuel injection system increases both your Range Change bonus as well as your Escape bonus. In trade for their new bonuses which help them be more relevant in the mid to end game component design, RSM 2 thru 4 have gained in price. To better even out the component set, we've increased the prices of Defense Pattern Matrixes 2-4 as well.
New Cards
We've added two new positive cards to Explorer mini-game which can help a crew keep going a bit longer in the wildlands. The first card -- an extreme Experience bonus -- is rare but can help increase the XP efficiency of an exploration crew that is working on zones with high reward percentages. The second card is also very rare -- the discovery of a Zendu ruin -- and restores the Morale of the entire crew as well as possibly causing a positive Trait mutations.
BROOD Timing
With Update #222, we're dusting off the Jyeeta BROOD era and making some improvements base on player feedback. We're prepping for some bigger changes and the first tweak here is the better improve the era's timer's reactivity. You will now consistently extend the era's timeline as you are battle the Jyeeta, the extensions were previously limited to doing missions but now you can gain through any victorious encounter with the Jyeeta (ship or ground).
Wishlist that your cyberpunk fix
We're cooking up a mighty mix of turn-base tactics, cyberpunk and grimy, gritty, nano-radioative story from New Boston 2231 in our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Check it out and wishlist today -- https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/ In addition to CK's Facebook page and the @TreseBrothers twitter, we now have a twitter account you can plug into to keep updated *and* get your regular cyberpunk fix. Sharing concept art, gameplay previews, news & interviews, highlights from the forums & discord, shout-outs to other awesome cyberpunk creators, and more. Follow us here: https://twitter.com/CyberKnightsRPG
v3.0.89 - 8/14/2020
- New "Extra Large Experience" Explorer Card - New "Full Morale Recovery" Explorer Card - Major upgrade to ship component shopping - browse categories first and then drill down to specific components - Read quick summaries of 58 component types to find what you need - Use "Expand All" filter within ship component shopping to access the old setup - Improved consistency of sorting in all cases for ship component shopping - Added 4 new components, Radi-Pulse and Void-Pulse Boosters 2 and 3, opens up new defensive build paths - Improved Radi-Pulse and Void-Pulse Boosters rank 1 with more void/radiation resistance - Improved Reactor Spike Modules to add +Move and +Escape bonuses, reduced to 100 Mass, increased prices significantly - Increased prices of Defense Pattern Matrix 2-4 - Improved reactivity of Jyeeta Brood Era timer to your actions -- better extending timeline as you keep fighting - Fixed issues clicking through the filter UI on some screens - Fixed combat keyboard selection issue with Talents like Steadfast Aim not being able to target first slot
Update #221: Spirit of Cadyona
Starting on any Cadar world in the mid-game, the latest story vignette begins with an introduction to the Exodus Research, Jon Kaytyn. As with all the vignettes, we don't want to spoil any of the exciting story, but we do share this starting point so that everyone knows what to keep an eye out for. Join with Jon Kaytyn and you'll get tangled up in a tale far older than the Exodus which reveals new lore about the Guild War, Exodus and old grudges between the factions. Depending on how the story plays out and which ending you get, multiple story ship components can be unlocked, including some very powerful offensive components and a truly unique large slot weapon. As always a huge thanks to the Kickstarter backers who helped us create this awesome content, we can't wait for everyone to see the Star Traders history from a new angle. One thing we were extremely pleased to see during testing, is that the conditions of the new vignette are very likely to get a legendary bounty hunter sent after you. Of course, that's up to the proc-gen simulation system, but the last 3 times we tested the ending of the story, a different legendary was on our case within a few years! So, make your choices wisely!
The Smuggler's Hideout Talent has now joined the Talent manifest under the Ship Encounter's grouping. In the request to add this one, we've received a few more great suggestions on how to improve the Talent Manifest and will continue to make minor adjustments and adds to it as requested by the community. Stay tuned for a few more changes here soon!
We've updated the travel test matrix slightly to move two social test types -- Tactics and Intimidate -- out of costing extra fuel. They may still burn more turns, damage Morale and possibly even health, but unlike all of the ship tests, they do not cost additional Fuel any longer.
Coming out of #220, there were a few lingering things to fix. One issue related to certain situations in which the cards for Patrol, Blockade and Spy could be rerolled if the right Conflict was in place. This is now fixed. Another issue cropped up around reviewing recruits, a certain click pattern that could lead to issues with repeating recruiting. Finally, many of the Stealth Talents stopped displaying that they engaged Stealth Mode (while they still did) we we have fixed now.
For 10 years, we've honed our craft creating turn-based tactics and simulation games, and we are extremely excited to be coming back around to the world and story of our second game, Cyber Knights. Our next title is Cyber Knights: Flashpoint and its waiting for your Wishlist on Steam. Get hype! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Added new story vignette "Spirit of Cadyona" starting on Cadar worlds with Jon Kaytyn -- thanks KickStarter backers! - Get tangled up in galaxy-wide hunt for a lost legendary Exodus era battlecruiser - Multiple possible unique story Ship Components unlocked by story -- top tier new offensive small slots, large slot level 8 torpedo array!! - Story includes new high powered Contact type, so called "Exodus Researcher" - Added Talents reducing hostility with spies to Talent Manifest under Ship Encounters group - Added "Hideout" Smuggler Talent to Talent Manifest under Ship Encounters group - Fixed bug allowing re-roll of some orbital card games for some captains - Fixed repeat issue recruiting from Contacts while reviewing stats - Fixed issue with Talents like "Gliding Advance" not stating that they enable Stealth Mode - Improved message for saved slots on high difficulty when loading games - Failed Intimidate/Tactics saves during travel no longer incurs extra Fuel cost - Fixed 2 inaccurate ship buff names in hovers (Wild Flying, Bandit)
[ 2020-08-09 20:55:40 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #221 follows up on the Groundshaker #220 with a big release of new story content, new story components and contact types, an upgrade to the Talent manifest, changes to fuel consumption on social tests during travel and a number of additional fixes and small improvements requested by the community.
Spirit of Cadyona
Starting on any Cadar world in the mid-game, the latest story vignette begins with an introduction to the Exodus Research, Jon Kaytyn. As with all the vignettes, we don't want to spoil any of the exciting story, but we do share this starting point so that everyone knows what to keep an eye out for. Join with Jon Kaytyn and you'll get tangled up in a tale far older than the Exodus which reveals new lore about the Guild War, Exodus and old grudges between the factions. Depending on how the story plays out and which ending you get, multiple story ship components can be unlocked, including some very powerful offensive components and a truly unique large slot weapon. As always a huge thanks to the Kickstarter backers who helped us create this awesome content, we can't wait for everyone to see the Star Traders history from a new angle. One thing we were extremely pleased to see during testing, is that the conditions of the new vignette are very likely to get a legendary bounty hunter sent after you. Of course, that's up to the proc-gen simulation system, but the last 3 times we tested the ending of the story, a different legendary was on our case within a few years! So, make your choices wisely!
Hideout Joins Talent Manifest
The Smuggler's Hideout Talent has now joined the Talent manifest under the Ship Encounter's grouping. In the request to add this one, we've received a few more great suggestions on how to improve the Talent Manifest and will continue to make minor adjustments and adds to it as requested by the community. Stay tuned for a few more changes here soon!
Tactics and Intimidate Travel Tests
We've updated the travel test matrix slightly to move two social test types -- Tactics and Intimidate -- out of costing extra fuel. They may still burn more turns, damage Morale and possibly even health, but unlike all of the ship tests, they do not cost additional Fuel any longer.
Bugs and QoL
Coming out of #220, there were a few lingering things to fix. One issue related to certain situations in which the cards for Patrol, Blockade and Spy could be rerolled if the right Conflict was in place. This is now fixed. Another issue cropped up around reviewing recruits, a certain click pattern that could lead to issues with repeating recruiting. Finally, many of the Stealth Talents stopped displaying that they engaged Stealth Mode (while they still did) we we have fixed now.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
For 10 years, we've honed our craft creating turn-based tactics and simulation games, and we are extremely excited to be coming back around to the world and story of our second game, Cyber Knights. Our next title is Cyber Knights: Flashpoint and its waiting for your Wishlist on Steam. Get hype! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.87 - 8/9/2020
- Added new story vignette "Spirit of Cadyona" starting on Cadar worlds with Jon Kaytyn -- thanks KickStarter backers! - Get tangled up in galaxy-wide hunt for a lost legendary Exodus era battlecruiser - Multiple possible unique story Ship Components unlocked by story -- top tier new offensive small slots, large slot level 8 torpedo array!! - Story includes new high powered Contact type, so called "Exodus Researcher" - Added Talents reducing hostility with spies to Talent Manifest under Ship Encounters group - Added "Hideout" Smuggler Talent to Talent Manifest under Ship Encounters group - Fixed bug allowing re-roll of some orbital card games for some captains - Fixed repeat issue recruiting from Contacts while reviewing stats - Fixed issue with Talents like "Gliding Advance" not stating that they enable Stealth Mode - Improved message for saved slots on high difficulty when loading games - Failed Intimidate/Tactics saves during travel no longer incurs extra Fuel cost - Fixed 2 inaccurate ship buff names in hovers (Wild Flying, Bandit)
Update #220: Groundshaker
With Update #220, you can now play crew combat entirely with the keyboard. With hotkeys to pick a Talent and new hotkeys to select your enemy or friendly target, you can whir through battles as never before. The default hotkeys are Z, X, C, and V and are laid out so that they overlap the friendly and enemy slots. Therefore, Z is the 4th slot of your own crew but the 1st slot of the enemy crew. As with any high speed option, you'll need to be sure not to enter a trance mode and get your crew killed :D But, combined with the recently added high speed combat option and toggle, crew combats have never been smoother.
Update #220 delivers on the top request from all quadrants about the ship buying experience -- the ability to fully preview the ship and all of its default components as if you were flying it *before* you purchase! This full preview power enables you to check on absolutely any detail of interest -- would my crew fit, what size bridge is installed, how many mass reducers are in use, what would my skill pools look like, do I like the color? In short, it prevents dedicated shoppers from having to drop off and look at the wiki before making a ship decision.
We've also modified the display during ship purchase to separate the ship hull's intrinsic base values for Armor, Shield and Fuel from its summed values that take the component build into account. With these base values exposed, you can now be sure what you're getting out of your new hull specifically.
Three new Scout Bridge 5 options have arrived with Update #220, each from a separate faction and each with their own custom-built purpose. The Rychart Scout-Stealth Bridge 5 is the first cloaking bridge to arrive on the scene, reducing enemy encounters by 10% and bumping defense against craft. The Alta-Mesa Scout-Skirmisher Bridge 5 is perfect for combat-ready small ships and also bumps defense against craft. Finally, the Zenrin Scout-Hauler Bridge 5 is for captains looking to extend their options in other components slots and provides the value of reducing Mass and Jump Cost.
All ship's in the 7000, 8000 and 9000 Mass classes have had their prices increased with the levy of a new "component tax". Base on their Mass and component slot setup, these high value hulls have all seen a bump in price. Jumping into a Sword Battlecruiser or Cauleta Titan is going to be a bit more difficult as they are now both priced over $2,000,000 credits for the default setup and most of the rest of the 7000+ Mass hulls are hitting above the $1,000,000 mark.
In addition to this re-price, we've adjusted the component build out of the 9000 Mass Cauleta Titan to make it more of a competitive option against the Sword Battlecruiser. By gaining +1 Medium slot, it becomes a much more viable option for certain types of builds that are looking for variety of pure combat versatility of 14 Small slots of the Sword Battlecruiser. In the repricing, we've also pulled the expensive and end-game Behemoth Engines off of all 3400 Mass ships to ensure their default patterns are still viable for purchase.
The Behemoth Void Engines are even more worthy of their names now with some updates that increase some of their Speed values, increase Safety Rating across the pack and hit an all new high of 11 Reactor Points for the Mass 8000 and Mass 9000 engines. In addition, their prices have been trimmed slightly, from 10% to 20% across the board. We have also retuned Dual Field Engines a bit for the M2400 and M3400 variations, further trimming Mass off of these critically useful Void Engine variations. Finally, we've improved Interlocking Sensor Matrix 2 through 4 with more Damage and more Critical bonuses. Going aggressive? Check out these powerful Matrix components and slot them today.
The rules for all of the card game expiration dates have been improved with card hands dealt now usually expiring anytime between 1 to 2 years after they were drawn. While this extended timeline will most often force you off the dime if you can't overcome a risk in the hands, it does mean that triple-Xeno draw you got in 214 AE won't be sitting there smiling at your in 220 AE.
A long-time OP ability of Mechanics arriving in boarding combat or boarding from range 1, Thrown Wrench has had a 3rd of its power knocked off. The mighty -3 Reactor Point debuff has been knocked down to a -2 Reactor Point debuff. The core value of the Talent is still the same -- and still extremely powerful and unique -- but it will take a little more work for your mechanics to slip onto the enemy ship and *completely* disable their capabilities.
For 10 years, we've honed our craft creating turn-based tactics and simulation games, and we are extremely excited to be coming back around to the world and story of our second game, Cyber Knights. Our next title is Cyber Knights: Flashpoint and its waiting for your Wishlist on Steam. Get hype! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
As we mentioned at the top, this one was huge. There is more to check out in the change notes below that covers all the bugs we fixed as well.
- Added new hotkeys for crew combat targeting, now play crew combat only with keyboard (default Z, X, C, V to target friend/enemy crew) - Now preview all stock installed components on a new ship before purchase with "Preview" button - New Ship screen includes base ship scores for Fuel, Armor, Shield as well as final scores with components calculated - Added 3 new Scout Bridge 5 variations: Scout-Stealth 5 (Rychart only, reduces ship encounters), Scout-Skirmish 5 (Alta Mesa Only, most battle ready!), Scout-Hauler 5 (Zenrin only, mass reducer) - Applied "component tax" to ship hulls over 7000 Mass, increasing price from +10% to +50% - Sword Battle Cruiser and Cauleta Titan now cost over $2m to lift off the starport in their default configuration - Upgraded Cauleta Titan to gain +1 Medium Slot bring it to 12 Small, 13 Medium, 6 Large - Increased the Mass Reducing power of Dual Field Engines for M2400 (-40 Mass) and M3600 (-100 Mass) - 10-20% Behemoth Engine price reduction, improved stats -- better Engine Speed, higher safety ratings, and M8K and M9K variations now boast 11 RP - Rim Exocruiser and Wolf Vector M3400 ships are sold with Warhammer Engines, priced in the half million range - Improved Interlocking Sensor Matrix 2-4 (more Damage, more Critical) - New game template contact list now includes mission type (Diplomatic Missions, Espionage Missions, etc) - Improved rule and timers for expiration of all card game hands, ranging from 40 weeks to 2 years depending on zone - Reduced "Thrown Wrench" Boarding Talent's -3 Reactor Points to -2, increased damage to components/turn by +10 - Fixed issue where Talents learning Traits when paying the crew were not firing as often as they should - Fixed issue in galactic map opening multiple quadrant dialogs - Fixed ship combat scaling with ultrawide monitors (5120x1440) - Fixed 2 Buried Demons Era story missions that started "Overdue" - Fixed occasional mismatch with Patrol "Bounty Hunters" card driven by Conflict mismatches - Fixed issue with Wolfheart Gene gear showing Stealth sometimes - Fixed swapped label in Star Atlas when using multi-jump filter - Fixed some issues where HUD warnings would not updated after paying / spicing crew raised low Morale
[ 2020-08-03 17:07:41 CET ] [ Original post ]
Every now and again, an absolutely massive update comes off the assembly line. A certain alignment of timing of features coming out of testing, balance updates and community feedback converge and you get ... Update #220. This one is big with a ton of exciting changes -- from new hotkeys to play combat exclusively with the keyboard, to previewing ship's component build before you buy, to new Scout Bridge 5 options, repriced ships, better Behemoth Engines, upgraded Cauleta Titan and just more, more, more.
If you enjoy the pace of updates, the constant improvements and our dedication to our games, please leave a review and tell a friend!
Combat Keyboard Exclusive
With Update #220, you can now play crew combat entirely with the keyboard. With hotkeys to pick a Talent and new hotkeys to select your enemy or friendly target, you can whir through battles as never before. The default hotkeys are Z, X, C, and V and are laid out so that they overlap the friendly and enemy slots. Therefore, Z is the 4th slot of your own crew but the 1st slot of the enemy crew. As with any high speed option, you'll need to be sure not to enter a trance mode and get your crew killed :D But, combined with the recently added high speed combat option and toggle, crew combats have never been smoother.
New Ship: Previews and Bases
Update #220 delivers on the top request from all quadrants about the ship buying experience -- the ability to fully preview the ship and all of its default components as if you were flying it *before* you purchase! This full preview power enables you to check on absolutely any detail of interest -- would my crew fit, what size bridge is installed, how many mass reducers are in use, what would my skill pools look like, do I like the color? In short, it prevents dedicated shoppers from having to drop off and look at the wiki before making a ship decision.
We've also modified the display during ship purchase to separate the ship hull's intrinsic base values for Armor, Shield and Fuel from its summed values that take the component build into account. With these base values exposed, you can now be sure what you're getting out of your new hull specifically.
Scout Bridge 5's
Three new Scout Bridge 5 options have arrived with Update #220, each from a separate faction and each with their own custom-built purpose. The Rychart Scout-Stealth Bridge 5 is the first cloaking bridge to arrive on the scene, reducing enemy encounters by 10% and bumping defense against craft. The Alta-Mesa Scout-Skirmisher Bridge 5 is perfect for combat-ready small ships and also bumps defense against craft. Finally, the Zenrin Scout-Hauler Bridge 5 is for captains looking to extend their options in other components slots and provides the value of reducing Mass and Jump Cost.
Ship Reprice
All ship's in the 7000, 8000 and 9000 Mass classes have had their prices increased with the levy of a new "component tax". Base on their Mass and component slot setup, these high value hulls have all seen a bump in price. Jumping into a Sword Battlecruiser or Cauleta Titan is going to be a bit more difficult as they are now both priced over $2,000,000 credits for the default setup and most of the rest of the 7000+ Mass hulls are hitting above the $1,000,000 mark.
In addition to this re-price, we've adjusted the component build out of the 9000 Mass Cauleta Titan to make it more of a competitive option against the Sword Battlecruiser. By gaining +1 Medium slot, it becomes a much more viable option for certain types of builds that are looking for variety of pure combat versatility of 14 Small slots of the Sword Battlecruiser. In the repricing, we've also pulled the expensive and end-game Behemoth Engines off of all 3400 Mass ships to ensure their default patterns are still viable for purchase.
Component Upgrades
The Behemoth Void Engines are even more worthy of their names now with some updates that increase some of their Speed values, increase Safety Rating across the pack and hit an all new high of 11 Reactor Points for the Mass 8000 and Mass 9000 engines. In addition, their prices have been trimmed slightly, from 10% to 20% across the board. We have also retuned Dual Field Engines a bit for the M2400 and M3400 variations, further trimming Mass off of these critically useful Void Engine variations. Finally, we've improved Interlocking Sensor Matrix 2 through 4 with more Damage and more Critical bonuses. Going aggressive? Check out these powerful Matrix components and slot them today.
Card Game Expirations
The rules for all of the card game expiration dates have been improved with card hands dealt now usually expiring anytime between 1 to 2 years after they were drawn. While this extended timeline will most often force you off the dime if you can't overcome a risk in the hands, it does mean that triple-Xeno draw you got in 214 AE won't be sitting there smiling at your in 220 AE.
Thrown Wrench
A long-time OP ability of Mechanics arriving in boarding combat or boarding from range 1, Thrown Wrench has had a 3rd of its power knocked off. The mighty -3 Reactor Point debuff has been knocked down to a -2 Reactor Point debuff. The core value of the Talent is still the same -- and still extremely powerful and unique -- but it will take a little more work for your mechanics to slip onto the enemy ship and *completely* disable their capabilities.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
For 10 years, we've honed our craft creating turn-based tactics and simulation games, and we are extremely excited to be coming back around to the world and story of our second game, Cyber Knights. Our next title is Cyber Knights: Flashpoint and its waiting for your Wishlist on Steam. Get hype! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
And More!
As we mentioned at the top, this one was huge. There is more to check out in the change notes below that covers all the bugs we fixed as well.
v3.0.83 - 8/3/2020
- Added new hotkeys for crew combat targeting, now play crew combat only with keyboard (default Z, X, C, V to target friend/enemy crew) - Now preview all stock installed components on a new ship before purchase with "Preview" button - New Ship screen includes base ship scores for Fuel, Armor, Shield as well as final scores with components calculated - Added 3 new Scout Bridge 5 variations: Scout-Stealth 5 (Rychart only, reduces ship encounters), Scout-Skirmish 5 (Alta Mesa Only, most battle ready!), Scout-Hauler 5 (Zenrin only, mass reducer) - Applied "component tax" to ship hulls over 7000 Mass, increasing price from +10% to +50% - Sword Battle Cruiser and Cauleta Titan now cost over $2m to lift off the starport in their default configuration - Upgraded Cauleta Titan to gain +1 Medium Slot bring it to 12 Small, 13 Medium, 6 Large - Increased the Mass Reducing power of Dual Field Engines for M2400 (-40 Mass) and M3600 (-100 Mass) - 10-20% Behemoth Engine price reduction, improved stats -- better Engine Speed, higher safety ratings, and M8K and M9K variations now boast 11 RP - Rim Exocruiser and Wolf Vector M3400 ships are sold with Warhammer Engines, priced in the half million range - Improved Interlocking Sensor Matrix 2-4 (more Damage, more Critical) - New game template contact list now includes mission type (Diplomatic Missions, Espionage Missions, etc) - Improved rule and timers for expiration of all card game hands, ranging from 40 weeks to 2 years depending on zone - Reduced "Thrown Wrench" Boarding Talent's -3 Reactor Points to -2, increased damage to components/turn by +10 - Fixed issue where Talents learning Traits when paying the crew were not firing as often as they should - Fixed issue in galactic map opening multiple quadrant dialogs - Fixed ship combat scaling with ultrawide monitors (5120x1440) - Fixed 2 Buried Demons Era story missions that started "Overdue" - Fixed occasional mismatch with Patrol "Bounty Hunters" card driven by Conflict mismatches - Fixed issue with Wolfheart Gene gear showing Stealth sometimes - Fixed swapped label in Star Atlas when using multi-jump filter - Fixed some issues where HUD warnings would not updated after paying / spicing crew raised low Morale
Update #219: Ship Buyer's Midpack
The Armored Salvage Bay 5 trades some of its cargo and fuel in exchange for a hefty armor package while still providing the powerful utility expected at that component level. Sold exclusively at Thulun starports, its up for sale now for a pretty price. We've also made some tweaks to the Salvage Bay 5 component, increasing its Ship Ops skill as well as its cargo capacity by +5.
Perhaps the mostly rapid fire feedback we got about the new ship screen was the swap to sort to the largest ships first by Mass. We've swapped it back to the way it was, starting with small Mass ships and down to the big hulls. We've also split out the Mass sorting so that you can sort Mass from high to low or low to high.
When you're shopping for a ship, if you're looking for a hull that will fit your current crew and officers you can now use the easy Exact Crew Match filter which only shows ships that match your exact maximums. If you're looking to upgrade without changing crew sizes up or down, this filter will be a big help.
To help narrow in on certain bands of ships, you can now filter on Mass class. The filter works with an "AND" mentality, so you can select Mass 5000 and Mass 6000 ships and see both sets. Then filter by Exact Crew Match, and sort by price and you've got a pretty nice looking shopping list to eval!
To address some of the other most hotly requested features, we are working on:
- New Component: Armored Salvage Bay 5, less cargo and fuel by +5 armor, Thulun-only - Minor improvements to Salvage Bay 5, +1 Ship Ops, +5 Cargo - Added new ship filter: Exact Crew Match, only shows ships that have the exact max crew/officers as current ship - Added new ship filters: by mass class, filter to show ships in 3400 Mass and 5000 Mass, etc - Improved sort by Mass feature to sort either direction low/high
[ 2020-07-23 17:26:14 CET ] [ Original post ]
The requests for new filters and features on the Ship Buyer's screens have come in fast and furious since we debuted Update #218 earlier this week and we're excited to roll out the first set of community-driven enhancements as of today. We've got more coming, some of which we are sharing below! We've also followed up the rank 5 Salvage Bay with an Armored variation for those who know that orbital salvage is a risky business and asks for ship to ship combat.
Armored Salvage Bay
The Armored Salvage Bay 5 trades some of its cargo and fuel in exchange for a hefty armor package while still providing the powerful utility expected at that component level. Sold exclusively at Thulun starports, its up for sale now for a pretty price. We've also made some tweaks to the Salvage Bay 5 component, increasing its Ship Ops skill as well as its cargo capacity by +5.
Mass & Default Sorting
Perhaps the mostly rapid fire feedback we got about the new ship screen was the swap to sort to the largest ships first by Mass. We've swapped it back to the way it was, starting with small Mass ships and down to the big hulls. We've also split out the Mass sorting so that you can sort Mass from high to low or low to high.
Shopping for a Match
When you're shopping for a ship, if you're looking for a hull that will fit your current crew and officers you can now use the easy Exact Crew Match filter which only shows ships that match your exact maximums. If you're looking to upgrade without changing crew sizes up or down, this filter will be a big help.
Mass Class Filter
To help narrow in on certain bands of ships, you can now filter on Mass class. The filter works with an "AND" mentality, so you can select Mass 5000 and Mass 6000 ships and see both sets. Then filter by Exact Crew Match, and sort by price and you've got a pretty nice looking shopping list to eval!
Additional Features Coming
To address some of the other most hotly requested features, we are working on:
- Allowing you to preview the full component build of a ship before purchase. This will prevent any need from checking the wiki and expose all values for components like Engines.
- Indicating the base values for Armor, Shield, Fuel, etc as well as the values with all the components installed
- Providing a summary of each ship's design based on its default component setup
v3.0.81 - 7/23/2020
- New Component: Armored Salvage Bay 5, less cargo and fuel by +5 armor, Thulun-only - Minor improvements to Salvage Bay 5, +1 Ship Ops, +5 Cargo - Added new ship filter: Exact Crew Match, only shows ships that have the exact max crew/officers as current ship - Added new ship filters: by mass class, filter to show ships in 3400 Mass and 5000 Mass, etc - Improved sort by Mass feature to sort either direction low/high
Update #218: Ship Buyer's Starter
Update #218 adds a new level 5 ship component for those orbital scavengers who are truly dedicated to their work. Weighing in with a hefty price tag over $600K, the Salvage Bay 5 boasts the best salvage bonus available at 54% along with 25 Fuel and 25 Cargo. Capable of doubling as your cargo bay, this large component can fill a lot of needs on the right salvage ship.
This update also delivers the first wave of much needed updates to the ship purchasing screens. As the variety and options of new ships have grown in the game, this list has become more difficult to navigate and to find the ship that properly fits your needs. This round of changes is basically the opening salvo. We know that we need more, but we wanted to hear from the community what types of sort, filter and metadata about the ships they need. As we've previewed the screenshots of the features to the community, we're already hearing ideas we hadn't thought up yet that will help us drive the second round. So, please post your thoughts after checking it out! With Update #218, we've added sorting and filtering to the ship purchasing screen. First, this suppresses any ship you can't buy due to faction restrictions. If you want to see specific factions or all the ships, then you can enable that in the filter ("Only Cadar" or "Cadar and Thulun", etc). Sorting currently allows you to sort by Mass, Price and Name. We know we'll need both more sorting and filtering, but we're still working through which are best as filters (filter by M3400, M5000, etc) and which should be sorts (sort by cargo, fuel, small component count). Also, we'd like to use this time to prompt for more metadata requests from the community. What else do you need to see on the left and right side in order to make better decisions. P.s. we already know we need to enable a component preview, working on that! :D
Since the beginning of the game, all counter-attacks have been able to use the Swordsman's Balanced Blade Talent, if it is trained, as their counter-attack. If you use Sharp Counter and someone attacks you, if you know Balanced Blade that is your riposte and you get the buff. These are Talents matched like a glove, but it was never clearly spelled out in the rules. We've added this clarification to all counter-attack Talents (Swordsman, Wing Commando) in the right hand sidebar of the Talent's screen.
Do you happen to like turn-based RPGs? Complex storylines? Job systems featuring combining Jobs? Base building? Stealth, combat hacking!? If you haven't seen Cyber Knights -- our next upcoming game -- take a look and give it a wishlist. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New Component: Salvage Bay 5 - Added filters and sort to New Ship list, filter by faction, carriers and sort by mass, price - New Ship list filter starts by hiding ships that cannot be sold (other factions), filter "Any Faction" to see all - Improved display of each ship in table with Mass/Hull/Fuel/Armor/Shield - Default starting crew list sort is now by Job instead of Level - Clarified rules in right side bar for all counter-attack Talents, which use Balanced Blade if it is trained
[ 2020-07-22 00:01:17 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #218 delivers a new ship component, clarifies a Talent rule, improves default sorting for the crew list and most importantly delivers on the start of a much needed set of quality improvements when it comes to shopping for a new ship. As always, there is more work to do, so we'll be listening closely to the community for suggestions.
If you enjoy the pace of updates, new features and new content please be sure to leave a review!
Professional Salvage
Update #218 adds a new level 5 ship component for those orbital scavengers who are truly dedicated to their work. Weighing in with a hefty price tag over $600K, the Salvage Bay 5 boasts the best salvage bonus available at 54% along with 25 Fuel and 25 Cargo. Capable of doubling as your cargo bay, this large component can fill a lot of needs on the right salvage ship.
New Ship Browsing: Call for Suggestions!
This update also delivers the first wave of much needed updates to the ship purchasing screens. As the variety and options of new ships have grown in the game, this list has become more difficult to navigate and to find the ship that properly fits your needs. This round of changes is basically the opening salvo. We know that we need more, but we wanted to hear from the community what types of sort, filter and metadata about the ships they need. As we've previewed the screenshots of the features to the community, we're already hearing ideas we hadn't thought up yet that will help us drive the second round. So, please post your thoughts after checking it out! With Update #218, we've added sorting and filtering to the ship purchasing screen. First, this suppresses any ship you can't buy due to faction restrictions. If you want to see specific factions or all the ships, then you can enable that in the filter ("Only Cadar" or "Cadar and Thulun", etc). Sorting currently allows you to sort by Mass, Price and Name. We know we'll need both more sorting and filtering, but we're still working through which are best as filters (filter by M3400, M5000, etc) and which should be sorts (sort by cargo, fuel, small component count). Also, we'd like to use this time to prompt for more metadata requests from the community. What else do you need to see on the left and right side in order to make better decisions. P.s. we already know we need to enable a component preview, working on that! :D
Counter-attack Rules
Since the beginning of the game, all counter-attacks have been able to use the Swordsman's Balanced Blade Talent, if it is trained, as their counter-attack. If you use Sharp Counter and someone attacks you, if you know Balanced Blade that is your riposte and you get the buff. These are Talents matched like a glove, but it was never clearly spelled out in the rules. We've added this clarification to all counter-attack Talents (Swordsman, Wing Commando) in the right hand sidebar of the Talent's screen.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
Do you happen to like turn-based RPGs? Complex storylines? Job systems featuring combining Jobs? Base building? Stealth, combat hacking!? If you haven't seen Cyber Knights -- our next upcoming game -- take a look and give it a wishlist. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.79 - 7/21/2020
- New Component: Salvage Bay 5 - Added filters and sort to New Ship list, filter by faction, carriers and sort by mass, price - New Ship list filter starts by hiding ships that cannot be sold (other factions), filter "Any Faction" to see all - Improved display of each ship in table with Mass/Hull/Fuel/Armor/Shield - Default starting crew list sort is now by Job instead of Level - Clarified rules in right side bar for all counter-attack Talents, which use Balanced Blade if it is trained
Update #217: Czar and Samrak
You can now search in the contact list by the type of zone they live on, such as "mining". Keep in mind that search uses an AND syntax, so you can't search "mining refinery" but you can use one at a time in combination with other filters such as Black Market. This can definitely help in smoothing out paths, and I've found it useful in quickly checking the opportunity to complete multiple tasks during a visit to a contact.
We've rebalanced the amount of time that can be wasted in the "Lost" card to ensure that it lives up to the threat of "weeks". In addition, we've added another time related negative card, "Time Dilation" which threatens that your expedition can wander into some time rift, possibly related to the hyperwarp dimension.
The power levels of the Contact types Trade Czar, Mining Samrak, Red Lion, Naval Commander, Ranking Executive Contacts have all been bumped up with Update #217, putting more power into the hands of these rarer but awesome faction-specific Contacts. We've also changed how the Coalition Liaison Contact fits into the world, buffing their starting Influence. Finally we've tweaked the Contact AI for all Coalition Contacts when it comes to how to use their influence and turns in the simulators -- they now have unique Rumor buying logic focused on Tax, Civil and Starport Rumors. The Coalition will now more directly support the faction economic status quo.
Thanks to the captains who posted on Steam, emailed, tweeted and dropped this bug into Discord. We've now fixed the issue where officer cabins could not be replaced, which was related to #216 but also had its in much older code. With this update, we've made 3 improvements to how officer cabins work. First, we've fixed the bug -- they can now be removed. Second, we've improved handling of those components that are not cabins directly -- such as medical bays -- which were not properly participating in the rule set around officer cabins. Finally, we corrected an issue that was preventing a red warning from appearing if a captain installed a cabin that went over the ship's officer max.
Our next upcoming title is waiting for your wishlists here on Steam. Cyber Knights is a tactical RPG that plunges you and your team of hackers, mercs and thieves into the neon-soaked future of 2231. Smash that wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Zone Economy Type ("refinery") now searchable in Contact List - Adjusted maximum repair times for any single component -- be sure to repair at high level starports - Rebalanced "Time Lost" Card in Explorer, a -1 Risk - Added new "Time Dilation" Card in Explorer, a new -5 Risk - Increased the power levels of Trade Czar, Mining Samrak, Red Lion, Naval Commander, Ranking Executive Contacts - Improved the "Coalition Liaison" starting power level and Contact AI - Coalition Era Contacts now have unique Rumor buying logic that prefers Tax, Civil and Starport Rumors - Fixed issue with replacing officer cabins - Fixed issue where some non-officer cabin components (medical bays) failed to print warnings when being replaced - Improved warning message about installing more officer cabins than your ship's max capacity
[ 2020-07-16 04:42:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #217 comes quickly on the heels of #216 to provide a hotfix for one issue related to replacing officer cabins, to improve the warnings about those component swaps and to provide proper coverage to specialist component types that provide officer living space. In addition, we've improved the Contact list search options, addressed an issue with maximum repair times not lining up on high value components, added a new Explorer -5 risk card "Time Dilation", improved power levels on faction-specific Contacts and turned how the Coalition contacts use their actions in the simulation.
So, let's look in detail!
Contact List Search
You can now search in the contact list by the type of zone they live on, such as "mining". Keep in mind that search uses an AND syntax, so you can't search "mining refinery" but you can use one at a time in combination with other filters such as Black Market. This can definitely help in smoothing out paths, and I've found it useful in quickly checking the opportunity to complete multiple tasks during a visit to a contact.
Time Dilation and Time Lost
We've rebalanced the amount of time that can be wasted in the "Lost" card to ensure that it lives up to the threat of "weeks". In addition, we've added another time related negative card, "Time Dilation" which threatens that your expedition can wander into some time rift, possibly related to the hyperwarp dimension.
Czar and Samrak
The power levels of the Contact types Trade Czar, Mining Samrak, Red Lion, Naval Commander, Ranking Executive Contacts have all been bumped up with Update #217, putting more power into the hands of these rarer but awesome faction-specific Contacts. We've also changed how the Coalition Liaison Contact fits into the world, buffing their starting Influence. Finally we've tweaked the Contact AI for all Coalition Contacts when it comes to how to use their influence and turns in the simulators -- they now have unique Rumor buying logic focused on Tax, Civil and Starport Rumors. The Coalition will now more directly support the faction economic status quo.
Officer Cabin Replacement
Thanks to the captains who posted on Steam, emailed, tweeted and dropped this bug into Discord. We've now fixed the issue where officer cabins could not be replaced, which was related to #216 but also had its in much older code. With this update, we've made 3 improvements to how officer cabins work. First, we've fixed the bug -- they can now be removed. Second, we've improved handling of those components that are not cabins directly -- such as medical bays -- which were not properly participating in the rule set around officer cabins. Finally, we corrected an issue that was preventing a red warning from appearing if a captain installed a cabin that went over the ship's officer max.
Wishlist Cyber Knights!
Our next upcoming title is waiting for your wishlists here on Steam. Cyber Knights is a tactical RPG that plunges you and your team of hackers, mercs and thieves into the neon-soaked future of 2231. Smash that wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.77 - 7/15/2020
- Zone Economy Type ("refinery") now searchable in Contact List - Adjusted maximum repair times for any single component -- be sure to repair at high level starports - Rebalanced "Time Lost" Card in Explorer, a -1 Risk - Added new "Time Dilation" Card in Explorer, a new -5 Risk - Increased the power levels of Trade Czar, Mining Samrak, Red Lion, Naval Commander, Ranking Executive Contacts - Improved the "Coalition Liaison" starting power level and Contact AI - Coalition Era Contacts now have unique Rumor buying logic that prefers Tax, Civil and Starport Rumors - Fixed issue with replacing officer cabins - Fixed issue where some non-officer cabin components (medical bays) failed to print warnings when being replaced - Improved warning message about installing more officer cabins than your ship's max capacity
Update #216: Mighty Engine Roar
Update #216 has rebuilt the massive Behemoth void engines to live up to their name. Built around battle-pattern void reactor cores, these engine are truly mighty and put a defining mark on any ship that can afford to install them. Depending on size, these engines are capable of generating 9 or 10 Reactor Points per turn. As a trade off, they guzzle fuel at unbelievable rates. The Warhammer engine pattern is the next-step up from standard engines, built around a similar combat pattern and costing in the range of half a million credits. The newly retrofitted Behemoth engines are truly over-engineered to extremes and can pack some of the highest shield and armor of any component on a ship. Bringing such an engine aboard can change the landscape of other components you need drastically, all while devastating your fuel economy. Not to mention their multi-million credit price tag!
Those ships that already start with the Behemoth installed have all had their prices corrected for the new massive power and cost adjustments. These ships have vaulted into some of the most expensive positions on the starport. What's more -- for those pirates seeking prize ships to capture, you've gained a new list of priority targets with Update #216: Wolf Vector, Lockwood Defender, Azurite Cruiser, Obsidian Carrier, Rim Exocruiser, Larimar Battlecruiser!
Every component above level 1 within the mass reducer category -- from Mass Modulators to Mass Reducers and back again -- has had some rebalancing done with Update #216. This package of changes has been in testing for a while but its the right time to roll it out. These higher level components are more expensive to install and some have had their jump costs increased as well. The components have also gained more Skill pool opportunity, making them both more demanding but more valuable in providing strong dice for your ship.
We fixed an unlock issue that was linking the Larimar Battlecruiser to the wrong unlock, it is now correctly dependent on the Antique Collector unlock.
Our next upcoming title is Cyber Knights: Flashppoint, a turn-based tactical RPG set in 2231 under the New Boston dome. The cyberpunk story will take you from meanest streets far beneath the street level to the lux towers and maybe even up to a gleamer and back again. Smash that wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Fixed Larimar Battlecruiser Unlock Duplication Bug - Rebalancing Engines -- Massive Buffs to Behemoth Engines, Revised Warhammer Patter Engines - Rebalancing Mass Reducers -- Increased Jump Costs, Ship Ops Requirements, adjusted higher level Reducers - Repriced: Wolf Vector, Lockwood Defender, Azurite Cruiser, Obsidian Carrier, Rim Exocruiser, Larimar Battlecruiser
[ 2020-07-14 16:06:11 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #216 drops some retrofits, improvements and major changes on to some of key components in the starport catalog -- Warhammer and Behemoth Engines and Mass Reducers. Thanks to everyone posting reviews, sharing feedback and discussing strategies here on Steam! We're lucky to have a great community of captains sailing the void together. Tell a friend, leave a review!
Living Up To The Name
Update #216 has rebuilt the massive Behemoth void engines to live up to their name. Built around battle-pattern void reactor cores, these engine are truly mighty and put a defining mark on any ship that can afford to install them. Depending on size, these engines are capable of generating 9 or 10 Reactor Points per turn. As a trade off, they guzzle fuel at unbelievable rates. The Warhammer engine pattern is the next-step up from standard engines, built around a similar combat pattern and costing in the range of half a million credits. The newly retrofitted Behemoth engines are truly over-engineered to extremes and can pack some of the highest shield and armor of any component on a ship. Bringing such an engine aboard can change the landscape of other components you need drastically, all while devastating your fuel economy. Not to mention their multi-million credit price tag!
Repricing Ships
Those ships that already start with the Behemoth installed have all had their prices corrected for the new massive power and cost adjustments. These ships have vaulted into some of the most expensive positions on the starport. What's more -- for those pirates seeking prize ships to capture, you've gained a new list of priority targets with Update #216: Wolf Vector, Lockwood Defender, Azurite Cruiser, Obsidian Carrier, Rim Exocruiser, Larimar Battlecruiser!
Mass Reducer Rebalance
Every component above level 1 within the mass reducer category -- from Mass Modulators to Mass Reducers and back again -- has had some rebalancing done with Update #216. This package of changes has been in testing for a while but its the right time to roll it out. These higher level components are more expensive to install and some have had their jump costs increased as well. The components have also gained more Skill pool opportunity, making them both more demanding but more valuable in providing strong dice for your ship.
Corrected Larimar Unlock
We fixed an unlock issue that was linking the Larimar Battlecruiser to the wrong unlock, it is now correctly dependent on the Antique Collector unlock.
Wishlist It: Cyber Knights
Our next upcoming title is Cyber Knights: Flashppoint, a turn-based tactical RPG set in 2231 under the New Boston dome. The cyberpunk story will take you from meanest streets far beneath the street level to the lux towers and maybe even up to a gleamer and back again. Smash that wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.75 - 7/13/2020
- Fixed Larimar Battlecruiser Unlock Duplication Bug - Rebalancing Engines -- Massive Buffs to Behemoth Engines, Revised Warhammer Patter Engines - Rebalancing Mass Reducers -- Increased Jump Costs, Ship Ops Requirements, adjusted higher level Reducers - Repriced: Wolf Vector, Lockwood Defender, Azurite Cruiser, Obsidian Carrier, Rim Exocruiser, Larimar Battlecruiser
Update #215: Bridge Control Switch
Introduced in Update #214, a bug has been effecting starport repair times, forcing them to run around 25 weeks all the time. We've now resolved that with Update #215! Our apologies.
While an toggle in the options screen is nice, it does not provide for easy mid-combat toggling of combat speed. Often, you'll find yourself wanting to play slow during hard combats or the start of combats and then ready to speed it up as you claim dominance on the field. A new configurable keybinding -- defaulting to "F" -- has been added to toggle between combat speeds. It will put a message up to the screen when it swaps and notably only accepts input when its y our turn. Press F for fast!
We've added a ship's engine speed and agility to the listed fields in the new game captain template builder. This can be a big help to pick among ships of the same or similar Mass class as you consider how quickly they traverse the map and their different values as a mission runner versus a close or long ranged combat ship.
We're constantly monitoring the data and listening to the community about the story pacing. We've made many adjustments and tweaks and want to share that with Update #215, we've picked up the pace of the later half of the game a bit to help compress the story content a bit and reduce long stretches of purely free sandbox play without the option to engage in story.
Finally, we've tweaked the description of the Sniper's "Target Acquired" Talent which does not require your character to already be in Stealth Mode. Simply the presence of a backline sniper bearing down on them hinders the enemy front rank target with this awesome On Init debuff.
- Fixed bug causing all Starport repairs to take 255 turns - Added new configurable keybinding 'F' toggles high speed ship or crew combat during combat - When customizing new game templates, ship speed and agility are shown during selection - Improved the pacing of late game story eras and events to ensure less story downtime late in the game - Improved talent description of Sniper's "Target Acquired" to be clear it does not need Stealth
Check out our next upcoming game and wishlist today https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
[ 2020-07-03 19:22:57 CET ] [ Original post ]
With a week left to go in the Steam Summer Sale, we're dropping another quick release to add a new control switch option for combat speed, fix a repair time issue in starports, update the fields shown in the new game screen and clarify one of the Sniper's Talent abilities. It's a smaller update, but its go some nice things in it as well as the critical fix to starport.
Starport Repairs
Introduced in Update #214, a bug has been effecting starport repair times, forcing them to run around 25 weeks all the time. We've now resolved that with Update #215! Our apologies.
High Speed Combat
While an toggle in the options screen is nice, it does not provide for easy mid-combat toggling of combat speed. Often, you'll find yourself wanting to play slow during hard combats or the start of combats and then ready to speed it up as you claim dominance on the field. A new configurable keybinding -- defaulting to "F" -- has been added to toggle between combat speeds. It will put a message up to the screen when it swaps and notably only accepts input when its y our turn. Press F for fast!
Speed and Agility in New Game
We've added a ship's engine speed and agility to the listed fields in the new game captain template builder. This can be a big help to pick among ships of the same or similar Mass class as you consider how quickly they traverse the map and their different values as a mission runner versus a close or long ranged combat ship.
Story Pacing
We're constantly monitoring the data and listening to the community about the story pacing. We've made many adjustments and tweaks and want to share that with Update #215, we've picked up the pace of the later half of the game a bit to help compress the story content a bit and reduce long stretches of purely free sandbox play without the option to engage in story.
Sniper!
Finally, we've tweaked the description of the Sniper's "Target Acquired" Talent which does not require your character to already be in Stealth Mode. Simply the presence of a backline sniper bearing down on them hinders the enemy front rank target with this awesome On Init debuff.
v3.0.73 - 7/3/2020
- Fixed bug causing all Starport repairs to take 255 turns - Added new configurable keybinding 'F' toggles high speed ship or crew combat during combat - When customizing new game templates, ship speed and agility are shown during selection - Improved the pacing of late game story eras and events to ensure less story downtime late in the game - Improved talent description of Sniper's "Target Acquired" to be clear it does not need Stealth
Check out our next upcoming game and wishlist today https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Save 40% and Update 214: Larimar Legacy
The Larimar Battlecruiser has officially been greenlit and is now for sale at Cadar only military ports. Built as a destructive torpedo boat, the Larimar is ready to do battle at long range and decimate enemy crew and components with its heavy compliment of weaponry. Built with a hangar for one interdictor or a long range shuttle, the Larimar packs a bevy of torpedos, a Deflector Array 4, Battle Prow 5, shielded barracks and officer suites as well as two Interlock Sensor Matrix 4. Cadar brings torpedoes to any fight!
The Azurite Cruiser has permanently joined the Cadar starport roster and is no longer for sale at other starports. Naturally, this means that it has been further militarized with its base Armor and base cost both going up and some nice changes to its component setup making it better prepared for battle upon lift off.
Some components that had long install times, such as the very expensive Hyperion Launch Bay, came along with grievous long repair times. Sometimes so long, you might consider installing a new one instead. We've resolved the math mistake that caused this issue and now the highest level and most expensive components correctly have their logical capping to their total repair time cost.
With Update #214, we added a new keybinding from a user request posted after #213. If you see missing keybinding options that would increase your pace and enjoyment of play, please post them! The default key '2' will now jump back to the map from any subscreen -- ship status, crew roster, landing zone. This can help you quickly get back to traveling if you've hit a zone for a quick refresher. Punch 1 on your keyboard to run all the services, then punch 2 and you're back to traveling!
Our next game is hovering on Steam, waiting for you to check it out. If you like turn-based tactics, cyberpunk, dogs, cats, drones, nano, base building, XCOM, ice cream or games -- wishlist it now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New Ship: Larimar Battlecruiser (7000M Cadar-built heavy combat ship) - Rebalanced: Azurite Cruiser (now Cadar-only, increased cost & armor) - Rebalanced Repair times for Hyperion Bays and Level 5+ Components - Added new configurable keybinding '2' jumps back to map from any subscreen - Improved the phrasing of some Trait-based barks - Rare Trade Goods now correctly appear in resource buy list in Star Atlas as well as search
[ 2020-06-29 18:10:39 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to the Steam Summer Sale! At 40% off it's the best price ever and a great time to pick up Star Traders: Frontiers if its been sitting on your wishlist, or you've been waiting to share it with a friend. Come, the void is calling your name, captain.
Update #214 adds a new ship, rebalances an existing one, fixes some issues with ship component repair times, adds a new keybinding from the community, and improves Rare Trade Good display in the Star Atlas. Thanks to everyone for playing, posting a review and sharing!
Larimar Battlecruiser
The Larimar Battlecruiser has officially been greenlit and is now for sale at Cadar only military ports. Built as a destructive torpedo boat, the Larimar is ready to do battle at long range and decimate enemy crew and components with its heavy compliment of weaponry. Built with a hangar for one interdictor or a long range shuttle, the Larimar packs a bevy of torpedos, a Deflector Array 4, Battle Prow 5, shielded barracks and officer suites as well as two Interlock Sensor Matrix 4. Cadar brings torpedoes to any fight!
Reclaiming the Azurite
The Azurite Cruiser has permanently joined the Cadar starport roster and is no longer for sale at other starports. Naturally, this means that it has been further militarized with its base Armor and base cost both going up and some nice changes to its component setup making it better prepared for battle upon lift off.
Repair Time Rebalance
Some components that had long install times, such as the very expensive Hyperion Launch Bay, came along with grievous long repair times. Sometimes so long, you might consider installing a new one instead. We've resolved the math mistake that caused this issue and now the highest level and most expensive components correctly have their logical capping to their total repair time cost.
Keybinding Addition
With Update #214, we added a new keybinding from a user request posted after #213. If you see missing keybinding options that would increase your pace and enjoyment of play, please post them! The default key '2' will now jump back to the map from any subscreen -- ship status, crew roster, landing zone. This can help you quickly get back to traveling if you've hit a zone for a quick refresher. Punch 1 on your keyboard to run all the services, then punch 2 and you're back to traveling!
Check that Cyber Knights
Our next game is hovering on Steam, waiting for you to check it out. If you like turn-based tactics, cyberpunk, dogs, cats, drones, nano, base building, XCOM, ice cream or games -- wishlist it now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.71 - 6/29/2020
- New Ship: Larimar Battlecruiser (7000M Cadar-built heavy combat ship) - Rebalanced: Azurite Cruiser (now Cadar-only, increased cost & armor) - Rebalanced Repair times for Hyperion Bays and Level 5+ Components - Added new configurable keybinding '2' jumps back to map from any subscreen - Improved the phrasing of some Trait-based barks - Rare Trade Goods now correctly appear in resource buy list in Star Atlas as well as search
Update #213: High Speed Battle!
With Update #213, we've also made human-captained carriers far more likely to appear in the game and also reduced the minimum enemy captain level at which they can be flown. Depending on your difficulty, you'll see human carriers flying earlier and more often now than ever before.
A few other fixes include correcting the missing description for "Riches Untold" Salvage card and fixing the incorrect level marker shown over Deflector Array 5 and 6. With the new fast crew combat option now fully deployed, we've got one more major QoL option up our sleeve for #214 before moving back to content, map v2 and stories!
- Added new game option "Fast Crew Combat" allows for much faster crew battles for veteran players - Enemy carriers flow by human captains are more likely to appear and will appear more often (enemy captains level 15+) - Fixed missing description for Salvage card "Riches Untold" - Fixed level displayed over Deflector Array 5 and 6 ship components
Have you seen -- and wishlisted -- our next upcoming game? Cyberpunk turn-based tactics under the shadows of the crumbling New Boston dome is not something you want to miss. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
[ 2020-06-21 15:55:53 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #213 focuses on a major feature for quality of life for long-time players and crew combat battlers. We've now introduced a "Fast Crew Combat" option to match the long-loved "Fast Ship Combat" option. With this option enabled, crew combat is fast -- the animations are trimmed out and all the actions flash by. If you've got hands on a keyboard, you can wrap up a battle much much faster than you could ever before.
Beware Carriers
With Update #213, we've also made human-captained carriers far more likely to appear in the game and also reduced the minimum enemy captain level at which they can be flown. Depending on your difficulty, you'll see human carriers flying earlier and more often now than ever before.
Other Fixes
A few other fixes include correcting the missing description for "Riches Untold" Salvage card and fixing the incorrect level marker shown over Deflector Array 5 and 6. With the new fast crew combat option now fully deployed, we've got one more major QoL option up our sleeve for #214 before moving back to content, map v2 and stories!
v3.0.69 - 6/21/2020
- Added new game option "Fast Crew Combat" allows for much faster crew battles for veteran players - Enemy carriers flow by human captains are more likely to appear and will appear more often (enemy captains level 15+) - Fixed missing description for Salvage card "Riches Untold" - Fixed level displayed over Deflector Array 5 and 6 ship components
Seen Cyber Knights?
Have you seen -- and wishlisted -- our next upcoming game? Cyberpunk turn-based tactics under the shadows of the crumbling New Boston dome is not something you want to miss. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Save 40% and Update #212: Lockwood Legacy
With Update #212, we've added 3 new cards to Blockading ops, allowing you to not only take money by extorting enemy ships for tithes but by forcing enemy merchants to surrender and looting their hold. Between the three cards, "Stolen Cargo" will capture up to a moderate 40 cargo, a mix of manufactured and raw cargo, while "Corsair's Haul" will gain up to 60 cargo with a heavier focused on valuable manufactured goods. And finally, the "Rare Trade Heist" will steal up to 16 Rare Trade Goods from a Smuggler for possibly a big pay off. In all three cases, these cards are more likely to appear during Trade Wars and Trade Bans, as well as Quadrant-wide Rumors related to the Jyeeta and Merchant Fleets. The cards will only be available if you have worthwhile amount of cargo space empty in your hold.
The Lockwood is Rychart's long-range strategic reconnaissance craft design and manufactured in top-secret foundries on Rychart worlds. Equipped with the best on-ground and orbital Intel gathering technology, combined with a custom Rychart Behemoth Engine the Lockwood is an incredible long range top notch spying vessel.
The galactic starports are working double time to churn out even more powerful components. These high 3 new high end additions will take a bit out of any budget, but are worth if to perfect your ship. The Hyperion Launch Bay is the first craft and officer component, docking both 1 Craft and housing 1 Officer, as well as a major Fuel reserve of 100 and significant armor. These are gold plating power for any large carrier!
Deflector Array 5 and 6 have now also gone into production, providing ramped up Radiation and Void Resistance as well even better defense against craft for your capital ship. For combat vessels of any size, these are worth their significant investment!
We've fixed a hole in the Star Atlas search that was preventing searches like "buys Travor Spice Wax" (or just "buys Trav") from working. Rare Trade Goods are now included in these searches! Happy selling out there.
Of course, we're also celebrating and sharing our next title: Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Take a minute to peak and punch that Wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New Ship: Lockwood Defender (6000M, Rychart, Space SR-71) - Added 3 new Blockade cards - "Stolen Cargo", "Corsair's Haul" and Rare "Rare Trade Heist" - New Blockade cards more common under Trade War and Trade Ban Conflicts and Quadrant Rumors (Jyeeta, Merchants) - New Component: Hyperion Launch Bay holds 1 Craft/1 Officer/100 Fuel/5 Armor for $3M+ each - New Component: Deflector Array 5, provide extreme Rad/Void/Craft Defense for $1M+ each - New Component: Deflector Array 6, provide insane Rad/Void/Craft Defense for $2M+ each - Star Atlas can now be searched for Rare Trade Goods, such as "buys Travor Spice Wax"
[ 2020-05-31 15:27:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to the newest wave of captains taking flight in the void! With Star Traders: Frontiers at 40% off, we hope you'll take a moment to tell a friend, post a suggestion and leave a review when you're ready. Update #212 follows up on adding new cards, a new faction-specific ship, some major new ship components, and improves the Star Atlas search based on user feedback.
Blockading for Cargo
With Update #212, we've added 3 new cards to Blockading ops, allowing you to not only take money by extorting enemy ships for tithes but by forcing enemy merchants to surrender and looting their hold. Between the three cards, "Stolen Cargo" will capture up to a moderate 40 cargo, a mix of manufactured and raw cargo, while "Corsair's Haul" will gain up to 60 cargo with a heavier focused on valuable manufactured goods. And finally, the "Rare Trade Heist" will steal up to 16 Rare Trade Goods from a Smuggler for possibly a big pay off. In all three cases, these cards are more likely to appear during Trade Wars and Trade Bans, as well as Quadrant-wide Rumors related to the Jyeeta and Merchant Fleets. The cards will only be available if you have worthwhile amount of cargo space empty in your hold.
New Ship: Lockwood Defender
The Lockwood is Rychart's long-range strategic reconnaissance craft design and manufactured in top-secret foundries on Rychart worlds. Equipped with the best on-ground and orbital Intel gathering technology, combined with a custom Rychart Behemoth Engine the Lockwood is an incredible long range top notch spying vessel.
New Ship Components
The galactic starports are working double time to churn out even more powerful components. These high 3 new high end additions will take a bit out of any budget, but are worth if to perfect your ship. The Hyperion Launch Bay is the first craft and officer component, docking both 1 Craft and housing 1 Officer, as well as a major Fuel reserve of 100 and significant armor. These are gold plating power for any large carrier!
Deflector Array 5 and 6 have now also gone into production, providing ramped up Radiation and Void Resistance as well even better defense against craft for your capital ship. For combat vessels of any size, these are worth their significant investment!
Star Atlas Search
We've fixed a hole in the Star Atlas search that was preventing searches like "buys Travor Spice Wax" (or just "buys Trav") from working. Rare Trade Goods are now included in these searches! Happy selling out there.
Wishlist Cyber Knights!
Of course, we're also celebrating and sharing our next title: Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Take a minute to peak and punch that Wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.67 - 5/30/2020
- New Ship: Lockwood Defender (6000M, Rychart, Space SR-71) - Added 3 new Blockade cards - "Stolen Cargo", "Corsair's Haul" and Rare "Rare Trade Heist" - New Blockade cards more common under Trade War and Trade Ban Conflicts and Quadrant Rumors (Jyeeta, Merchants) - New Component: Hyperion Launch Bay holds 1 Craft/1 Officer/100 Fuel/5 Armor for $3M+ each - New Component: Deflector Array 5, provide extreme Rad/Void/Craft Defense for $1M+ each - New Component: Deflector Array 6, provide insane Rad/Void/Craft Defense for $2M+ each - Star Atlas can now be searched for Rare Trade Goods, such as "buys Travor Spice Wax"
Save 40% and Update #211: Cards and More Cards!
All of the 5 new high powered cards arriving in Update #211 are linked to Rumors. First up are set of 3 that appear exclusively in Salvage as rare cards but that provide some significant bonuses above the normal. The new "Major Score" card can drop a stack of up to $100K Credits into your account, providing a new major way to rake in the bank while salvaging. But it doesn't end there with the "Riches Untold" offering a reward of up to $200K from a single card. Both are rare, and "Richest Untold" obviously the rarest of the bunch but that is the name of the game in Salvage -- high risk, high reward! Beyond material wealth, "Spice Memories" card drops a whopping 800 XP onto a small subset of your crew. With this extra focused XP, this can easily result in an immediate level gained in the earlier game! In those quadrants that are under the dangerous quadrant-wide Rumors of Radiation Storm and Xeno Fleet, there are new reasons to risk entering these areas. Any orbital operations (Patrol, Spy, Blockade) now have a chance of including the rare "Enviable Breakthrough" card that grants 400 XP , shared across a small subset of your crew. The new "Web of Conspiracy" card can uncover 3 to 6 Rumors in a single turn, as your captain uncovers some bigger scheme. This new card can appear as a rare card for Spying during any conditions, but will appear in Patrol and Blockade during either Radiation Storm or Xeno Fleet Rumors. Finally, because it can't all be good news -- in the presence of a Radiation Storm or Xeno Fleet Rumor, you can also draw the "Horrific Damage" orbital ops card which can destroy up to 4 components completely. This is a nasty card ranking at -5 and worth warning that it's skill tests are hard to beat if you lack a Talent. Be careful to avoid or knock this one out with a Talent!
We've made some further tuning improvements to the risk and reward weights in Patrol, Spy and Blockade to push planets and zones more into their focus niche. Those zones that were good for Spying are likely even better for it -- so its all the more important now to go to places that are good targets and not just spy anywhere. In Salvage, we've also rebalanced some of the drop rates for weapon to help players find a wider variety of armaments as they salvage.
Of course, we're also celebrating and sharing our next title: Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Take a minute to peak and punch that Wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- New "Major Score" Orbital result card grants up to 100K Credits - New "Enviable Breakthrough" Orbital result card grants up to 400XP - New "Spice Memories" Salvage result card grants up to 800XP - New "Riches Untold" Salvage result card grants up to 200K Credits - New "Horrific Damage" Orbital results card destroys up to 4 components - Graphical optimizations to reduce game's memory footprint - Rebalanced drop rates for new weapons in Salvage mini-games - Additional balancing for risk and reward weights in Orbital Ops (Patrol, Spy, Blockade) - Fixed Reported Crashes
[ 2020-05-26 22:00:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome all new captains! We're kicking off a week of updates in celebration of all of our captains -- old and new -- who sail the quadrants. It's a great time to spread the word by telling a friend or leaving a review as Star Traders: Frontiers is 40% off for the next 6 days and nights.
To start the week off, Update #211 kicks off the week with a host of new high risk and reward cards piling into orbital ops and salvage.
6 New Rumor Cards
All of the 5 new high powered cards arriving in Update #211 are linked to Rumors. First up are set of 3 that appear exclusively in Salvage as rare cards but that provide some significant bonuses above the normal. The new "Major Score" card can drop a stack of up to $100K Credits into your account, providing a new major way to rake in the bank while salvaging. But it doesn't end there with the "Riches Untold" offering a reward of up to $200K from a single card. Both are rare, and "Richest Untold" obviously the rarest of the bunch but that is the name of the game in Salvage -- high risk, high reward! Beyond material wealth, "Spice Memories" card drops a whopping 800 XP onto a small subset of your crew. With this extra focused XP, this can easily result in an immediate level gained in the earlier game! In those quadrants that are under the dangerous quadrant-wide Rumors of Radiation Storm and Xeno Fleet, there are new reasons to risk entering these areas. Any orbital operations (Patrol, Spy, Blockade) now have a chance of including the rare "Enviable Breakthrough" card that grants 400 XP , shared across a small subset of your crew. The new "Web of Conspiracy" card can uncover 3 to 6 Rumors in a single turn, as your captain uncovers some bigger scheme. This new card can appear as a rare card for Spying during any conditions, but will appear in Patrol and Blockade during either Radiation Storm or Xeno Fleet Rumors. Finally, because it can't all be good news -- in the presence of a Radiation Storm or Xeno Fleet Rumor, you can also draw the "Horrific Damage" orbital ops card which can destroy up to 4 components completely. This is a nasty card ranking at -5 and worth warning that it's skill tests are hard to beat if you lack a Talent. Be careful to avoid or knock this one out with a Talent!
Scales of Risk and Reward
We've made some further tuning improvements to the risk and reward weights in Patrol, Spy and Blockade to push planets and zones more into their focus niche. Those zones that were good for Spying are likely even better for it -- so its all the more important now to go to places that are good targets and not just spy anywhere. In Salvage, we've also rebalanced some of the drop rates for weapon to help players find a wider variety of armaments as they salvage.
Wishlist Cyber Knights!
Of course, we're also celebrating and sharing our next title: Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Take a minute to peak and punch that Wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.65 - 5/26/2020
- New "Major Score" Orbital result card grants up to 100K Credits - New "Enviable Breakthrough" Orbital result card grants up to 400XP - New "Spice Memories" Salvage result card grants up to 800XP - New "Riches Untold" Salvage result card grants up to 200K Credits - New "Horrific Damage" Orbital results card destroys up to 4 components - Graphical optimizations to reduce game's memory footprint - Rebalanced drop rates for new weapons in Salvage mini-games - Additional balancing for risk and reward weights in Orbital Ops (Patrol, Spy, Blockade) - Fixed Reported Crashes
Update #210: Worlds Unseen
We're going on a bit of a quest to add even more art to the game, starting with environmental art. This release includes a new ice world wilderness, ice world outpust (low Population), desert outpost (low Population) and new art for high military prime worlds, slotted in for Cadar and Steel Song's prime worlds.
Once the Brood Era has started, a Xeno Hunter's Talents that seek out xeno will now have a chance to spawn Jyeeta over Terrox. If you're into hunting xeno then the big game will be available if you look for it. They already appear in other forms through Rumors, operations cards and travel events but this is one more way the Jyeeta are not forgotten after their Brood. We've also adjusted the weighting of fighting Jyeeta xeno on the ground and in the void outside of missions during the Brood. There is a reduction to the Brood Score and this was previously equal between ship and explorer fights. We've adjusted this balance to put a bit more weight to taking out their ships traveling the void, and therefore far more xeno than those you might encounter in a ground fight.
Based on some great community feedback, we identified a weakness in the Wing Bomber and juggled the Skill progression around to push Electronics into their primary slot and Pilot as secondary. This helps the crew member who is a Wing Bomber be far more capable of flying high level craft and gaining all of the best bonuses. Certainly, a craft still may be beyond their ability but if they fly a craft within their ability range, their Electronics and Pilot line up in the way seen with Wing Leaders, etc.
With Update #210, we fixed a price issue with the large slot Advanced Medical Clinic where it was in fact cheaper than the lower level option. In this adjustment and major price hike, we've also tweaked its stat line to have slightly lower mass than the lower level option, making it even more appealing. There were a few cases -- including a Salvage card that killed a Contact and a few story Contact deaths -- in which a Contact might die and all of their missions would not be effectively cancelled. We've closed these few loopholes to tight up the entire system. In Exploring, you Captain's Wisdom is used to influence the value of the Rare Reward category, specifically to add to a Very Rare pool. It was not being properly displayed in the Risk and Reward categories, the display made Wisdom look like a non-factor when it is actually notably important. Not to mention it has a big impact on the decision of 2/3 or 3/2 positive and negative cards! Exploring barren and unforgiving wilderness is a game of the wise.
If you haven't seen our next title, take a minute to peak and punch that Wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
- Added 4 new landing zone environments -- new art for glacial wilderness, ice world outposts, desert outposts and Cadar and Steel Song prime worlds - After the start of the Jyeeta Brood Era, all xeno hunter Talents that seek xeno have a chance to turn up Jyeeta - Rebalanced brood score effect of fighting jyeeta ship and ground forces outside of missions, ships now worth more points - Rebuilt Skill progression of "Wing Bomber" Job, now better match for bomber craft, Electroncis is primary, Pilot second, Tactics tertiary - Increased price of "Advanced Medical Clinic" large slot component, reduced its mass by 50 - Fixed bugs with Salvage card and few story arcs killing Contacts that could leave their Missions active - Fixed Reward Factor listing of Wisdom to take into account its impact on Very Rare rewards - Fixed missing ship image when jumping Extremis Carrier - Fixed incorrect icon for Rare Trade Goods in contact display
[ 2020-05-19 04:18:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #210 releases a new pack of art for landing zone environments, some new wrinkles to the Jyeeta Brood Era, reworks the Wing Bomber Job and addresses a big pile of community feedback that has come in over the last week. As always, a big thanks goes out to the captain's sailing the void, posting feedback, suggestions and as always -- reviews!
Without further delay, let's get into the details!
New Zone Art
We're going on a bit of a quest to add even more art to the game, starting with environmental art. This release includes a new ice world wilderness, ice world outpust (low Population), desert outpost (low Population) and new art for high military prime worlds, slotted in for Cadar and Steel Song's prime worlds.
Brood Era
Once the Brood Era has started, a Xeno Hunter's Talents that seek out xeno will now have a chance to spawn Jyeeta over Terrox. If you're into hunting xeno then the big game will be available if you look for it. They already appear in other forms through Rumors, operations cards and travel events but this is one more way the Jyeeta are not forgotten after their Brood. We've also adjusted the weighting of fighting Jyeeta xeno on the ground and in the void outside of missions during the Brood. There is a reduction to the Brood Score and this was previously equal between ship and explorer fights. We've adjusted this balance to put a bit more weight to taking out their ships traveling the void, and therefore far more xeno than those you might encounter in a ground fight.
Wing Bomber
Based on some great community feedback, we identified a weakness in the Wing Bomber and juggled the Skill progression around to push Electronics into their primary slot and Pilot as secondary. This helps the crew member who is a Wing Bomber be far more capable of flying high level craft and gaining all of the best bonuses. Certainly, a craft still may be beyond their ability but if they fly a craft within their ability range, their Electronics and Pilot line up in the way seen with Wing Leaders, etc.
And More
With Update #210, we fixed a price issue with the large slot Advanced Medical Clinic where it was in fact cheaper than the lower level option. In this adjustment and major price hike, we've also tweaked its stat line to have slightly lower mass than the lower level option, making it even more appealing. There were a few cases -- including a Salvage card that killed a Contact and a few story Contact deaths -- in which a Contact might die and all of their missions would not be effectively cancelled. We've closed these few loopholes to tight up the entire system. In Exploring, you Captain's Wisdom is used to influence the value of the Rare Reward category, specifically to add to a Very Rare pool. It was not being properly displayed in the Risk and Reward categories, the display made Wisdom look like a non-factor when it is actually notably important. Not to mention it has a big impact on the decision of 2/3 or 3/2 positive and negative cards! Exploring barren and unforgiving wilderness is a game of the wise.
Wishlist Cyber Knights!
If you haven't seen our next title, take a minute to peak and punch that Wishlist button! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
v3.0.63 - 5/18/2020
- Added 4 new landing zone environments -- new art for glacial wilderness, ice world outposts, desert outposts and Cadar and Steel Song prime worlds - After the start of the Jyeeta Brood Era, all xeno hunter Talents that seek xeno have a chance to turn up Jyeeta - Rebalanced brood score effect of fighting jyeeta ship and ground forces outside of missions, ships now worth more points - Rebuilt Skill progression of "Wing Bomber" Job, now better match for bomber craft, Electroncis is primary, Pilot second, Tactics tertiary - Increased price of "Advanced Medical Clinic" large slot component, reduced its mass by 50 - Fixed bugs with Salvage card and few story arcs killing Contacts that could leave their Missions active - Fixed Reward Factor listing of Wisdom to take into account its impact on Very Rare rewards - Fixed missing ship image when jumping Extremis Carrier - Fixed incorrect icon for Rare Trade Goods in contact display
Update #209: Galaxy's Rim
Perhaps the Rim Exocruiser was built to last extensive voyages to the very rim of the galaxy, seeking the edges of known space and exploring dangerous wilderness. However, it has become a known favorite of smugglers. This Mass 3400 Javat-only hull features the highest base fuel in its class, is one of the 4 ships in that class that can boast 30 crew and 5 officers, can support 2 craft and has a max craft evasion of 88%. With 11 small slots, 5 medium slots and 2 large slots it comes outfitted with a bevy of powerful components, including a Behemoth Engine, Shielded Barracks and Officer Suites, a Javat Hauler Hold, three Defense Pattern Matrix 4 installed, a Scout Bridge and more. It's fast, hard to pin down and can make the long haul.
As we continue to work on the new changes around ship hull's maximum craft evasion stat, a natural next step is to examine the results, check in with player feedback and make some balance tweaks. With Update #209, we've made a number of smaller adjustments. The Sword Battlecruiser and Azurite Cruiser have both had their max craft evade increased while the Obsidian Carrier, Basalt Carrier, Harbinger Carrier and Skylift Carrier have all seen a drop in the hull stat. For dedicated carrier hulls, it is even more important to have Interdictor and/or Autocannon defenses against incoming craft.
Update #209 also rolls out a package of additional enemy AI subtypes and new ship options for there types. There are new Military Officer AI flying and configuring the Victus Interceptor, Longbolt, Leo Battlecruiser and Reach Defender. These new Military Officer AI have a wide range of ship builds they can step into and will provide some new challenges to captains they meet. For Bounty Hunters and Pirates, we've added new AI that are can fly the Horizon Cruiser, Reach Vindex and Rim Exocruiser.
We've made some changes to the build for the Leo Cruiser to fix some issues with it and to tune it up. It no longer is built for 8 officer slots even though it can support 7 and comes off the starport dock a little smoother than before. We've increased the sale price of the Reach Vindex by $120K to match its internal build and hull value. This does not change its value during captain creation and it still stays as a Priority D ship. We've made an adjustment to the "Entropic Delay" Talent to better display when a Rumor could expire at any point. While it may take a while for the Rumor to roll over, the Talent will report "any day now" while a Salvage Rumor is in that end state.
- New Ship: Rim Exocruiser (3400M, Javat, Exploration Cruiser) - Fixed issues with 'Leo Battlecruiser' ship design - Increased sale price of Reach Vindex by $120K - Improved Max Craft Defense for: Sword Battlecruiser, Azurite Cruiser - Reduced Max Craft Defense for: Obsidian Carrier, Basalt Carrier, Harbinger Carrier, Skylift Carrier - New Military Officer AI for: Victus Interceptor, Longbolt, Leo Battlecruiser,Reach Defender - New Bounty Hunter & Pirate AI for: Horizon Cruiser, Reach Vindex, Rim Exocruiser - Improved message on "Entropic Delay" Talent - Fixed Reported Crashes
[ 2020-04-30 21:00:41 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #209 follows on the first in a series of changes to the ship meta with a new set of balance adjustments, a new Javat-only ship, some ship price changes and a whole new set of AIs to bring more ships and ship build strategies into the mix. A huge thanks to everyone in the community for sharing feedback, posting suggestions and bugs. if you enjoy the pace of updates, new content and features please take a moment to leave a review!
Rim Exocruier
Perhaps the Rim Exocruiser was built to last extensive voyages to the very rim of the galaxy, seeking the edges of known space and exploring dangerous wilderness. However, it has become a known favorite of smugglers. This Mass 3400 Javat-only hull features the highest base fuel in its class, is one of the 4 ships in that class that can boast 30 crew and 5 officers, can support 2 craft and has a max craft evasion of 88%. With 11 small slots, 5 medium slots and 2 large slots it comes outfitted with a bevy of powerful components, including a Behemoth Engine, Shielded Barracks and Officer Suites, a Javat Hauler Hold, three Defense Pattern Matrix 4 installed, a Scout Bridge and more. It's fast, hard to pin down and can make the long haul.
Max Craft Evade Tweaks
As we continue to work on the new changes around ship hull's maximum craft evasion stat, a natural next step is to examine the results, check in with player feedback and make some balance tweaks. With Update #209, we've made a number of smaller adjustments. The Sword Battlecruiser and Azurite Cruiser have both had their max craft evade increased while the Obsidian Carrier, Basalt Carrier, Harbinger Carrier and Skylift Carrier have all seen a drop in the hull stat. For dedicated carrier hulls, it is even more important to have Interdictor and/or Autocannon defenses against incoming craft.
New Enemy AI
Update #209 also rolls out a package of additional enemy AI subtypes and new ship options for there types. There are new Military Officer AI flying and configuring the Victus Interceptor, Longbolt, Leo Battlecruiser and Reach Defender. These new Military Officer AI have a wide range of ship builds they can step into and will provide some new challenges to captains they meet. For Bounty Hunters and Pirates, we've added new AI that are can fly the Horizon Cruiser, Reach Vindex and Rim Exocruiser.
And A few More
We've made some changes to the build for the Leo Cruiser to fix some issues with it and to tune it up. It no longer is built for 8 officer slots even though it can support 7 and comes off the starport dock a little smoother than before. We've increased the sale price of the Reach Vindex by $120K to match its internal build and hull value. This does not change its value during captain creation and it still stays as a Priority D ship. We've made an adjustment to the "Entropic Delay" Talent to better display when a Rumor could expire at any point. While it may take a while for the Rumor to roll over, the Talent will report "any day now" while a Salvage Rumor is in that end state.
v3.0.61 - 4/30/2020
- New Ship: Rim Exocruiser (3400M, Javat, Exploration Cruiser) - Fixed issues with 'Leo Battlecruiser' ship design - Increased sale price of Reach Vindex by $120K - Improved Max Craft Defense for: Sword Battlecruiser, Azurite Cruiser - Reduced Max Craft Defense for: Obsidian Carrier, Basalt Carrier, Harbinger Carrier, Skylift Carrier - New Military Officer AI for: Victus Interceptor, Longbolt, Leo Battlecruiser,Reach Defender - New Bounty Hunter & Pirate AI for: Horizon Cruiser, Reach Vindex, Rim Exocruiser - Improved message on "Entropic Delay" Talent - Fixed Reported Crashes
Update #208: Sweeping the Galaxy
The biggest change in Update #208 is the addition of a new property innate in a ship hull. Maximum Craft Evasion percentage joins other fields like Max Officers, Base Fuel, Mass and the Small/Mediu/Large Slot counts (along with other values) to define the unique aspects of each ship hull. The range for Max Craft Evasion ranges from the low 60% for high mass and hard to maneuver ships to 100% for fast and nimble ships. Regardless of what ship components you install, this maximum will cap your craft evasion and requires captains who are facing carriers -- and especially Jyeeta -- to look into other ways to protect their ship if they are unable to reach 100%. Autocannons, high accuracy longer range weapons and your own Interdictors can form a formidable defense to augment a ship's Evasion to Craft Attacks and a mixed strategy is now be required. We encourage everyone to review your ship builds, post questions and build design changes you are seeing to the forum. It is important to state that this isn't an isolated change. More changes are coming to the ship hull meta that will improve the overall balance of the game and push each the ships' unique definitions farther away from each other. On the list are included Max Armor and Max Shield for individual hulls, allowing some hulls to exceed the currently global cap of 65% (75% with buffs) as well as caps that will modify the meta around stacking ship defense. We'll make these changes carefully as we go and are excited to hear any and all feedback from the community. Much like the previous change to allow Ship Defense Strong Dice to come from either Electronics or Pilot, these changes aim to break up meta monopolies and inject new options into player's ship builds. As always, the AI follows the same rules as the player.
Higher level Autocannons -- from level 5 and up -- have now gained bonuses to Evading Craft Attacks. Thought small, these additional bonuses model the reality that a ship bristling with short range weapons is difficult for a bomber or interdictor to close on. In addition to helping to shoot down enemy craft, these ship weapons now provide an innate defensive bonus.
The Leo Battlecruiser is the latest monstrous ship rolling out of the famous Thulun starports. Built from many exclusively Thulun components, the Leo is a loyalists dream battlecruiser. Weighing in at 7000 Mass, the Leo boasts 6 Large, 9 Medium and 12 Small slots and a Max Craft Evasion of 85%. Staffed by 7 officers, 42 crew and its component set includes 2 Reactive Hangar Bays, a Dual-Field Engine, and a mix of Autocannons, Torps and Railguns. Let the Red Lions of Thulun roar!
While the death of a known Contact has been long logged into the Captain's Log, the addition of a new Contact has not been consistently captured under all the circumstances -- orbital ops, explorer, Talents, trading. With Update #208, we've completed a clean sweep to ensure that the discovering of a new Contact is always logged with some important details about that Contact as well.
We've adjusted the rules for Dismiss taking 1 Turn to exclude the first year. This allows new captains to freely dismiss some of their crew early in the game without paying a cost in turns. We've fixed a bug with "Slippery Trader" Smuggler Talent where you could end up with positive Rep once you got over 100% effectiveness. We've also clarified the description of the Merchant's "Lawful" Trait to include the specifics that it always adjusts hostility by +1. Be more careful when you see a Radiation Storm card in Salvage. There was a case where they were not causing damage and now they are fully operational.
- New property of Ship Hulls: Maximum to Evade Craft Attacks percentage, starting at 85% for most ships - Max Craft Attack Evasion is lower for large hulls and higher for sleek hulls - Improved Autocannon weapons at level 5 and above to grant small bonuses to Evading Craft Attacks (bristling gunship wards off bombers) - New Thulun Ship: Leo Battlecruiser (7000M, Heavy Combat Carrier) - Added new Captain Log entries to capture the details of new Contacts discovered - Dismiss no longer requires 1 Turn in the first year of the game - Fixed bug where Smuggler's "Slippery Trader" could reduce Rep by more than 100% and cause odd results - Fixed bugs with sale price of Scout Bridge ships on some maps - Clarified description of Merchant Trait "Lawful" - Fixed issue with "Radiation Storm" Salvage card sometimes not causing ship damage
[ 2020-04-25 21:57:22 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #208 starts an important series of shifts in the ship hull meta, introduces a new hull attribute, drops an exciting new Thulun-only battlecruiser, adds more Captain's Log entries and fixes and balances a ton of smaller items coming out of community feedback. There are some big changes here, so be sure to review the new hull rules and see how it impacts your captain's builds.
The next series of updates will focus on further improvements and expansions to the ship hull meta as well as a new story vignette as well as an exciting expansions to 2 existing Era storylines.
New Hull Meta: Maximum to Evade Craft Attacks
The biggest change in Update #208 is the addition of a new property innate in a ship hull. Maximum Craft Evasion percentage joins other fields like Max Officers, Base Fuel, Mass and the Small/Mediu/Large Slot counts (along with other values) to define the unique aspects of each ship hull. The range for Max Craft Evasion ranges from the low 60% for high mass and hard to maneuver ships to 100% for fast and nimble ships. Regardless of what ship components you install, this maximum will cap your craft evasion and requires captains who are facing carriers -- and especially Jyeeta -- to look into other ways to protect their ship if they are unable to reach 100%. Autocannons, high accuracy longer range weapons and your own Interdictors can form a formidable defense to augment a ship's Evasion to Craft Attacks and a mixed strategy is now be required. We encourage everyone to review your ship builds, post questions and build design changes you are seeing to the forum. It is important to state that this isn't an isolated change. More changes are coming to the ship hull meta that will improve the overall balance of the game and push each the ships' unique definitions farther away from each other. On the list are included Max Armor and Max Shield for individual hulls, allowing some hulls to exceed the currently global cap of 65% (75% with buffs) as well as caps that will modify the meta around stacking ship defense. We'll make these changes carefully as we go and are excited to hear any and all feedback from the community. Much like the previous change to allow Ship Defense Strong Dice to come from either Electronics or Pilot, these changes aim to break up meta monopolies and inject new options into player's ship builds. As always, the AI follows the same rules as the player.
Autocannons Defensive Roar
Higher level Autocannons -- from level 5 and up -- have now gained bonuses to Evading Craft Attacks. Thought small, these additional bonuses model the reality that a ship bristling with short range weapons is difficult for a bomber or interdictor to close on. In addition to helping to shoot down enemy craft, these ship weapons now provide an innate defensive bonus.
Leo Battlecruiser
The Leo Battlecruiser is the latest monstrous ship rolling out of the famous Thulun starports. Built from many exclusively Thulun components, the Leo is a loyalists dream battlecruiser. Weighing in at 7000 Mass, the Leo boasts 6 Large, 9 Medium and 12 Small slots and a Max Craft Evasion of 85%. Staffed by 7 officers, 42 crew and its component set includes 2 Reactive Hangar Bays, a Dual-Field Engine, and a mix of Autocannons, Torps and Railguns. Let the Red Lions of Thulun roar!
New Contact in Captain's Log
While the death of a known Contact has been long logged into the Captain's Log, the addition of a new Contact has not been consistently captured under all the circumstances -- orbital ops, explorer, Talents, trading. With Update #208, we've completed a clean sweep to ensure that the discovering of a new Contact is always logged with some important details about that Contact as well.
And More
We've adjusted the rules for Dismiss taking 1 Turn to exclude the first year. This allows new captains to freely dismiss some of their crew early in the game without paying a cost in turns. We've fixed a bug with "Slippery Trader" Smuggler Talent where you could end up with positive Rep once you got over 100% effectiveness. We've also clarified the description of the Merchant's "Lawful" Trait to include the specifics that it always adjusts hostility by +1. Be more careful when you see a Radiation Storm card in Salvage. There was a case where they were not causing damage and now they are fully operational.
v3.0.57 - 4/25/2020
- New property of Ship Hulls: Maximum to Evade Craft Attacks percentage, starting at 85% for most ships - Max Craft Attack Evasion is lower for large hulls and higher for sleek hulls - Improved Autocannon weapons at level 5 and above to grant small bonuses to Evading Craft Attacks (bristling gunship wards off bombers) - New Thulun Ship: Leo Battlecruiser (7000M, Heavy Combat Carrier) - Added new Captain Log entries to capture the details of new Contacts discovered - Dismiss no longer requires 1 Turn in the first year of the game - Fixed bug where Smuggler's "Slippery Trader" could reduce Rep by more than 100% and cause odd results - Fixed bugs with sale price of Scout Bridge ships on some maps - Clarified description of Merchant Trait "Lawful" - Fixed issue with "Radiation Storm" Salvage card sometimes not causing ship damage
Update #207: Dusk in the Void
Update #207 adds a new option for your starting ships in the "D" priority. At $200,000 the Reach Vindex isn't a dream ship but it does have its advantages among the slot and gives more options for those captains wanting to start in a lighter, less expensive ship that allows them to focus on other priorities. The Reach Vindex is a minimalist hull designed for long range operations in deep space. Equipped with extensive shielding and massive fuel tanks, the Reach Vindex is popular with long-haul Star Traders.
Based on some great feedback from the community, we found a mistake in the timing rules for the late game Eras and how they proc'd into the galaxy. We've now adjusted the rules to account for the fact that there are now 3 late game Eras (Plague, Brood, Buried Demons) and to ensure there is some delay between them so that they don't back-to-back without any rest. We've also fixed a long running bug with Estelle giving an erroneous offer in the Buried Demons after it was complete.
Update #206 added a 1 turn requirement to recruit any new crew member. It also added 1 turn requirement review-and-dismiss them. Taking the community feedback into account, we've removed the 1 turn cost if you dismiss them directly while reviewing-and-recruiting. However, we have now adjusted general Dismiss to increase its cost to 1 turn. Leaving an offworlder on a grav world is not something done quickly, and it requires the time of the captain and officers. It is a rare event and now outside of the recruit-and-review loop which was where the timing got egregious.
We've fixed an issue where sometimes using Flash Charge in some missions would skip the mission completion or failure screen that would follow. In a continued effort to balance mission pricing and duration, we've made some more tweaks to the pricing calculations per type and per jump for long, short and medium length missions. Finally, for those Salvagers using the "Entropic Estimate" Talent from Mechanics, the results of that Talent are now lodged in the Event Log which makes it easier to reference after leaving the Salvage screen.
- New Starting Ship: 3400M Reach Vindex ($200K, Minimalist Scout Starter) - Access Reach Vindex with "Salvage Contractor" Unlock - Dismiss after reviewing a recruit no longer requires a few hours (1 Turn) - Dismissing a crew from crew list now requires a few hours (1 Turn) - Improved timing delay between late game Eras -- Plague, Buried Demons, Jyeeta Brood - Adjusted balance of Blade Dancer "Forbidden Edge" Talent -- less Armor Piercing, More Bleeding - Adjusted prices on short, mid and long distance missions - Fixed issues with Flash Charge in missions -- Talent not going on cool down, sometimes post mission screen not appearing - Mechanic Talent "Entropic Estimate" adds a event log to make prediction of Rumor length more clear - Fixed story issue with Buried Demons where Estelle could be told about the events after events happened
[ 2020-04-14 21:04:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #207 launches a new starting ship, improvements to story pacing, rebalanced Talents, and a bundle of fixes and improvements gathered from another active week with the community. We owe a huge thanks to all of the captains for play, posting feedback and leaving reviews! While things have been a bit slowed down here, we still have a big roadmap ahead of us for the year -- so let's keep grinding together!
New Starting Ship D
Update #207 adds a new option for your starting ships in the "D" priority. At $200,000 the Reach Vindex isn't a dream ship but it does have its advantages among the slot and gives more options for those captains wanting to start in a lighter, less expensive ship that allows them to focus on other priorities. The Reach Vindex is a minimalist hull designed for long range operations in deep space. Equipped with extensive shielding and massive fuel tanks, the Reach Vindex is popular with long-haul Star Traders.
Late Game Era
Based on some great feedback from the community, we found a mistake in the timing rules for the late game Eras and how they proc'd into the galaxy. We've now adjusted the rules to account for the fact that there are now 3 late game Eras (Plague, Brood, Buried Demons) and to ensure there is some delay between them so that they don't back-to-back without any rest. We've also fixed a long running bug with Estelle giving an erroneous offer in the Buried Demons after it was complete.
Recruit Timing
Update #206 added a 1 turn requirement to recruit any new crew member. It also added 1 turn requirement review-and-dismiss them. Taking the community feedback into account, we've removed the 1 turn cost if you dismiss them directly while reviewing-and-recruiting. However, we have now adjusted general Dismiss to increase its cost to 1 turn. Leaving an offworlder on a grav world is not something done quickly, and it requires the time of the captain and officers. It is a rare event and now outside of the recruit-and-review loop which was where the timing got egregious.
Mission Adjustments
We've fixed an issue where sometimes using Flash Charge in some missions would skip the mission completion or failure screen that would follow. In a continued effort to balance mission pricing and duration, we've made some more tweaks to the pricing calculations per type and per jump for long, short and medium length missions. Finally, for those Salvagers using the "Entropic Estimate" Talent from Mechanics, the results of that Talent are now lodged in the Event Log which makes it easier to reference after leaving the Salvage screen.
v3.0.55 - 4/13/2020
- New Starting Ship: 3400M Reach Vindex ($200K, Minimalist Scout Starter) - Access Reach Vindex with "Salvage Contractor" Unlock - Dismiss after reviewing a recruit no longer requires a few hours (1 Turn) - Dismissing a crew from crew list now requires a few hours (1 Turn) - Improved timing delay between late game Eras -- Plague, Buried Demons, Jyeeta Brood - Adjusted balance of Blade Dancer "Forbidden Edge" Talent -- less Armor Piercing, More Bleeding - Adjusted prices on short, mid and long distance missions - Fixed issues with Flash Charge in missions -- Talent not going on cool down, sometimes post mission screen not appearing - Mechanic Talent "Entropic Estimate" adds a event log to make prediction of Rumor length more clear - Fixed story issue with Buried Demons where Estelle could be told about the events after events happened
Update #206: Peak Velocity
A longstanding favorite medium slot component, the Peak Velocity Matrix has always lacked a progression of improvements. With Update #206, we've added a PVM 2 and PVM 3 to give your highly range change focused ships more options with their build. This has naturally come with a downtick in the abilities of the starting PVM 1, reducing its Range Change bonus a bit to help it fit into the progression better.
Orbital Ops components do not stack their effects. If have two Spying components installed that both increase Intel, only the better one will work. This is now clearly indicated in the components description ("does not stack"). In addition, whenever these ops components are called in to use they suffer Damage which is now also noted in the description ("damage on use").
The on-going rebalance of ship weapons has now moved down into the level 5 range with big price increases coming across the board. We've completed this additional sweep of rebalance along with testing out the changes to the AI's ability to purchase these upgrades. More powerful ship weaponry at level 5 is now in line with the prices of 6, 7 and 8th level weaponry.
Every recruit and dismissal now takes 1 turn, a feature that has been too long overlooked. While you won't burn a ton of time recruiting, its important that meeting a pool of recruits -- or individual from a Contact -- chew up some game time.
We've rebalanced prices on missions focusing on the different classes of short, mid and long distance missions as we look at their prices. Update #206 also includes a fix for the Trade War warning that went into Sell All last update, what we added was basically the inverse of what it needed to be. Finally, Talents like "Unfaltering Ire" and other purging debuffs now properly knock an enemy out of Stealth.
- Added two new ship components, Peak Velocity Matrix 2 and 3, rebalanced existing Peak Velocity Matrix - Added note to description of orbital ops and exploration components -- "does not stack, damaged on use" - Rebalanced ship weapons and increased costs at Level 5 and 6 - Recruiting and Dismissing recruits now takes a few hours (1 Turn) each - Adjusted prices on short, mid and long distance missions - Fixed issue where Talents like "Unfaltering Ire" were not purging Stealth buffs from target - Fixed warning for "Sell All" option in Exchange about Trade Wars being inverse of correct warning - Prevented Templar zones from getting certain Rumors that do not fit
[ 2020-03-30 17:18:36 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #206 lifts off from the starport with new ship components, rebalances for existing components and level 5 and 6 ship weapons as well as clarified descriptions for all orbital ops components. We've also adjusted the rules for the time spent recruiting, the prices during short, mid and long range missions and fixed a number of issues reported by the community.
The updates must flow, and if you like the steady stream of new and improved -- please leave a review!
Peak Velocity Matrix
A longstanding favorite medium slot component, the Peak Velocity Matrix has always lacked a progression of improvements. With Update #206, we've added a PVM 2 and PVM 3 to give your highly range change focused ships more options with their build. This has naturally come with a downtick in the abilities of the starting PVM 1, reducing its Range Change bonus a bit to help it fit into the progression better.
Orbital Ops Clarification
Orbital Ops components do not stack their effects. If have two Spying components installed that both increase Intel, only the better one will work. This is now clearly indicated in the components description ("does not stack"). In addition, whenever these ops components are called in to use they suffer Damage which is now also noted in the description ("damage on use").
Ship Weapons 5 & 6
The on-going rebalance of ship weapons has now moved down into the level 5 range with big price increases coming across the board. We've completed this additional sweep of rebalance along with testing out the changes to the AI's ability to purchase these upgrades. More powerful ship weaponry at level 5 is now in line with the prices of 6, 7 and 8th level weaponry.
Recruiting Hours
Every recruit and dismissal now takes 1 turn, a feature that has been too long overlooked. While you won't burn a ton of time recruiting, its important that meeting a pool of recruits -- or individual from a Contact -- chew up some game time.
Other Improvements
We've rebalanced prices on missions focusing on the different classes of short, mid and long distance missions as we look at their prices. Update #206 also includes a fix for the Trade War warning that went into Sell All last update, what we added was basically the inverse of what it needed to be. Finally, Talents like "Unfaltering Ire" and other purging debuffs now properly knock an enemy out of Stealth.
v3.0.53 - 3/29/2020
- Added two new ship components, Peak Velocity Matrix 2 and 3, rebalanced existing Peak Velocity Matrix - Added note to description of orbital ops and exploration components -- "does not stack, damaged on use" - Rebalanced ship weapons and increased costs at Level 5 and 6 - Recruiting and Dismissing recruits now takes a few hours (1 Turn) each - Adjusted prices on short, mid and long distance missions - Fixed issue where Talents like "Unfaltering Ire" were not purging Stealth buffs from target - Fixed warning for "Sell All" option in Exchange about Trade Wars being inverse of correct warning - Prevented Templar zones from getting certain Rumors that do not fit
Update #205: Seats of Power
With Update #205, we've made some changes to the rules of how Starting Contacts pick their starting zones and allowed them to focus on the most powerful zones in each quadrant. This is a huge help to not only place your Contacts places where you might find lucrative trade and excellent orbital op chances, but also so that their services and discounts will be most effective. While the change does not guarantee that a Contact with a medical discount will always be able to provide one, it massively increases the chance that they will be able to if there are such locations in the quadrant. In addition, for those Contacts who have some services based of the zone's attributes -- such as Military Rank, Permit, etc -- this change helps ensure they can offer those services to the fullest.
During the United Coalition "Buried Demons" story Era, one of the branches can lead to the Alta Mesa unlocking the Battle Bridge 2 component. To further extend the usefulness of that branch and the bridge type, that story event now also unlocks the much more expensive but more versatile Battle Bridge 3, once again only sold under the Alta Mesa flag. Such ship builders of legends can install some of the most powerful bridge command centers, for a price. We've also modified some of the purchasing requirements for craft, reducing Economy and Military to no higher than 12 in order to ensure that every craft type is purchaseable on the default map.
During a Trade War, you may not be able to sell your goods, but for those you can you may still incur Reputation bonuses. Sell All in the Exchange now includes a warning of not only Trade Bans but Trade Wars as well.
This update list is long with a lot of other improvements and fixes as well, so be sure to check the full list. We've improved the display of Era recruiting bonuses so that you can see exactly what the bonus is, not just the sum of the level bonuses. If you were reviewing recruits from Contacts, the click pattern is now better to avoid dropping you back to the Contact's main services list. And a ton more -- check out the full list!
- Improved starting Contact placement to prefer high economy / high population zones - Reduced Economy requirement for high level craft to maximum of 12 to ensure playable on default map - Alta Mesa's story-driven acquisition of Battle Bridge 2 component now includes Battle Bridge 3 as well -- even better, more expensive - "Sell All" option in the Exchange now correctly warns of Trade Wars and potential Reputation loss - Improved display of recruiting Era level boost -- always visible in Spice Hall and Contact recruit, just lists bonus (+3 bonus) instead of total level - Improved description of Talents that push/pull friends and enemies to be more consistent - Improved Boarding Victory Talents so that if they fail for any reason (Macabre Harvest but no cargo space) they do not consume a boarding action - Improved description for "Trader's Reciprocity" Merchant Talent to be clear it is based on the Trade Permit of local faction (not Contact) - Fixed click pattern with reviewing recruits from Contacts forcing reopen of recruit screen - Fixed issue with UCF Emissary and Commander missions and resulting Contacts face/name mismatch - Fixed issue with Contact "Learn Rumor" logs appearing in Ship Combat victory logs - Fixed issue with Plasma, Fire and Radiation Damage Logging in Crew Combat - Fixed issue with "Coalition Patrol" cards in orbital ops describing an encounter with a standard faction ship - Fixed issues where Trade Ban icon was used instead of Trade War in some exchange screens
[ 2020-03-20 21:02:39 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #205 executes a clean sweep on some of the most recent and pressing requests for enhancements as well as bug reports. As we keep crafting more storylines and doing the prep work for map seeds v2, we're working hard to keep up with new community ideas, feedback and improvement suggestions. Update #205 is the result of that and includes a definite fan-favorite request -- to ensure that your Starting Contacts end up in the best seats of power. We've also added a new Alta Mesa only story-driven ship component, improved craft buying requirements, expanded the Sell All warning support to include Trade Wars and more.
Before we dig into the details, we do have some exciting news --
We are excited to share that Star Traders: Frontiers made the list of "Best 20 Space Games on PC" on Rock, Paper Shotgun! It's a list full of amazing titles and we're proud to have been selected to stand in their ranks, stare into the void and contemplate where we will all go next.
Starting Contact Locations
With Update #205, we've made some changes to the rules of how Starting Contacts pick their starting zones and allowed them to focus on the most powerful zones in each quadrant. This is a huge help to not only place your Contacts places where you might find lucrative trade and excellent orbital op chances, but also so that their services and discounts will be most effective. While the change does not guarantee that a Contact with a medical discount will always be able to provide one, it massively increases the chance that they will be able to if there are such locations in the quadrant. In addition, for those Contacts who have some services based of the zone's attributes -- such as Military Rank, Permit, etc -- this change helps ensure they can offer those services to the fullest.
Ship Components, Craft Requirements
During the United Coalition "Buried Demons" story Era, one of the branches can lead to the Alta Mesa unlocking the Battle Bridge 2 component. To further extend the usefulness of that branch and the bridge type, that story event now also unlocks the much more expensive but more versatile Battle Bridge 3, once again only sold under the Alta Mesa flag. Such ship builders of legends can install some of the most powerful bridge command centers, for a price. We've also modified some of the purchasing requirements for craft, reducing Economy and Military to no higher than 12 in order to ensure that every craft type is purchaseable on the default map.
Sell All into Trade Wars
During a Trade War, you may not be able to sell your goods, but for those you can you may still incur Reputation bonuses. Sell All in the Exchange now includes a warning of not only Trade Bans but Trade Wars as well.
Clean Sweep!
This update list is long with a lot of other improvements and fixes as well, so be sure to check the full list. We've improved the display of Era recruiting bonuses so that you can see exactly what the bonus is, not just the sum of the level bonuses. If you were reviewing recruits from Contacts, the click pattern is now better to avoid dropping you back to the Contact's main services list. And a ton more -- check out the full list!
v3.0.51 - 3/20/2020
- Improved starting Contact placement to prefer high economy / high population zones - Reduced Economy requirement for high level craft to maximum of 12 to ensure playable on default map - Alta Mesa's story-driven acquisition of Battle Bridge 2 component now includes Battle Bridge 3 as well -- even better, more expensive - "Sell All" option in the Exchange now correctly warns of Trade Wars and potential Reputation loss - Improved display of recruiting Era level boost -- always visible in Spice Hall and Contact recruit, just lists bonus (+3 bonus) instead of total level - Improved description of Talents that push/pull friends and enemies to be more consistent - Improved Boarding Victory Talents so that if they fail for any reason (Macabre Harvest but no cargo space) they do not consume a boarding action - Improved description for "Trader's Reciprocity" Merchant Talent to be clear it is based on the Trade Permit of local faction (not Contact) - Fixed click pattern with reviewing recruits from Contacts forcing reopen of recruit screen - Fixed issue with UCF Emissary and Commander missions and resulting Contacts face/name mismatch - Fixed issue with Contact "Learn Rumor" logs appearing in Ship Combat victory logs - Fixed issue with Plasma, Fire and Radiation Damage Logging in Crew Combat - Fixed issue with "Coalition Patrol" cards in orbital ops describing an encounter with a standard faction ship - Fixed issues where Trade Ban icon was used instead of Trade War in some exchange screens
Update #204: Refinements
The Reach Defender (5000M) is a prestigious Cadar hull design dating from the early 200s that favors armor over shielding to maximize the ship's heavy duty superstructure. Built around a pair of M94 Cannons, the Reach Defender becomes more and more dangerous as it closes range. Using an advanced Cadar Battle Prow, the Reach Defender can soak incredible amounts of damage and continue fighting, a popular capacity among Cadar's elite military forces, bounty hunters and privateers.
Across the board we've rebalanced 8000M and 9000M ship pricing making them more expensive to purchase. We're experimenting with some large ship designs (10K) mass and considering component pricing adjustments for large mass ships, including installation surcharges for oversized hulls. We'd love to hear your feedback on the new ship prices and how you'd balance the costs and advantages of new extra large hulls.
When you use the Sell All feature in the Exchange, it will now sell the cargo in order of the value of the cargo items. This will allow your Talents to run against the biggest sales and not get chewed up by smaller sales.
We've updated the names of two resources to be more clear and to help avoid players having confusion over Stashing missions. Usralite is now Refined Ursalite (as there is an Ursalite Ore) and Kambrinite is now Refined Kambrinite (as there is a Kambrinite Ore).
We fixed several reoccurring issues that plagued component repair cards and Talents in Explorer and Salvage. We've made several adjustments to standardize these and provide for consistently effective component selection and improved logging so you can more easily see how much and what was repaired.
- New Ship: 5000M Reach Defender (Cadar Close Combat Cruiser) - Rebalanced ship prices for 8000M and 9000M ships - Improved "Sell All" Cargo Ordering to trigger Talents better - Improved "Patchwork" Talent's Component Repair scheme - Improved Orbital card "Wreck in Space" Component Repair scheme - Fixed issues with Combat Logging of Parry Buffs - Renamed Ursalite to "Refined Ursalite" - Renamed Kambrinite to "Refined Kambrinite" - Fixed issue with Contacts showing incorrect level when unable to recruit - Fixed issue with being able to Spy on invalid worlds
[ 2020-03-12 00:31:32 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #204 arrives in the relative quiet after the end of our Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter campaign. Things have been in a fury here at Trese Brothers HQ and we're excited to get back to regular order -- improving Star Traders: Frontiers and building Cyber Knights. As we gear up to tackle the next big set of improvements, we've rounded up some of the latest issues from the community and put them all to rest in #204, as well as adding a new Cadar-only ship and rebalancing large ship prices.
Cadar Reach Defender
The Reach Defender (5000M) is a prestigious Cadar hull design dating from the early 200s that favors armor over shielding to maximize the ship's heavy duty superstructure. Built around a pair of M94 Cannons, the Reach Defender becomes more and more dangerous as it closes range. Using an advanced Cadar Battle Prow, the Reach Defender can soak incredible amounts of damage and continue fighting, a popular capacity among Cadar's elite military forces, bounty hunters and privateers.
Ship Pricing
Across the board we've rebalanced 8000M and 9000M ship pricing making them more expensive to purchase. We're experimenting with some large ship designs (10K) mass and considering component pricing adjustments for large mass ships, including installation surcharges for oversized hulls. We'd love to hear your feedback on the new ship prices and how you'd balance the costs and advantages of new extra large hulls.
Sell All Ordering
When you use the Sell All feature in the Exchange, it will now sell the cargo in order of the value of the cargo items. This will allow your Talents to run against the biggest sales and not get chewed up by smaller sales.
Resource Renames
We've updated the names of two resources to be more clear and to help avoid players having confusion over Stashing missions. Usralite is now Refined Ursalite (as there is an Ursalite Ore) and Kambrinite is now Refined Kambrinite (as there is a Kambrinite Ore).
Other Fixes
We fixed several reoccurring issues that plagued component repair cards and Talents in Explorer and Salvage. We've made several adjustments to standardize these and provide for consistently effective component selection and improved logging so you can more easily see how much and what was repaired.
v3.0.49 - 3/11/2020
- New Ship: 5000M Reach Defender (Cadar Close Combat Cruiser) - Rebalanced ship prices for 8000M and 9000M ships - Improved "Sell All" Cargo Ordering to trigger Talents better - Improved "Patchwork" Talent's Component Repair scheme - Improved Orbital card "Wreck in Space" Component Repair scheme - Fixed issues with Combat Logging of Parry Buffs - Renamed Ursalite to "Refined Ursalite" - Renamed Kambrinite to "Refined Kambrinite" - Fixed issue with Contacts showing incorrect level when unable to recruit - Fixed issue with being able to Spy on invalid worlds
Update #203: Straightblades + Last Chance Cyber Knights
With 36 hours remaining for our Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter, we are reaching out to ask for your support! If you have enjoyed Star Traders: Frontiers, its 6 major expansion packs of its 203 updates consider this an easy way to pay it forward and help us expand the funding for our next game with a $15 discounted pre-order copy. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint can be summarized easily as a cyberpunk XCOM but this high level summary is missing all the details that make Cyber Knights so unique and exciting. Some check out the campaign and read about our flexible stealth model, the way hacking mixes into fighting back against the security system and how we're ripping out the tile-based approximations and going fully gridless. Come read about our heist mission system that focuses on preparation steps instead of just reading a mission brief. Come, bribe a Bravestar security officer to slow down the arrival of off-site security by 10 minutes. Come on, step into your criminal safe house and base build while managing your network of fixers, Yakuza, gang bosses and corrupt corporate leaders. Get a cybered war dog, pilot three drones at once, graft titanium to your skeleton and go full Wolverine with hand claws. We have only a few hours left, come take a look at our campaign and know that we're going to build the game with the same dedication and passion we brought to Star Traders: Frontiers. C'mon chumbo, pledge to Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tresebrothers/cyber-knights?ref=6n6pht [previewyoutube=ugXVXD4l_cw;full][/previewyoutube]
A very specific design and manufacturing process is used to create the straightblade, a lighter shorter weapon that is still used as the primary blade. All classes of Straightblades rely on Quickness over Strength for attack accuracy. Straightblades like the Stywrit and Crass are for sale from Contacts who sell weapons while other powerful Straightblades can be recovered from Orbital Salvage relic weapon cards. Aside from relying on Quickness for attack, Straightblades also feature higher Piercing %, lower Damage and a more balanced Accuracy and Parry set.
Many Rumors have impacts on recruiting availability or levels. Thanks to @Dr. Spendlove for the great suggestion to improve the generally negative Starport Closed Rumor with a recruiting bonus. With work halted at the starport, skilled mechanics are looking for other work and willing to go offworld to get it. Any Mechanic recruited in the hall or from Contacts gains +2 bonus levels.
While there was a valid strat for a while to achieve a negative Jump cost for your ship and then generate Water-Fuel by hyperwarping -- this bug is now closed. Your jump cost will never drop below zero with Update #203.
On Windows and Linux you can now use command line arguments to define your own window size. You can set these directly in the Steam client. There are 4 arguments used in order, such as: winwidth 1820 winheight 900 These have been available on Windows for a while but are now available on Linux as well.
- Added new type of primary blade weapon -- the Straightblade relies on Quickness instead of Strength - Added 2 high level Straightblades for sale from weapon selling Contacts - Added 2 high level Straightblades to the relic weapon card from Orbital Salvage - Starport rumor increases level of Mechanic hired at Spice Hall by +2 levels - Fixed: Negative Jump Cost can add Water-Fuel when jumping - Fixed: Issues where "Brooding Jyeeta Spore" could generate too many artifacts - Slight increase in Retrain Costs, fixed Custom Difficult Retrain Costs to equal "Hard" - Added custom window size command line support for Linux (winwidth, winheight) - Fixed typos with Blade Dancer Talents
[ 2020-03-04 13:35:27 CET ] [ Original post ]
As Blade Dancer came flying out in Update #202, a wave of more updates is certain to follow in the wake of the practitioner of one of the oldest art of the Star Traders people. Update #203 releases a new class of primary melee weapon -- the Straightblade -- improves a zone Rumor, adds custom window sizing for Linux
However, first we have a final call to action for our Cyber Knight: Flashpoint Kickstarter campaign!
Cyber Knights Kickstarter - Last Chance!
With 36 hours remaining for our Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter, we are reaching out to ask for your support! If you have enjoyed Star Traders: Frontiers, its 6 major expansion packs of its 203 updates consider this an easy way to pay it forward and help us expand the funding for our next game with a $15 discounted pre-order copy. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint can be summarized easily as a cyberpunk XCOM but this high level summary is missing all the details that make Cyber Knights so unique and exciting. Some check out the campaign and read about our flexible stealth model, the way hacking mixes into fighting back against the security system and how we're ripping out the tile-based approximations and going fully gridless. Come read about our heist mission system that focuses on preparation steps instead of just reading a mission brief. Come, bribe a Bravestar security officer to slow down the arrival of off-site security by 10 minutes. Come on, step into your criminal safe house and base build while managing your network of fixers, Yakuza, gang bosses and corrupt corporate leaders. Get a cybered war dog, pilot three drones at once, graft titanium to your skeleton and go full Wolverine with hand claws. We have only a few hours left, come take a look at our campaign and know that we're going to build the game with the same dedication and passion we brought to Star Traders: Frontiers. C'mon chumbo, pledge to Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tresebrothers/cyber-knights?ref=6n6pht [previewyoutube=ugXVXD4l_cw;full][/previewyoutube]
Straightblades
A very specific design and manufacturing process is used to create the straightblade, a lighter shorter weapon that is still used as the primary blade. All classes of Straightblades rely on Quickness over Strength for attack accuracy. Straightblades like the Stywrit and Crass are for sale from Contacts who sell weapons while other powerful Straightblades can be recovered from Orbital Salvage relic weapon cards. Aside from relying on Quickness for attack, Straightblades also feature higher Piercing %, lower Damage and a more balanced Accuracy and Parry set.
Recruiting during Starport Closed Rumor
Many Rumors have impacts on recruiting availability or levels. Thanks to @Dr. Spendlove for the great suggestion to improve the generally negative Starport Closed Rumor with a recruiting bonus. With work halted at the starport, skilled mechanics are looking for other work and willing to go offworld to get it. Any Mechanic recruited in the hall or from Contacts gains +2 bonus levels.
Negative Jump Cost
While there was a valid strat for a while to achieve a negative Jump cost for your ship and then generate Water-Fuel by hyperwarping -- this bug is now closed. Your jump cost will never drop below zero with Update #203.
Custom Window Sizing
On Windows and Linux you can now use command line arguments to define your own window size. You can set these directly in the Steam client. There are 4 arguments used in order, such as: winwidth 1820 winheight 900 These have been available on Windows for a while but are now available on Linux as well.
v3.0.47 - 3/3/2020
- Added new type of primary blade weapon -- the Straightblade relies on Quickness instead of Strength - Added 2 high level Straightblades for sale from weapon selling Contacts - Added 2 high level Straightblades to the relic weapon card from Orbital Salvage - Starport rumor increases level of Mechanic hired at Spice Hall by +2 levels - Fixed: Negative Jump Cost can add Water-Fuel when jumping - Fixed: Issues where "Brooding Jyeeta Spore" could generate too many artifacts - Slight increase in Retrain Costs, fixed Custom Difficult Retrain Costs to equal "Hard" - Added custom window size command line support for Linux (winwidth, winheight) - Fixed typos with Blade Dancer Talents
Update #202: Save 50% + Renown Blade Dancer + Cyber Knights
With 8 days remaining in our Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter, we are are closing time. Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, plunges you and your team of hand-picked mercs, thieves and hackers into the future of cyberpunk. Combining a mix of stealth, hacking and XCOM-inspired combat, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint wraps a cyberpunk world full of consequential story choices and significant character development around a rich core of classic and new turn-based gameplay mechanics. Flashpoint takes place in one of the oldest cities on the eastern seaboard which has become a melting pot of influences, criminal elements and corporate power players. Weve taken inspiration from our years of pen and paper RPGs as well as cyberpunk greats like Phillip K. Dick and William Gibson to craft a city steeped in history, alive with character and awash with neon. On Kickstarter, we are selling pre-order copies of the game at a discount, but most importantly we are gathering a might alpha team of players. If you want to be the first to play the game, months before its Steam release, and work closely with the Trese Brothers team to help us mold the final experience we hope you will join the project on Kickstarter to pledge today! Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tresebrothers/cyber-knights?ref=6n6pht
Born from a time long before the Guild the Exodus, the ancient art of Blade Dancing has been a long-loved tradition of the carnival-like spice hall for hundreds of generations. Blade Dancers combine ritualized dance, acrobatics and dueling. Eccentric performers known for their spice hall antics, they can also take their aggressive blade style to battle. While the most famous Blade Dancing styles and rituals are associated with Steel Song, it is an art with practitioners from every faction. The Blade Dancer Job focuses on Blades, Negotiate and Tactics as their Skill trio and brings a wide variety of exciting Talents to the table. The bring unique Talents to the spice hall, causing the round of spice on which their Talents are fired to be free ($0) in return for their performance while either boosting crew Morale further of gaining new Contact introductions. Blade Dancers have a unique ability to also have a chance to learn of a new Contact whenever completing an orbital mission, as rumors of their presence aboard your ship go before you. In addition, they also bring a unique rank 11 ability to the Black Market access -- their longstanding tradition and place on the edge of society allows them to diffuse situations with security and avoid cargo confiscation and reputation penalties. Long has the tradition been that a Smugglers keep Blade Dancers among their crew! In crew combat, Blade Dancers are offensively focused to a fault. Theirs is not a profession and performance that leads to practical defensive fighting but instead acrobatic movements and sweeping flourishes of the blade. They can be deadly but without additional training they may be a risk to inject into a high level combat. Therefore, Blade Dancers do best as an officer on your crew, crossed with other combat jobs to give them flexibility (Pistoleer) or improved defenses (Swordsman) or stealth before they come flying out (Assassin) in a Squall of Blades!
You can immediately train any officer to the Blade Dancer Job or look to hire Blade Dancers from either the Spice Hall or Contacts. During Spice Festival Rumors, Blade Dancers are always available. You can also hire them from Courtesan and Troubadour Contacts. When recruiting a new Blade Dancer, keep in ind the affinity of the Steel Song Clan with the performance practice -- any Blade Dancer coming from the Steel Song Clan gets an additional Attribute bonus.
Update #202 also roles out 2 new Contact Traits that add additional recruiting capabilities. Those Contacts with "Security Minded" Trait are focused on their own protection and will pay more for missions, recruit higher level characters and offer Bodyguard as a Trait-driven recruit. Those Contacts with "Lux Living" love the finer things in life and spend heavily to enjoy such delights. To cover their cost, they increase the cost of all of their services, but also recruit higher level characters and offer Blade Dancers as their Trait-driven recruit. We're always working to create new and interesting Contact Traits to further push the already huge variety of combinable Traits and options.
With Update #202, we've also improved the Gunner "Flak Attack" Talent to last an additional turn, preventing enemy ships from launching fighters for 2 turns instead of 1. We've also resolved a bug where Jyeeta Artifacts were marked as being produced by Indies sometimes. Now wouldn't that bring up some tough questions?
- New Job Blade Dancer excels Contact manipulation, spice hall activity and at deadly crew combat - Blade Dancers recruited from Steel Song spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - 15 new Talents for Blade Dancer including multiple unique Talent types, uses and combat combos - Contact types Courtesan and Troubadour both offer Blade Dancer as recruits - During Spice Festival Rumors, Blade Dancers can be recruited in the Spice Hall - New Contact Trait "Security Minded" pays better for Missions, promotes Rank cheaper, all recruits +1 level, hires Bodyguards - New Contact Trait "Lux Living" increases all service cost by 15%, all recruits +1 level, hires Blade Dancers - Gunner's "Flak Attack" Talent gains +1 turn duration to prevent enemy craft launches for 2 turns - Fixed faction ownership of Jyeeta Artifact cargo found on human ships (now Jyeeta faction!)
[ 2020-02-26 16:56:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
Coming out of the spice hall in a whirl of steel, a sharp laugh and even sharper wit -- the Blade Dancer has arrived! We're excited to release the 34th Job for Star Traders: Frontiers and expand the options for your multi-job officer corp or your specialist crews.
Before we dive into the flashy details of Update #202, we want to take a quick moment to highlight our next game, Cyber Knights!
Cyber Knights Kickstarter - Last Chance!
With 8 days remaining in our Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter, we are are closing time. Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, plunges you and your team of hand-picked mercs, thieves and hackers into the future of cyberpunk. Combining a mix of stealth, hacking and XCOM-inspired combat, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint wraps a cyberpunk world full of consequential story choices and significant character development around a rich core of classic and new turn-based gameplay mechanics. Flashpoint takes place in one of the oldest cities on the eastern seaboard which has become a melting pot of influences, criminal elements and corporate power players. Weve taken inspiration from our years of pen and paper RPGs as well as cyberpunk greats like Phillip K. Dick and William Gibson to craft a city steeped in history, alive with character and awash with neon. On Kickstarter, we are selling pre-order copies of the game at a discount, but most importantly we are gathering a might alpha team of players. If you want to be the first to play the game, months before its Steam release, and work closely with the Trese Brothers team to help us mold the final experience we hope you will join the project on Kickstarter to pledge today! Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tresebrothers/cyber-knights?ref=6n6pht
Blade Dancer
Born from a time long before the Guild the Exodus, the ancient art of Blade Dancing has been a long-loved tradition of the carnival-like spice hall for hundreds of generations. Blade Dancers combine ritualized dance, acrobatics and dueling. Eccentric performers known for their spice hall antics, they can also take their aggressive blade style to battle. While the most famous Blade Dancing styles and rituals are associated with Steel Song, it is an art with practitioners from every faction. The Blade Dancer Job focuses on Blades, Negotiate and Tactics as their Skill trio and brings a wide variety of exciting Talents to the table. The bring unique Talents to the spice hall, causing the round of spice on which their Talents are fired to be free ($0) in return for their performance while either boosting crew Morale further of gaining new Contact introductions. Blade Dancers have a unique ability to also have a chance to learn of a new Contact whenever completing an orbital mission, as rumors of their presence aboard your ship go before you. In addition, they also bring a unique rank 11 ability to the Black Market access -- their longstanding tradition and place on the edge of society allows them to diffuse situations with security and avoid cargo confiscation and reputation penalties. Long has the tradition been that a Smugglers keep Blade Dancers among their crew! In crew combat, Blade Dancers are offensively focused to a fault. Theirs is not a profession and performance that leads to practical defensive fighting but instead acrobatic movements and sweeping flourishes of the blade. They can be deadly but without additional training they may be a risk to inject into a high level combat. Therefore, Blade Dancers do best as an officer on your crew, crossed with other combat jobs to give them flexibility (Pistoleer) or improved defenses (Swordsman) or stealth before they come flying out (Assassin) in a Squall of Blades!
You can immediately train any officer to the Blade Dancer Job or look to hire Blade Dancers from either the Spice Hall or Contacts. During Spice Festival Rumors, Blade Dancers are always available. You can also hire them from Courtesan and Troubadour Contacts. When recruiting a new Blade Dancer, keep in ind the affinity of the Steel Song Clan with the performance practice -- any Blade Dancer coming from the Steel Song Clan gets an additional Attribute bonus.
New Contact Traits
Update #202 also roles out 2 new Contact Traits that add additional recruiting capabilities. Those Contacts with "Security Minded" Trait are focused on their own protection and will pay more for missions, recruit higher level characters and offer Bodyguard as a Trait-driven recruit. Those Contacts with "Lux Living" love the finer things in life and spend heavily to enjoy such delights. To cover their cost, they increase the cost of all of their services, but also recruit higher level characters and offer Blade Dancers as their Trait-driven recruit. We're always working to create new and interesting Contact Traits to further push the already huge variety of combinable Traits and options.
Flak Attack and Artifacts
With Update #202, we've also improved the Gunner "Flak Attack" Talent to last an additional turn, preventing enemy ships from launching fighters for 2 turns instead of 1. We've also resolved a bug where Jyeeta Artifacts were marked as being produced by Indies sometimes. Now wouldn't that bring up some tough questions?
v3.0.45 - 2/25/2020
- New Job Blade Dancer excels Contact manipulation, spice hall activity and at deadly crew combat - Blade Dancers recruited from Steel Song spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes - 15 new Talents for Blade Dancer including multiple unique Talent types, uses and combat combos - Contact types Courtesan and Troubadour both offer Blade Dancer as recruits - During Spice Festival Rumors, Blade Dancers can be recruited in the Spice Hall - New Contact Trait "Security Minded" pays better for Missions, promotes Rank cheaper, all recruits +1 level, hires Bodyguards - New Contact Trait "Lux Living" increases all service cost by 15%, all recruits +1 level, hires Blade Dancers - Gunner's "Flak Attack" Talent gains +1 turn duration to prevent enemy craft launches for 2 turns - Fixed faction ownership of Jyeeta Artifact cargo found on human ships (now Jyeeta faction!)
Update #201: Spiced Navigator
Following the addition of quadrant names to the galactic map, its become clear that it would be a huge benefit to have them visible on the main quadrant map as well. We've had to do some reorganization of the scene to improve the performance (lots of calculations and auto-saves going on while flying) to ensure this will work seamlessly and smoothly. But -- we're happy to have hit the mark and now we can release system names fully displayed on the map. Even in a few hours of play, I've found that my knowledge of different quadrants is so much better and places feel so much more familiar as I travel the void.
The recruit review option has been a big hit and we've updated it today with the most consistent piece of feedback we've heard so far -- which is the need to have visibility into max hit points and morale. Of course, you could guess at this but what fun is guessing when the numbers can just be onscreen? We've also fixed some of the overlap issues that could happen on high UI scale or lower resolution monitors.
We have also fixed a crash that was causing grade 7 bombers to fail in bombing and grade 7 shuttles to fail in boarding. Thanks for all of your support, reviews and feedback!
- Quadrant map now features system names directly displayed over system, hidden while moving - Added max Health and max Morale to Recruit review offer - Added banner to Star Traders: Frontiers main menu to share Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter - Fixed bombing and boarding crash with new grade 7 craft
[ 2020-02-18 17:06:08 CET ] [ Original post ]
We wouldn't want to sit on Update #200 too long -- you might get the idea we aren't updating constantly around here! So, we're rolling out Update #201 with some enhancements to the new recruit review feature and a major improvement to the quadrant map screen to help navigation. We also fixed a crash with the new grade 7 craft that needed to be put to rest.
We have also added an in-game advertisement banner for our live Kickstarter for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. It will stay on the main menu for as long as the campaign is running (through March 5th). We heard for years after the end of the Star Traders: Frontiers Kickstarter from so many players "I missed the Kickstarter" or "I wish I had known!" We've added this small ad banner to help raise awareness and get the word out as many of the rewards available during the Kickstarter will never be offered again.
For a little bit longer, we're going to talk a lot about it :D Bear with us -- Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is our next game -- a turn-based tactics cyberpunk game in the vein of greats in the tradition like XCOM. Jump into the Kickstarter to get a discounted pre-order, join the alpha team or join the game by creating a recruitable character and more. You step into the role of a Cyber Knight, an illegal covert operator with a permanent spinal implant that lets you lead your band of hackers, thieves and soldiers of fortune with unrivaled precision.
If you don't want to support the Kickstarter, you can wishlist or follow the game on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
System Names!
Following the addition of quadrant names to the galactic map, its become clear that it would be a huge benefit to have them visible on the main quadrant map as well. We've had to do some reorganization of the scene to improve the performance (lots of calculations and auto-saves going on while flying) to ensure this will work seamlessly and smoothly. But -- we're happy to have hit the mark and now we can release system names fully displayed on the map. Even in a few hours of play, I've found that my knowledge of different quadrants is so much better and places feel so much more familiar as I travel the void.
Recruit Health and Morale
The recruit review option has been a big hit and we've updated it today with the most consistent piece of feedback we've heard so far -- which is the need to have visibility into max hit points and morale. Of course, you could guess at this but what fun is guessing when the numbers can just be onscreen? We've also fixed some of the overlap issues that could happen on high UI scale or lower resolution monitors.
We have also fixed a crash that was causing grade 7 bombers to fail in bombing and grade 7 shuttles to fail in boarding. Thanks for all of your support, reviews and feedback!
v3.0.43 - 2/18/2020
- Quadrant map now features system names directly displayed over system, hidden while moving - Added max Health and max Morale to Recruit review offer - Added banner to Star Traders: Frontiers main menu to share Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter - Fixed bombing and boarding crash with new grade 7 craft
Update #200: Recruiter's Keen Eye
For those captains who want to recruit carefully and focus on finding only the best, we've added a new key recruiting feature that will help speed up play, reduce clicks and make recruiting more fun. There is a new option checkbox in every screen where you can recruit -- Spice Hall and at Contacts -- that allows you to review each recruit. When enabled, as soon as the recruit is taken on to your ship you get a pop up dialog that shows you their Attributes, Skills, known Traits and Initiative. You can decide to keep them or dismiss them (making space for another recruit attempt) with a single click. We know for those captains looking for a fast, combat-ready swordsman this might save a lot of time and effort so we are glad to finally deliver this improvement! While it isn't recruit pooling (looking at a pool of available recruits before recruiting them), this is about as far as we can take it in Star Traders: Frontiers based on limitations of the historical saved game format. We're excited to say that Cyber Knights is starting with pooling right out of the gate -- so thanks to everyone who gave that feedback loud and clear!
In Update #200, you may now encounter a new story event - the Clan Skyline Trade Accords - which join three powerful clans into a major Trade Alliance and spur on the release of grade 7 craft of all 3 types to faction Starports. The Clan Skyline Trade Accords will only come after the Zuden Techno Trade Concord which opens up grade 6 craft from some of the powerful syndicates and Thulun. I think everyone wants to know -- when will Alta Mesa make their comeback?
Unlocked the "Brood Slayer" achievement on Normal difficulty, the Horizon Cruiser is a new 6000 mass ship built specifically for anti-fighter devastation. It comes off the starport lines with as a flexible cruiser with good anti-fighter capabilities and very high hull points for its mass class. It's base shielding helps protect its large crew complement and its 9 small, 9 medium and 5 large slots make it a medium-to-large focused hull. As always, the ship design is designed off of successful player configurations that captains have shared with us and suggestions coming in from captains in the void. The AI enemy captains do not yet have access to the Horizon Cruiser but we'll be working on releasing it to them once we've seen how it is put through its paces.
- New Ship: 6000M Horizon Cruiser (Interdictor Cruiser) - Unlock Horizon Cruiser with "Brood Slayer" -- defend the quadrants from Jyeeta to unlock this - Added recruit review feature - new checkbox to enable reviewing each recruit as they join your crew in Spice Hall and Contact Recruiting - Enable to be check a recruits Attributes, Skills, known Traits and Initiative while recruiting, disable to recruit quickly - Added new story event -- Clan Skyline Trade Accord -- which creates a triple trade alliance and releases grade 7 craft - New Interdictor: Trifex Assault Mk2 (grade 7; Javat) - New Shuttle: Blackhall Ultra (grade 7; Moklumnue) - New Bomber: Trident DX9 (grade 7; Zenrin)
[ 2020-02-15 22:05:23 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #200 deserves to have some BOOM. So it took a few extra days, but we made sure it packs a huge punch with a new story event, 3 new grade 7 craft, a new ship and a major new recruiting feature! For big #200, we made sure there was some boom, bam and a lot of extra content for our captains to enjoy.
Before we move on to reviewing each part of Update #200 in detail, we want to make sure our players -- old and new -- hear about our next project, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint!
[previewyoutube=ugXVXD4l_cw;full][/previewyoutube]
Our next project, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter is currently on Kickstarter and you can jump in to get a discounted pre-order, join the alpha team or jump into the game to create a recruitable character and more. Cyber Knights is a tactical RPG that plunges you and your team of hackers, mercs and thieves into the neon-soaked future of 2231. Hire the right team under the crumbling New Boston Zone and mix stealth, hacking and combat skills to claw your way to the top of the criminal heap.
The campaign funded in the first 12 hours and is now smashing through stretch goals -- next up the new Skyrise environment -- so we want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has jumped in to support us. If you are on the fence, know that Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be cut from the same model as Star Traders: Frontiers -- developed with passion, deep mechanics, dynamic story, hundreds of updates, free expansions and no DLCs. If you enjoy that type of game, we hope you'll pledge today!
If you don't want to support the Kickstarter, you can wishlist or follow the game on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Recruiting Review
For those captains who want to recruit carefully and focus on finding only the best, we've added a new key recruiting feature that will help speed up play, reduce clicks and make recruiting more fun. There is a new option checkbox in every screen where you can recruit -- Spice Hall and at Contacts -- that allows you to review each recruit. When enabled, as soon as the recruit is taken on to your ship you get a pop up dialog that shows you their Attributes, Skills, known Traits and Initiative. You can decide to keep them or dismiss them (making space for another recruit attempt) with a single click. We know for those captains looking for a fast, combat-ready swordsman this might save a lot of time and effort so we are glad to finally deliver this improvement! While it isn't recruit pooling (looking at a pool of available recruits before recruiting them), this is about as far as we can take it in Star Traders: Frontiers based on limitations of the historical saved game format. We're excited to say that Cyber Knights is starting with pooling right out of the gate -- so thanks to everyone who gave that feedback loud and clear!
Grade 7 Craft Story Event
In Update #200, you may now encounter a new story event - the Clan Skyline Trade Accords - which join three powerful clans into a major Trade Alliance and spur on the release of grade 7 craft of all 3 types to faction Starports. The Clan Skyline Trade Accords will only come after the Zuden Techno Trade Concord which opens up grade 6 craft from some of the powerful syndicates and Thulun. I think everyone wants to know -- when will Alta Mesa make their comeback?
New Horizon Cruiser
Unlocked the "Brood Slayer" achievement on Normal difficulty, the Horizon Cruiser is a new 6000 mass ship built specifically for anti-fighter devastation. It comes off the starport lines with as a flexible cruiser with good anti-fighter capabilities and very high hull points for its mass class. It's base shielding helps protect its large crew complement and its 9 small, 9 medium and 5 large slots make it a medium-to-large focused hull. As always, the ship design is designed off of successful player configurations that captains have shared with us and suggestions coming in from captains in the void. The AI enemy captains do not yet have access to the Horizon Cruiser but we'll be working on releasing it to them once we've seen how it is put through its paces.
v3.0.41 - 2/15/2020
- New Ship: 6000M Horizon Cruiser (Interdictor Cruiser) - Unlock Horizon Cruiser with "Brood Slayer" -- defend the quadrants from Jyeeta to unlock this - Added recruit review feature - new checkbox to enable reviewing each recruit as they join your crew in Spice Hall and Contact Recruiting - Enable to be check a recruits Attributes, Skills, known Traits and Initiative while recruiting, disable to recruit quickly - Added new story event -- Clan Skyline Trade Accord -- which creates a triple trade alliance and releases grade 7 craft - New Interdictor: Trifex Assault Mk2 (grade 7; Javat) - New Shuttle: Blackhall Ultra (grade 7; Moklumnue) - New Bomber: Trident DX9 (grade 7; Zenrin)
Update #199: Carriers Rising
Having gone live on last Monday, our Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter funded in less than 12 hours and is now smashing through stretch goals as more and more backers join the project. While the game's main development is funded by sales of Star Traders: Frontiers and our other successful games, we have come to Kickstarter to help us expand the game's scope, beauty and depth. So a huge thank you to everyone who has come out to support our efforts or told a friend. If you haven't, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be cut from the same model as Star Traders: Frontiers -- developed with passion, deep mechanics, dynamic story, hundreds of updates, free expansions and no DLCs. If you love that, we hope you'll pledge today!
The newest fast attack carrier -- the Reach -- has just been announced at starports across the galaxy. The Reach Carrier's combination of flexible weapons and substantial space for small craft is made possible by an advanced, light-weight Dual-Field Reactor Core. The Reach Carrier trades fuel capacity for armor and firepower. It's an exciting new option for captains trying out fast strike carriers.
It has become even more important with Update #199 to have a plan against enemy carriers. The appearance of human carriers has been increased across the board by roughly 5%, which while it may sound small is definitely felt across a captain's career. Even if the plan is "run!" you'll need a plan now more than ever. Three new carrier-specific AI have been added for the enemy captains, improving the variety of strategies and ship builds that these types of enemies will use. The new AI as well as the existing human AI models have all gained some improvements as to how they plan and lay out their craft and pilots for the Extremis, Skylift and Strike Carrier ships.
Due to the small differences in cost, it has long been the most efficient move to save up a little more money to skip from the lowest level ship weapons (1 or 2) to the highest (6 or 7) without taking any intermediary upgrades. With Update #199 we're starting the process of correcting that by rebalancing the prices of rank 6, 7 and 8 weaponry to ensure their prices are in the correct line with other components at a similar tier. In all cases, this involved significant price increases. Of course, the AI have to contended with the same price increases so everyone will find it a bit more challenging to get high level weaponry. We've also rebalanced and increased the price of all Dual-Field Void Engines which have such strong stats and additional utility for their low mass. Finally, we've ticked up the price for Defense Pattern Matrix 3 and 4 to make sure they are appropriately priced for their value within the overall set of components. As always, we're fixing extra bugs and has resolved some issues with Awards, dry dock and more. We hope you'll take a look at the Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter as well.
- New Ship: 5000M Reach Carrier (Fast Attack Carrier) - Added 3 New Carrier Focused AI Captains - Added new Captain's Log entry for new ship purchases - Increased generation of human AI carriers by 5% - Improved AI behavior on Extremis, Skylift and Strike Carrier Ships - Rebalanced ship weapons and increased costs at Level 6, 7 and 8 - Increased prices of Dual-Field Engines - Increased prices of Defense Pattern Matrix 3 and 4 - Fixed issues with awards "Master Smuggler" 1, 2 and 3 firing too early - Fixes issues with upgrading Cabins and Prison Cells on Dry Docked Ships
[ 2020-02-10 00:36:42 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #199 comes out with a new uptick in the occurences of human captains flying carriers (no change to xeno), multiple new carrier focused AI strategies for captains, and a new fast attack carrier for players and enemies both. We've also made some important rebalancing changes to the cost of high end weapons, dual-field engines and some of the high-end defensive components. The pricing bands for components of different levels is widening across the board, driving up the price of building an end-game ship for the better. Of course, the AI is using all the same prices and so gets a symmetrical change to their build choices as well.
We also have some very exciting news in our other major game project!
Cyber Knights is Live on Kickstarter
Having gone live on last Monday, our Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter funded in less than 12 hours and is now smashing through stretch goals as more and more backers join the project. While the game's main development is funded by sales of Star Traders: Frontiers and our other successful games, we have come to Kickstarter to help us expand the game's scope, beauty and depth. So a huge thank you to everyone who has come out to support our efforts or told a friend. If you haven't, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be cut from the same model as Star Traders: Frontiers -- developed with passion, deep mechanics, dynamic story, hundreds of updates, free expansions and no DLCs. If you love that, we hope you'll pledge today!
Reach Carrier
The newest fast attack carrier -- the Reach -- has just been announced at starports across the galaxy. The Reach Carrier's combination of flexible weapons and substantial space for small craft is made possible by an advanced, light-weight Dual-Field Reactor Core. The Reach Carrier trades fuel capacity for armor and firepower. It's an exciting new option for captains trying out fast strike carriers.
Increased Enemy Carriers
It has become even more important with Update #199 to have a plan against enemy carriers. The appearance of human carriers has been increased across the board by roughly 5%, which while it may sound small is definitely felt across a captain's career. Even if the plan is "run!" you'll need a plan now more than ever. Three new carrier-specific AI have been added for the enemy captains, improving the variety of strategies and ship builds that these types of enemies will use. The new AI as well as the existing human AI models have all gained some improvements as to how they plan and lay out their craft and pilots for the Extremis, Skylift and Strike Carrier ships.
Component Price Rebalance
Due to the small differences in cost, it has long been the most efficient move to save up a little more money to skip from the lowest level ship weapons (1 or 2) to the highest (6 or 7) without taking any intermediary upgrades. With Update #199 we're starting the process of correcting that by rebalancing the prices of rank 6, 7 and 8 weaponry to ensure their prices are in the correct line with other components at a similar tier. In all cases, this involved significant price increases. Of course, the AI have to contended with the same price increases so everyone will find it a bit more challenging to get high level weaponry. We've also rebalanced and increased the price of all Dual-Field Void Engines which have such strong stats and additional utility for their low mass. Finally, we've ticked up the price for Defense Pattern Matrix 3 and 4 to make sure they are appropriately priced for their value within the overall set of components. As always, we're fixing extra bugs and has resolved some issues with Awards, dry dock and more. We hope you'll take a look at the Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter as well.
v3.0.39 - 2/9/2020
- New Ship: 5000M Reach Carrier (Fast Attack Carrier) - Added 3 New Carrier Focused AI Captains - Added new Captain's Log entry for new ship purchases - Increased generation of human AI carriers by 5% - Improved AI behavior on Extremis, Skylift and Strike Carrier Ships - Rebalanced ship weapons and increased costs at Level 6, 7 and 8 - Increased prices of Dual-Field Engines - Increased prices of Defense Pattern Matrix 3 and 4 - Fixed issues with awards "Master Smuggler" 1, 2 and 3 firing too early - Fixes issues with upgrading Cabins and Prison Cells on Dry Docked Ships
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter
[ 2020-02-04 06:14:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
[previewyoutube=qCavPLvJAd8;full][/previewyoutube]
Under the crumbling New Boston dome, in the flickering neon ... your Cyber Knight is born with the irreversible implant of an illegal spinal computer ...
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is a tactical RPG that plunges you and your team of hackers, mercs and thieves into the cyberpunk future of 2231. Hire the right team under the crumbling New Boston Zone and mix stealth, hacking and combat skills to claw your way to the top of the criminal heap in this turn-based squad RPG inspired by X-COM and other greats of the genre.
The Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter is now live and has already funded within the first 10 hours.
Explore the dystopian cyberpunk future of 2231 as you command a company of shadow mercenaries working for the highest bidder. Cyber Knights wraps a world full of consequential story choices and significant character development around a rich core of classic and new mechanics.
If you've played Star Traders: Frontiers you know our record of passion and dedication for the games we create. We're bringing our unique and prove gamedev process to Cyber Knights and can't wait to share this new game with all of you. If you're interested, join us on the alpha test and be the first to play the game and work closely with our team daily to help us balance, improve and expand the game before it launches.
As a special incentive, If you back the Cyber Knights Kickstarter within the first 48 hours of the campaign, youll receive a digital code to unlock the starting storyline expander, Horizon Cypher. This optional expanded storyline adds a major twist to your first weeks after your cybernetic surgery and transformation into a Cyber Knight.
We hope you'll come check out the Kickstarter and help us make this ambitious cyberpunk game.
Or, wishlist the game on Steam today!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/
Update #198: Close Combat Carrier
The Extremis Carrier is a close-support carrier designed for heavy combat duty. Supporting a full compliment of 7 officers by default, the ship have plenty of room for a boarding team or fighter pilots. Powered by the advance dual-field Void Engine, the Extremis Carrier is mass-efficient and have ample room for upgrades and expansions, even with the heavily compliment of railguns and missile systems. Heavy Shielding in both cabins and crew spaces increases crew survivability during ship combat, making it very effective at mid-range combat in support of a fighter wing. The Extremis is a Range-3 build and will be in the hands of the AI soon, beware.
Those Contacts offering the Black Market can offer more powerful protection to Star Traders who work their way up the levels of the illegal service. First, the top most level "Ironclad Access" has gained some big improvement and significantly increased its impact on drawing 3 positive cards over drawing 3 negative cards into a hand. This is perhaps the largest determining factor of risk within the card draw, and consistently drawing only 2 negative makes your Talents go a lot farther, helping you avoid rounds where you simply can't knock out all of the unacceptable risks. Contacts offering higher levels of access also just increase their impact on good card draws with Update #197. We've also buffed the Trait Mutation paths that come out of sneaking into the Black Market, adding some exciting new options all the way up to including the chance to gain a Device Freak Trait.
We've worked through a ton of items from the community this week, such as improving the Trait mutations from Radiation Storm and Spying. Boarding Talents that cause debuffs like Bio-Agent Bomb now leave helpful result rows in the boarding screen. We've prevent Flash Charge from appearing multiple times in Mission menus and better sorted the components in the ship status view. A huge thanks to everyone posting and making suggestions! [previewyoutube=E1f1kKTezXE;full][/previewyoutube] We are now less than 36 hours away from the launching the Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter. The campaign will go live on Monday, February 3rd at noon EST. We hope you will help us get the campaign off to the strongest start possible by backing in the first 48 hours. Check out the Kickstarter sneak peak!
- New Ship: 6000M Extremis Carrier (Close Combat Carrier) - Big improvement to strength of Contact's "Ironclad Access" Black Market level on drawing 3 positive and 2 negative cards (over 2 and 3) - Improved influence of Contact's Black Market level on good and bad card draws across the board - Buffed Trait mutation types generated by Black Market success (including adding Device Freak) - Rebalanced Trait mutation types generated by Radiation Storm, Spy Run - Certain boarding Talents like Bio-Agent Bomb now have a result log shown after use when boarding - Prevented "Flash Charge" option from appearing multiple times in Mission preambles - Improved component sorting in ship status view - Fixed bugs with Trait Mutation following Hyperwarp jumps
[ 2020-02-02 04:55:37 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #198 deploys with a new mid-weight strike carrier, the Extremis as well as major rebalancing to the Black Market based on your rank with your Contact. We've also been working to keep up with the active community making suggestions, requests and posting up any issues still discovered.
We've got some exciting content coming and are working on a set of new story arcs while we are doing the underlying engineer required to prepare for map seeds version 2. It's going to be a big and glorious improvement for the game, but it will take some time to incubate. Check out our dev roadmap to keep up with the next big steps.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1696055855739611821
Strike Carrier Extreme
The Extremis Carrier is a close-support carrier designed for heavy combat duty. Supporting a full compliment of 7 officers by default, the ship have plenty of room for a boarding team or fighter pilots. Powered by the advance dual-field Void Engine, the Extremis Carrier is mass-efficient and have ample room for upgrades and expansions, even with the heavily compliment of railguns and missile systems. Heavy Shielding in both cabins and crew spaces increases crew survivability during ship combat, making it very effective at mid-range combat in support of a fighter wing. The Extremis is a Range-3 build and will be in the hands of the AI soon, beware.
Ironclad Access
Those Contacts offering the Black Market can offer more powerful protection to Star Traders who work their way up the levels of the illegal service. First, the top most level "Ironclad Access" has gained some big improvement and significantly increased its impact on drawing 3 positive cards over drawing 3 negative cards into a hand. This is perhaps the largest determining factor of risk within the card draw, and consistently drawing only 2 negative makes your Talents go a lot farther, helping you avoid rounds where you simply can't knock out all of the unacceptable risks. Contacts offering higher levels of access also just increase their impact on good card draws with Update #197. We've also buffed the Trait Mutation paths that come out of sneaking into the Black Market, adding some exciting new options all the way up to including the chance to gain a Device Freak Trait.
Community Reports/Suggestions
We've worked through a ton of items from the community this week, such as improving the Trait mutations from Radiation Storm and Spying. Boarding Talents that cause debuffs like Bio-Agent Bomb now leave helpful result rows in the boarding screen. We've prevent Flash Charge from appearing multiple times in Mission menus and better sorted the components in the ship status view. A huge thanks to everyone posting and making suggestions! [previewyoutube=E1f1kKTezXE;full][/previewyoutube] We are now less than 36 hours away from the launching the Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter. The campaign will go live on Monday, February 3rd at noon EST. We hope you will help us get the campaign off to the strongest start possible by backing in the first 48 hours. Check out the Kickstarter sneak peak!
v3.0.37 - 2/1/2020
- New Ship: 6000M Extremis Carrier (Close Combat Carrier) - Big improvement to strength of Contact's "Ironclad Access" Black Market level on drawing 3 positive and 2 negative cards (over 2 and 3) - Improved influence of Contact's Black Market level on good and bad card draws across the board - Buffed Trait mutation types generated by Black Market success (including adding Device Freak) - Rebalanced Trait mutation types generated by Radiation Storm, Spy Run - Certain boarding Talents like Bio-Agent Bomb now have a result log shown after use when boarding - Prevented "Flash Charge" option from appearing multiple times in Mission preambles - Improved component sorting in ship status view - Fixed bugs with Trait Mutation following Hyperwarp jumps
Craft Patch v3.0.33
- Fixed crash with ship encounter Talents like Blackheart Fraud - Fixed crash when using new craft on attack flight plans - Fixed crash when interdictor attacked enemy craft - Fixed crash whenever launching Feralight M8 craft - Fixed crazy numbers show in results of "Covert Signals" Spy Talent
[ 2020-01-26 15:10:45 CET ] [ Original post ]
Tonight we've put out a quick patch release to fix some issues that were introduced in Update #197 related to craft. Something about these new craft never finished baking right. We've tossed them back in the oven for a bit and this update will help us get back to bug free new Interdictors!
Thanks to everyone leaving a review and posting bugs and feedback!
v3.0.35 - 1/25/2020
- Fixed crash with ship encounter Talents like Blackheart Fraud - Fixed crash when using new craft on attack flight plans - Fixed crash when interdictor attacked enemy craft - Fixed crash whenever launching Feralight M8 craft - Fixed crazy numbers show in results of "Covert Signals" Spy Talent
Update #197: Venerable Liner
Some big changes have swooped in for the craft versus craft fighting with Update #197. First, we've separated an Interdictor's chance to hit an enemy capital ship from its chance to hit an enemy craft. In total, this is about a +20% accuracy boost across the board. Also, we've changed the Skill used for attacking an enemy craft to Gunnery instead of Electronics, which plays to the favor of Interdictor builds.
The newest addition to the craft you can purchase at the starport are built to hunt, seek and destroy enemy craft. These 3 new Interdictors from Cadar, Thulun and Alta Mesa are focused on defensive flight plans only and will not do well attempting to attack the enemy ship. However, they shine with high chance to hit other craft, higher void damage and higher engine agility. They're great for taking out torps and missiles too.
For those players often using the Navigator's "Flash Charge" talent, the inability to use it in mission combats has made more things unfairly challenging. The captain of the carrier I was flying today during testing was supremely happy to be able to use Flash Charge at last in his bounty hunting missions, as his ship has no weapons he can fire from range 5 and getting to 4 makes all the difference. Flash Charge still can't be used in every story situation, but we're working on ways to remedy that. This improvement also opens the door for future pre-combat Talents that may be added (pre-launching an Interdictor for example) and making them easy to add to the mission selection screen when they go live.
With this update, we've adjusted the Frontier Liner to focus more on exploring with its default configuration. Already boasting an A2 Weapons locker, we've stripped some of the shorter range guns off it in exchange for a Harvester Bay to increase rewards, an EVA Airlock to reduce ship damage during exploring and Matchweave Suits to cut down on crew damage. [previewyoutube=E1f1kKTezXE;full][/previewyoutube]
The big year of 2020 has arrived and we're now 11 days and counting from launching Cyber Knights: Flashpoint on Kickstarter! You play the razor-sharp leader of a band of soldiers of fortune, hackers and thieves operating under the crumbling dome of the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in FEB 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Added 3 new Interdictor craft (Cadar, Thulun, Alta Mesa) designed specifically as defensive and for dogfighting - Added 3 new craft design visuals for new interdictor models - Split out Interdictor's chance % to hit craft from ships, increases dogfighting accuracy by about 20% across the board - Chance to hit enemy craft during dogfighting now based on craft Gunnery over Electronics, increases dogfighting accuracy - Missions for ship combat now offer Navigator "Flash Charge" as an option to start the battle - Improved Frontier Liner starting configuration to be more Exploring focused, added Harvester Bay (m) and EVA Airlock and Matchweave Suits (s) - Fixed issues in Orbital Ops that could result in occasional Conflict/Faction mismatch - Trait cards in Salvage improved and bugs with not applying Traits fixed - Fixed some display issues on Game Over screen
[ 2020-01-22 22:46:23 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #197 is hot on the tail of #196, following up with improvements to Interdictor craft versus craft battle in the void, 3 new craft specifically built for it, a big improvement to Missions to allow the Flash Charge Talent, and tweaks to the venerable Frontier Liner starting ship.
If you're enjoying the updates, we be sure to leave a review!
Dogfighting Adjustments
Some big changes have swooped in for the craft versus craft fighting with Update #197. First, we've separated an Interdictor's chance to hit an enemy capital ship from its chance to hit an enemy craft. In total, this is about a +20% accuracy boost across the board. Also, we've changed the Skill used for attacking an enemy craft to Gunnery instead of Electronics, which plays to the favor of Interdictor builds.
Built to Hunt
The newest addition to the craft you can purchase at the starport are built to hunt, seek and destroy enemy craft. These 3 new Interdictors from Cadar, Thulun and Alta Mesa are focused on defensive flight plans only and will not do well attempting to attack the enemy ship. However, they shine with high chance to hit other craft, higher void damage and higher engine agility. They're great for taking out torps and missiles too.
Flash Charge Comes to Town
For those players often using the Navigator's "Flash Charge" talent, the inability to use it in mission combats has made more things unfairly challenging. The captain of the carrier I was flying today during testing was supremely happy to be able to use Flash Charge at last in his bounty hunting missions, as his ship has no weapons he can fire from range 5 and getting to 4 makes all the difference. Flash Charge still can't be used in every story situation, but we're working on ways to remedy that. This improvement also opens the door for future pre-combat Talents that may be added (pre-launching an Interdictor for example) and making them easy to add to the mission selection screen when they go live.
Frontier Liner
With this update, we've adjusted the Frontier Liner to focus more on exploring with its default configuration. Already boasting an A2 Weapons locker, we've stripped some of the shorter range guns off it in exchange for a Harvester Bay to increase rewards, an EVA Airlock to reduce ship damage during exploring and Matchweave Suits to cut down on crew damage. [previewyoutube=E1f1kKTezXE;full][/previewyoutube]
Next Project: Cyber Knights
The big year of 2020 has arrived and we're now 11 days and counting from launching Cyber Knights: Flashpoint on Kickstarter! You play the razor-sharp leader of a band of soldiers of fortune, hackers and thieves operating under the crumbling dome of the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in FEB 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.31 - 1/22/2019
- Added 3 new Interdictor craft (Cadar, Thulun, Alta Mesa) designed specifically as defensive and for dogfighting - Added 3 new craft design visuals for new interdictor models - Split out Interdictor's chance % to hit craft from ships, increases dogfighting accuracy by about 20% across the board - Chance to hit enemy craft during dogfighting now based on craft Gunnery over Electronics, increases dogfighting accuracy - Missions for ship combat now offer Navigator "Flash Charge" as an option to start the battle - Improved Frontier Liner starting configuration to be more Exploring focused, added Harvester Bay (m) and EVA Airlock and Matchweave Suits (s) - Fixed issues in Orbital Ops that could result in occasional Conflict/Faction mismatch - Trait cards in Salvage improved and bugs with not applying Traits fixed - Fixed some display issues on Game Over screen
Update #196: Dogfighting!
Interdictors have gained another key defensive capability. Those on defensive flight plans around the capital ship will now both intercept incoming torps and missiles, but will also attack bombers, shuttles and interdictors that have closed with their ship. The targeting rules are such that any engagement / weapons fire will be soaked up by enemy interdictors, so there if you're facing stiff enemy interdictor defenses you can protect your own bombers by sending over aggressive interdictors. Beware, the enemy may do this as well, covering their bomber and shuttle assaults with aggressive interdictors.
The galactic map is easier than ever to use with full quadrant names now displayed under every quadrant. Thanks to everyone in the community who has been pushing for this simple but extremely helpful change. A gross amount of time is reduced looking for a quadrant, tracking mission routes over hover. Enjoy, captains!
Salvage is the last orbital op to receive a full revamp of all of the math underlying its risk and reward factors, now joining Patrol, Spy, Blockade and ground Exploration. The updates to the math help prevent some odd catch 22 scenarios where higher Skills and stats drove the risk and reward factors in strange directions, as well as just better balancing the inputs to the entire system. As always, where you Salvage and who your Salvage crew are critical to your success, so check those factors! The Skills of Electronics, Tactics, Explorer and Repair have all gained a boost in their ability to impact card draws.
We've increased the impacts that getting involved in the Jyeeta Brood Era storyline can have on the timing of the entire quest chain. Working with the HQ commanders will extend the timeline by about 20% more than it did before Update #196, giving everyone those extra weeks needed to reach 0/100.
The big year of 2020 has arrived and we're a few short weeks away from launching Cyber Knights: Flashpoint on KicKStarter! You play the razor-sharp leader of a band of soldiers of fortune, hackers and thieves operating under the crumbling dome of the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in FEB 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Interdictors on defensive flight plans will now intercept and attack enemy craft that close on their capital ship - Interdictors can dogfight an enemy craft and shoot down an enemy torpedo or missile - All quadrant names now visible on galactic map - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Orbital Salvage including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Increased Impact of Electronics and Tactics Skills during Salvage mini-game card selection - Increased Impact of Repair and Explorer Skills during Salvage mini-game card selection - Removed 5 negative or neutral cards from Salvage deck mix, increases positive card draws - Added extra places where Jyeeta Era timeline can be extended by helping the HQ commanders - Increased length of ship combat logs to 60 lines - Fixed incorrect amount of discount shown during purchasing a new ship for "Hard Bargain" Talent
[ 2020-01-16 18:52:59 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #196 comes barreling out of the hangar bay, locking its scopes and sights on incoming enemy bombers and immediately vectoring to engage. With this update, Interdictors on capital ship defense will now attack enemy bombers, we've added highly useful labels to the quadrant map, revamped the math backing Salvage Orbital Op, eased the time restriction on the Jyeeta achievement and more.
Interdictor Dogfights
Interdictors have gained another key defensive capability. Those on defensive flight plans around the capital ship will now both intercept incoming torps and missiles, but will also attack bombers, shuttles and interdictors that have closed with their ship. The targeting rules are such that any engagement / weapons fire will be soaked up by enemy interdictors, so there if you're facing stiff enemy interdictor defenses you can protect your own bombers by sending over aggressive interdictors. Beware, the enemy may do this as well, covering their bomber and shuttle assaults with aggressive interdictors.
Galactic Map Scanning
The galactic map is easier than ever to use with full quadrant names now displayed under every quadrant. Thanks to everyone in the community who has been pushing for this simple but extremely helpful change. A gross amount of time is reduced looking for a quadrant, tracking mission routes over hover. Enjoy, captains!
Orbital Salvage
Salvage is the last orbital op to receive a full revamp of all of the math underlying its risk and reward factors, now joining Patrol, Spy, Blockade and ground Exploration. The updates to the math help prevent some odd catch 22 scenarios where higher Skills and stats drove the risk and reward factors in strange directions, as well as just better balancing the inputs to the entire system. As always, where you Salvage and who your Salvage crew are critical to your success, so check those factors! The Skills of Electronics, Tactics, Explorer and Repair have all gained a boost in their ability to impact card draws.
Jyeeta Timeline
We've increased the impacts that getting involved in the Jyeeta Brood Era storyline can have on the timing of the entire quest chain. Working with the HQ commanders will extend the timeline by about 20% more than it did before Update #196, giving everyone those extra weeks needed to reach 0/100.
Next Project: Cyber Knights
The big year of 2020 has arrived and we're a few short weeks away from launching Cyber Knights: Flashpoint on KicKStarter! You play the razor-sharp leader of a band of soldiers of fortune, hackers and thieves operating under the crumbling dome of the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in FEB 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.29 - 1/16/2019
- Interdictors on defensive flight plans will now intercept and attack enemy craft that close on their capital ship - Interdictors can dogfight an enemy craft and shoot down an enemy torpedo or missile - All quadrant names now visible on galactic map - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Orbital Salvage including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Increased Impact of Electronics and Tactics Skills during Salvage mini-game card selection - Increased Impact of Repair and Explorer Skills during Salvage mini-game card selection - Removed 5 negative or neutral cards from Salvage deck mix, increases positive card draws - Added extra places where Jyeeta Era timeline can be extended by helping the HQ commanders - Increased length of ship combat logs to 60 lines - Fixed incorrect amount of discount shown during purchasing a new ship for "Hard Bargain" Talent
Update #195: Lethal Salvage
Salvage Weaponry
[ 2020-01-10 05:48:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #195 lands with some exciting new weapon salvage opportunity, one of the highest requested community features, We've also made some good changes to lower difficulty AI intelligence, fixed some Trait mutation pathways and caught up with recent community reports and suggestions.
So, without further delay -- here come the big hits from Update #195. For the rest, be sure to check the full release notes at the end.
Salvage Weaponry
While Orbital Salvage is known to be high risk there are chance of high rewards as well. With Update #195, we've added 12 new weapons to the salvage cards that turn up weapons. These weapons run the gamut of all the types, provide new interesting build angles and bump the highest possible level available in salvage up another tick. For those willing to take the risks, the rewards just got sweeter.
Show All Talents
Planning ahead is a key part of being a good captain, and the latest feature add makes that even easier. The "Show All Talents" checkbox on the Talent training screen now makes it easy to see all of the Talents for a given crew member or officer, even if you don't have the rank to train them. Due to the value of this new feature, its enabled by default but your selection will be remembered if you want to tick it off. Turn it on any time you need it for future planning! Thanks to the community members pushing this suggestion, its going to be a great add.
Enemy Intelligence by Difficulty
We've made some tweaks to how much difficulty effects enemy ship, crew and Talent selection. In this case, we've increased the strength of lower difficulties (Basic, Normal and the corresponding levels of custom difficulty) to make the AI a little less cohesive and focused in these buidls.
Next Project: Cyber Knights
As we slide into 2020, we're blasting the news that our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is coming to KickStarter in February -- just a little more than 3 weeks away. You play the razor-sharp leader of a band of soldiers, hackers and thieves operating under the crumbling dome of the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world.
Coming to KickStarter in FEB 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.27 - 1/9/2020
- Added "Show All Talents" toggle to training screen, defaults to showing all Talents even if you can't train them yet
- Added 12 new weapons to Salvage mini-game cards
- Down balanced AI crew/ship build intelligence on lower difficulties
- Captains can no longer develop the Klepto Trait under any mutation
- Improved log message when selling Rare Trade Goods
- Corrected some incorrect Trait names shown during Exploration mini-game results
- Fixed some missing action types listed under Talents (conscript, refuel, etc)
- Fixed crash in neutral arc of the Dissension Era when helping Estelle
- Fixed bug showing Trade Ban warning in Black Market while choosing to "Sell All" -- Black Market is not affected by any Conflicts
- Fixed mistaken Talent description of "Counterfeit Identity" Talent
Update #194: Field Operators
For a long time, spies have been the only human opponent that can get aggressive who have lacked some encounter Talents to give you options to reduce their hostility. That has now been resolved with Update #194, as we introduce 2 options. First is a Spy rank 1 Talent, "Cover Signals" which can reduce the hostility in enemy spy ships by up to 2 points. Second, we've expanded the Smuggler Talent "Forged Permit" to also affect Spies along with Military Officers and Zealots. However, for Spies you get a hostility reduction of 1 instead of the standard 2, so it is a little less effective.
We've added a set of 3 fuel discount Talents across the Merchant (rank 1), Scavenger (rank 1) and Smuggler (rank 8) to help you bring down the cost of fuel. At a 15% + Skill discount, this can be combined with Contact discounts and can make refueling pretty cheap. However, on a longer cooldown and taking precious Talent slots, these Talents aren't for every ship and build. For those large class fuel guzzlers, they might help keep cost down a lot.
We've also improved the handling of escape key or middle mouse button in the pre and post combat screens. If you open a tab, and then hit a back key the tab will now close and the main list will be displayed instead of leaving the screen altogether. We've fixed a bug that was hiding the Gunnery bonuses of offensive ship components like Interlocking Sensor Matrix and Targeting Matrices. We've fixed an ancient bug that was causing some Attribute bonuses from gear to come and go on loading a game.
As we roll into the new year, we're excited to share the news that our next game, Cyber Knights is coming to KickStarter in February 2020. You play the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in FEB 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Added 3 refuel discount Talents -- Merchant rank 1, Scavenger rank 1, Smuggler rank 8 - Added new Spy Talent "Covert Signals" reduces hostility with other Spies - Adjusted rules for Smuggler Talent "Forged Permit" by allowing it to reduce hostility for Spies (along with Zealot, Military Officers) - Improved combat/mission tab handling, ESC/back button returns to main list instead of closing - Fixed issue with ship offensive components not showing their Gunnery bonuses (Targeting and Interlocking Sensor Matrix, etc) - Fixed bug with some gear with Attribute bonuses causing itinerant +/- to the Attributes - Fixed issue with Exo-Scout recruiting 1 level lower than expected at Spice Hall - Fixed incorrect description for "Hard Bargain" Talent when purchasing a new ship - max discount is 10% - Corrected component upgrade warning in starport for prisoner cells
[ 2020-01-03 21:03:32 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to the New Year, captains! Its 213 AE ... err 2020! Let's ring it in with a new update. With Update #194, we've added new Talents to discount fuel purchases, added a new Spy ship encounter Talent and adjusted the rules on one of the Smuggler's Talents to allow it to also cover spies. From the community feedback angle, we've improved some of the navigation in screens around combat, fixed a bug preventing offensive ship components from displaying their Gunnery bonuses and resolved a number of other reported issues or minor enhancements. Be sure to check the release notes below for every detail!
Spy Encounter Talents
For a long time, spies have been the only human opponent that can get aggressive who have lacked some encounter Talents to give you options to reduce their hostility. That has now been resolved with Update #194, as we introduce 2 options. First is a Spy rank 1 Talent, "Cover Signals" which can reduce the hostility in enemy spy ships by up to 2 points. Second, we've expanded the Smuggler Talent "Forged Permit" to also affect Spies along with Military Officers and Zealots. However, for Spies you get a hostility reduction of 1 instead of the standard 2, so it is a little less effective.
Fuel Discounts
We've added a set of 3 fuel discount Talents across the Merchant (rank 1), Scavenger (rank 1) and Smuggler (rank 8) to help you bring down the cost of fuel. At a 15% + Skill discount, this can be combined with Contact discounts and can make refueling pretty cheap. However, on a longer cooldown and taking precious Talent slots, these Talents aren't for every ship and build. For those large class fuel guzzlers, they might help keep cost down a lot.
We've also improved the handling of escape key or middle mouse button in the pre and post combat screens. If you open a tab, and then hit a back key the tab will now close and the main list will be displayed instead of leaving the screen altogether. We've fixed a bug that was hiding the Gunnery bonuses of offensive ship components like Interlocking Sensor Matrix and Targeting Matrices. We've fixed an ancient bug that was causing some Attribute bonuses from gear to come and go on loading a game.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is coming!
As we roll into the new year, we're excited to share the news that our next game, Cyber Knights is coming to KickStarter in February 2020. You play the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in FEB 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.25 - 1/3/2020
- Added 3 refuel discount Talents -- Merchant rank 1, Scavenger rank 1, Smuggler rank 8 - Added new Spy Talent "Covert Signals" reduces hostility with other Spies - Adjusted rules for Smuggler Talent "Forged Permit" by allowing it to reduce hostility for Spies (along with Zealot, Military Officers) - Improved combat/mission tab handling, ESC/back button returns to main list instead of closing - Fixed issue with ship offensive components not showing their Gunnery bonuses (Targeting and Interlocking Sensor Matrix, etc) - Fixed bug with some gear with Attribute bonuses causing itinerant +/- to the Attributes - Fixed issue with Exo-Scout recruiting 1 level lower than expected at Spice Hall - Fixed incorrect description for "Hard Bargain" Talent when purchasing a new ship - max discount is 10% - Corrected component upgrade warning in starport for prisoner cells
Update #193: Warming Up
There are some combat Talents that have, for a long time, silently required you to equip a certain type of weapon. These were Buff and On Init Talents in a handful of Jobs -- such as powerful Swordsman Talents ... which can only be used if you are holding a blade. That's an important clause in their use, and so we've included that clearly in their text now. We've also clarified the descriptions of Port Maintenance and Makeshift Repairs to be more clear about their minimum and maximum effect. Finally, some Jyeeta Talents simply had the inverse rule -- their debuffs were buffing your Accuracy. Oops, that just got worse.
We've fixed an issue in the opening dialog of the Brood Era that could leave you with no choice but to turn down helping the Commander based on the exact order of dialog options you selected. We've improved the messages about claiming stashes so they don't tell lies about taking everything when you didn't have space in your hold. And finally, we fixed a bug in the mission distance calculator that was doing a bad job when the entire multi-step mission was in the local quadrant.
As we are digging into the v3 family of the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we're excited to share our upcoming next game. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in FEB 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Buffs and On Init Talents that require specific weapons equipped now state that clearly in their description - Fixed mission distance calculation in 2+ step missions that all stay within the same quadrant - Fixed Jyeeta debuffing attack Talents Whiplash and Dripping Tailspike that both caused +25% Accuracy to their targets! - Fixed bug allowing autocannons to retarget to enemy craft near their ship - Clarified Talent description of Port Maintenance and Makeshift Repairs - Improved message when claiming all from stash if there was not space for all cargo - Fixed odd order of dialog choices with commander in Brood Era
[ 2019-12-29 13:21:24 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to 2020 ... almost! Our team is coming back off holiday travel and we're warming up with a quick patch release with a few fixes and polish. Thanks to everyone reporting bugs and suggesting improvements to the game -- we're working hard to do just that. We've got an exciting 2020 lined up with a ton of new story vignettes, new map seed version, new quadrants, eras and more!
Talent Clarification
There are some combat Talents that have, for a long time, silently required you to equip a certain type of weapon. These were Buff and On Init Talents in a handful of Jobs -- such as powerful Swordsman Talents ... which can only be used if you are holding a blade. That's an important clause in their use, and so we've included that clearly in their text now. We've also clarified the descriptions of Port Maintenance and Makeshift Repairs to be more clear about their minimum and maximum effect. Finally, some Jyeeta Talents simply had the inverse rule -- their debuffs were buffing your Accuracy. Oops, that just got worse.
Other Fixes
We've fixed an issue in the opening dialog of the Brood Era that could leave you with no choice but to turn down helping the Commander based on the exact order of dialog options you selected. We've improved the messages about claiming stashes so they don't tell lies about taking everything when you didn't have space in your hold. And finally, we fixed a bug in the mission distance calculator that was doing a bad job when the entire multi-step mission was in the local quadrant.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is coming!
As we are digging into the v3 family of the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we're excited to share our upcoming next game. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in FEB 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.23 - 12/29/2019
- Buffs and On Init Talents that require specific weapons equipped now state that clearly in their description - Fixed mission distance calculation in 2+ step missions that all stay within the same quadrant - Fixed Jyeeta debuffing attack Talents Whiplash and Dripping Tailspike that both caused +25% Accuracy to their targets! - Fixed bug allowing autocannons to retarget to enemy craft near their ship - Clarified Talent description of Port Maintenance and Makeshift Repairs - Improved message when claiming all from stash if there was not space for all cargo - Fixed odd order of dialog choices with commander in Brood Era
Update #192: Pirate's Delight!
We are very proud to share that -- with your help and support -- Star Traders: Frontiers was picked as one of the games of the decade by Rock Paper Shotgun!
We've added a very quick and very helpful button to looting in ship combat victory. The Loot All button simply claims as much cargo as you can possibly cram into your cargo hold from the enemy ship, starting with the most valuable options first. It's a quick, one-click fix for looting and in most cases you don't need to do anything else. It only considers price when sorting what to take, it does not consider permit and trade law, so perhaps you might snag some mid-price but easy to sell cargo first manually and then click Loot All to fill your hold with the rest.
On higher difficulty, higher level officers have gained a big improvement in how they plan out and deploy their Job points to achieve the best possibly synergy and cross-Job potential. This generally means there is going to be an uplift in difficulty for any high level captains who are facing enemies at level 34-ish or above. As always, the AI are only doing what you can do, but beware -- they have once again bitten into the advantages you may have stacked against them!
Attribute bonuses have always been dolled out to characters recruited at higher levels, but the meaning of "high level" shifted in a big way with Update #191. After confirming that we're happy with the new recruitment levels, we've moved on to giving further incentives to recruit through the Spice Hall and Contacts by continuing the Attribute bonus tiers up to level 26. The existing bonuses at 2, 5, 8 and 12 are all in place and we've added new bonuses for 18, 22 and 26 as well as strengthening the 12th level bonus a bit. For those captains looking to higher crew and officers with the highest possible Attributes, this is the best route for you.
We've made some important changes to how weapons target small craft with this update. Previously, the automatic targeting of weapon-to-craft was performed at the time the weapons were activated. Then, during the turn if a craft was forced to land by a Talent (Knock from the Void) or shot down by weapon fire, any weapon that had targeted that craft at the start of the turn would simply skip its firing round. We've changed these rules to now allow weapons to dynamically retarget and as long as their is a valid craft to fire at, they will take a shot. This rule affects the enemy capital ships as well.
As we have moved into the v3 family of the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we're excited to share our upcoming next game. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Added "Loot All" option to ship combat victory -- one click to take all of your enemy's cargo sorted by value - Attribute bonuses for high level recruits continue to increase at levels past 12 (additional bonuses at 2, 5, 8, 12, 18, 22, 26) - Improved rules for targeting enemy craft -- if a craft is shot down or knocked down by a Talent, weapons will correctly retarget any other available craft - Improved high level enemy ship officer cross Job intelligence -- beware more difficult end-game ship combats! - Fixed bug with xeno-specific Talents when xeno enemy boards your ship not working - Fixed bug with high level Scitterings sometimes having 0 Skills - Improved some mission descriptions to include the target system name in the action summary for easier comparison - Fixed a bug allowing some ship combat Talents to purge debuffs incorrectly - Fixed name mismatches in ship component hovers during combat
[ 2019-12-13 21:35:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #192 comes after a short break as we rally around the next set of major roadmap and story additions for Star Traders: Frontiers. We're hard at work now bearing down on the final adjustments, balance and feature additions to wrap the enemy small craft expansion completely and to finish balancing out the new changes to recruitment and high level enemy AI.
A warning to high difficulty, high level players -- check the section on the AI's new cross-Job smarts, you will see a difficulty spike in enemy captains over level 32 thanks to some improvements in the AI crew builder.
Rock Paper Shotgun Games of the Decade
We are very proud to share that -- with your help and support -- Star Traders: Frontiers was picked as one of the games of the decade by Rock Paper Shotgun!
Loot All - Pirate's Delight
We've added a very quick and very helpful button to looting in ship combat victory. The Loot All button simply claims as much cargo as you can possibly cram into your cargo hold from the enemy ship, starting with the most valuable options first. It's a quick, one-click fix for looting and in most cases you don't need to do anything else. It only considers price when sorting what to take, it does not consider permit and trade law, so perhaps you might snag some mid-price but easy to sell cargo first manually and then click Loot All to fill your hold with the rest.
Enemy Cross-Job Officers
On higher difficulty, higher level officers have gained a big improvement in how they plan out and deploy their Job points to achieve the best possibly synergy and cross-Job potential. This generally means there is going to be an uplift in difficulty for any high level captains who are facing enemies at level 34-ish or above. As always, the AI are only doing what you can do, but beware -- they have once again bitten into the advantages you may have stacked against them!
Recruitment Attribute Bonuses
Attribute bonuses have always been dolled out to characters recruited at higher levels, but the meaning of "high level" shifted in a big way with Update #191. After confirming that we're happy with the new recruitment levels, we've moved on to giving further incentives to recruit through the Spice Hall and Contacts by continuing the Attribute bonus tiers up to level 26. The existing bonuses at 2, 5, 8 and 12 are all in place and we've added new bonuses for 18, 22 and 26 as well as strengthening the 12th level bonus a bit. For those captains looking to higher crew and officers with the highest possible Attributes, this is the best route for you.
Enemy Craft Targeting
We've made some important changes to how weapons target small craft with this update. Previously, the automatic targeting of weapon-to-craft was performed at the time the weapons were activated. Then, during the turn if a craft was forced to land by a Talent (Knock from the Void) or shot down by weapon fire, any weapon that had targeted that craft at the start of the turn would simply skip its firing round. We've changed these rules to now allow weapons to dynamically retarget and as long as their is a valid craft to fire at, they will take a shot. This rule affects the enemy capital ships as well.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is coming!
As we have moved into the v3 family of the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we're excited to share our upcoming next game. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.21 - 12/13/2019
- Added "Loot All" option to ship combat victory -- one click to take all of your enemy's cargo sorted by value - Attribute bonuses for high level recruits continue to increase at levels past 12 (additional bonuses at 2, 5, 8, 12, 18, 22, 26) - Improved rules for targeting enemy craft -- if a craft is shot down or knocked down by a Talent, weapons will correctly retarget any other available craft - Improved high level enemy ship officer cross Job intelligence -- beware more difficult end-game ship combats! - Fixed bug with xeno-specific Talents when xeno enemy boards your ship not working - Fixed bug with high level Scitterings sometimes having 0 Skills - Improved some mission descriptions to include the target system name in the action summary for easier comparison - Fixed a bug allowing some ship combat Talents to purge debuffs incorrectly - Fixed name mismatches in ship component hovers during combat
Update #191: Only the Sharpest Talent
Before Update #191, Contacts could give a base recruitment level of 8 as their maximum. Augmented by Rumors, Traits, and your Permits, Ranks or Edicts it was possible to achieve a maximum of level 18, though that was definitely unlikely. In the Spice Hall, with a base of 1, you it was feasible to get up to level 8 recruits. As captains progressed in the mid-game, replacing losses above these levels became more and more challenging which pushes conscription from enemy ships forward as the only way to get a crew member above level 20 immediately, even if that means bad Traits and lower Attributes often. Update #191 takes a big step to resolve that by granting an Era-driven bonus to the base recruitment level. Early Era's like the Second Founding and the Third Century add a +1 level bonus, while other more impactful Eras like Brood, Plague and Early United Coalition all add +2 bonuses. In total, as the Era's come and go, the base recruitment level in both the Spice Hall and with Contacts increases by +10 levels, setting the basic recruitment level in the Spice Hall at 11 and the top recruitment from Contacts at 18. With the additional (harder to get) bonuses from Rumors, Traits, Rank, Permit and Edicts, Contacts can now recruit out level 28 crew. We're excited about this change and want to thank community members like @daveal and many others for helping us get here! As always, please send the feedback :D
With this update, we've made a number of important tweaks to the latest Era, Brood. We've resolved an issue with the Jyeeta Artifacts never having the correct demand in different zones. You'll now find they can sell for even better prices! We've fixed a way that you could short-circuit the challenging "Hulking Carrier" mission and skip right to the end. We've resolved some bugs with Brood story objectives that stuck around even when they should have disappeared. And finally, we've made some balance changes to the Terrox Horrorcaster weapon and the distribution of both types of xeno ships to ensure you see a wider and more fun variety but also that the challenge ramps up appropriately. We've also clarified the Talent description for the Navigator's "Skip Off the Void". Where it previously stated that the Talent would "burn" a certain amount of fuel, it now clearly states "requires". If you're running low on Fuel, you'll find this Talent can't be used, so be sure to make shorter runs between zones in high danger areas. This is not a change to rules -- just a clarified description.
As we have moved into the v3 family of the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we're excited to share our upcoming next game. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Rebalanced Recruit Levels, base recruiting level increases with each major Era - Maximum Contact Recruit level is now 28 (with Rep, Eras, Traits, Rank, Permit, Edict, Rumors) - Clarified Navigator "Skip Off the Void" fuel requirement in talent description - Rebalanced Terrox Horrorcaster Weapon Damage - Rebalanced Jyeeta and Terrox ship distribution - Fixed demand and pricing for artifacts collected during the Brood Era - Fixed issue with "Hulking Carrier" mission allowing you to skip to the end - Fixed hanging story objectives when Brood Era ends - Fixed inconsistency in Agility Engine stat tooltip - Fixed mission typos or missing values in descriptions
[ 2019-12-04 17:50:08 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #191 comes with a focused set of changes around recruiting new crew and officers from Contacts and the spice hall. In preparation for future changes to the level cap and to help balance out the place for recruitment (best Attributes) vs. conscription (easier access, higher levels) we've made some major changes to the minimum recruitment levels. We're also continuing to grind down on community requests for improvements -- tweaking the Jyeeta balance, story issues and more.
If you're enjoying the pace of updates, we've got a lot more coming so be sure to leave a review!
Era-driven Recruitment Minimums
Before Update #191, Contacts could give a base recruitment level of 8 as their maximum. Augmented by Rumors, Traits, and your Permits, Ranks or Edicts it was possible to achieve a maximum of level 18, though that was definitely unlikely. In the Spice Hall, with a base of 1, you it was feasible to get up to level 8 recruits. As captains progressed in the mid-game, replacing losses above these levels became more and more challenging which pushes conscription from enemy ships forward as the only way to get a crew member above level 20 immediately, even if that means bad Traits and lower Attributes often. Update #191 takes a big step to resolve that by granting an Era-driven bonus to the base recruitment level. Early Era's like the Second Founding and the Third Century add a +1 level bonus, while other more impactful Eras like Brood, Plague and Early United Coalition all add +2 bonuses. In total, as the Era's come and go, the base recruitment level in both the Spice Hall and with Contacts increases by +10 levels, setting the basic recruitment level in the Spice Hall at 11 and the top recruitment from Contacts at 18. With the additional (harder to get) bonuses from Rumors, Traits, Rank, Permit and Edicts, Contacts can now recruit out level 28 crew. We're excited about this change and want to thank community members like @daveal and many others for helping us get here! As always, please send the feedback :D
Brood Improvements
With this update, we've made a number of important tweaks to the latest Era, Brood. We've resolved an issue with the Jyeeta Artifacts never having the correct demand in different zones. You'll now find they can sell for even better prices! We've fixed a way that you could short-circuit the challenging "Hulking Carrier" mission and skip right to the end. We've resolved some bugs with Brood story objectives that stuck around even when they should have disappeared. And finally, we've made some balance changes to the Terrox Horrorcaster weapon and the distribution of both types of xeno ships to ensure you see a wider and more fun variety but also that the challenge ramps up appropriately. We've also clarified the Talent description for the Navigator's "Skip Off the Void". Where it previously stated that the Talent would "burn" a certain amount of fuel, it now clearly states "requires". If you're running low on Fuel, you'll find this Talent can't be used, so be sure to make shorter runs between zones in high danger areas. This is not a change to rules -- just a clarified description.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is coming!
As we have moved into the v3 family of the Star Traders: Frontiers roadmap, we're excited to share our upcoming next game. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human drama story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.19 - 12/4/2019
- Rebalanced Recruit Levels, base recruiting level increases with each major Era - Maximum Contact Recruit level is now 28 (with Rep, Eras, Traits, Rank, Permit, Edict, Rumors) - Clarified Navigator "Skip Off the Void" fuel requirement in talent description - Rebalanced Terrox Horrorcaster Weapon Damage - Rebalanced Jyeeta and Terrox ship distribution - Fixed demand and pricing for artifacts collected during the Brood Era - Fixed issue with "Hulking Carrier" mission allowing you to skip to the end - Fixed hanging story objectives when Brood Era ends - Fixed inconsistency in Agility Engine stat tooltip - Fixed mission typos or missing values in descriptions
Save 35% and Update #190: Valiant Defender
The great trade networks of Moklumnue demand powerful ships to transport cargo but also to protect those valiant traders. The latest Moklumnue-only faction ship, the Azure Defender, is just that. Weighing in at a mid-range 6000 Mass, the Azure Defender boasts a well-balanced set of component slots with 12 small, 7 medium and 4 large. While having a lower base armor and base shield but high base fuel, it can also house the largest set of officers for a 6000 Mass ship -- a total of 7 command positions over 36 standard crew. The base model comes equipped with a Traveler Void Engine, Combat Hyperwarp Drive, Shielded Officer Suites, two Defense Matrix 4 and an array of long range weaponry. It's a powerful ship ev en as it lifts off from the starport for its first flight.
With Update #190, we've added a new class of hyperwarp drives -- the Warhammers. FItted for all Mass classes of ship, the different versions of the Warhammer drives can service on Mass 2400 all the way up to Mass 9000. Warhammer hyperwarp drives provide the highest possible ship skill pools -- boasting high Pilot, Electronics and the very best in class Navigation, as well as including Shielding and Armor. However, the trade offs are in price and jump cost. Those ships building with Warhammers are not made for long distance travel, seeing almost double the jump cost of standard drives. We've also changed the availability of Combat Hyperwarp drives to ensure they are a little more challenging to find to fit their value.
With Update #190, we've included new barks suggested by the community and some additional barks from our team to further characterize the Flashbacks, Deathwish, Drive and Bandit Traits. We're always working to improve the variety of barks and to make them more context-aware and this set is especially fun. For those crew members who have been through some hard times and come out for the worse or more hardened, they'll have some new things to say.
With every release, we're sourcing input from the community in form of suggestions or bug reports and trying to improve the game from every little angle. We've fixed the minimum requirements for C-Tak and Railtrak 3 and 4 ship components. We've fixed a longstanding bug with certain UCF Contacts simply "disappearing". It is possible that some captains will suddenly see a chunk of new UCF contacts across different worlds appear. We've improved the scoring for the "Rare Discovery" card -- if the Rare Good ends up being Artifacts, then it is properly counted toward your artifact discovery score. Finally, we've fixed the log message for Conflicts ended by stories like the Faen-Char Duel of Assassins and put in a potential fix for the inability to click the sell button on some Windows configurations with full screen.
While we still have a lot of work to finish out the Star Traders: Frontiers development roadmap, we're excited to be coming out of the pre-production phase on our next game and ready to share. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Added new ship: Azure Defender (Clan Moklumnue) - Added 6 new ship components, the mighty Warhammer Hyperwarp Drive (M2400 up to M9000) - Fixed too common availability of Combat Hyperwarp Drives - Added new crew barks for Flashbacks, Deathwish, Driven and Bandit - Fixed bug with "disappearing" Contacts or Introductions that led to no Contact, usually a UCF Contact - Fixed minimum Military requirements for C-Tak and Railtrak 3 and 4 - Fixed event log but with any Conflict ended by the start of Faen-Char Duel of Assassins - If "Rare Discovery" card turns up Terrox Artifacts when picking a Rare Trade Good, properly scored as discovering artifacts - Fixed issue with inability to click on "Sell" button in Exchange while in fullscreen on some machine configurations (workaround, alt-tab)
[ 2019-11-27 21:27:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
We're kicking open the doors for the Black Friday sales with 35% off Star Traders: Frontiers! And, to help celebrate we're including Update #190 for free. To be clear, all 189 updates before this one have also been free ... heck of a deal! With Update #190, we've added a new ship, an entire new class of hyperwarp drives, a pile of new crew barks and have kept hammering through community feedback on all the little quality of life things. Thanks again to the thriving community for posting so many ideas and suggestions and for leaving reviews!
So, tell a friend -- its the biggest discount of the year! Save 35% all weekend.
Moklumnue Defender
The great trade networks of Moklumnue demand powerful ships to transport cargo but also to protect those valiant traders. The latest Moklumnue-only faction ship, the Azure Defender, is just that. Weighing in at a mid-range 6000 Mass, the Azure Defender boasts a well-balanced set of component slots with 12 small, 7 medium and 4 large. While having a lower base armor and base shield but high base fuel, it can also house the largest set of officers for a 6000 Mass ship -- a total of 7 command positions over 36 standard crew. The base model comes equipped with a Traveler Void Engine, Combat Hyperwarp Drive, Shielded Officer Suites, two Defense Matrix 4 and an array of long range weaponry. It's a powerful ship ev en as it lifts off from the starport for its first flight.
Warhammer Hyperwarps
With Update #190, we've added a new class of hyperwarp drives -- the Warhammers. FItted for all Mass classes of ship, the different versions of the Warhammer drives can service on Mass 2400 all the way up to Mass 9000. Warhammer hyperwarp drives provide the highest possible ship skill pools -- boasting high Pilot, Electronics and the very best in class Navigation, as well as including Shielding and Armor. However, the trade offs are in price and jump cost. Those ships building with Warhammers are not made for long distance travel, seeing almost double the jump cost of standard drives. We've also changed the availability of Combat Hyperwarp drives to ensure they are a little more challenging to find to fit their value.
Additional Barks
With Update #190, we've included new barks suggested by the community and some additional barks from our team to further characterize the Flashbacks, Deathwish, Drive and Bandit Traits. We're always working to improve the variety of barks and to make them more context-aware and this set is especially fun. For those crew members who have been through some hard times and come out for the worse or more hardened, they'll have some new things to say.
And Moar!
With every release, we're sourcing input from the community in form of suggestions or bug reports and trying to improve the game from every little angle. We've fixed the minimum requirements for C-Tak and Railtrak 3 and 4 ship components. We've fixed a longstanding bug with certain UCF Contacts simply "disappearing". It is possible that some captains will suddenly see a chunk of new UCF contacts across different worlds appear. We've improved the scoring for the "Rare Discovery" card -- if the Rare Good ends up being Artifacts, then it is properly counted toward your artifact discovery score. Finally, we've fixed the log message for Conflicts ended by stories like the Faen-Char Duel of Assassins and put in a potential fix for the inability to click the sell button on some Windows configurations with full screen.
Calling All Cyber Knights!
While we still have a lot of work to finish out the Star Traders: Frontiers development roadmap, we're excited to be coming out of the pre-production phase on our next game and ready to share. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.17 - 11/27/2019
- Added new ship: Azure Defender (Clan Moklumnue) - Added 6 new ship components, the mighty Warhammer Hyperwarp Drive (M2400 up to M9000) - Fixed too common availability of Combat Hyperwarp Drives - Added new crew barks for Flashbacks, Deathwish, Driven and Bandit - Fixed bug with "disappearing" Contacts or Introductions that led to no Contact, usually a UCF Contact - Fixed minimum Military requirements for C-Tak and Railtrak 3 and 4 - Fixed event log but with any Conflict ended by the start of Faen-Char Duel of Assassins - If "Rare Discovery" card turns up Terrox Artifacts when picking a Rare Trade Good, properly scored as discovering artifacts - Fixed issue with inability to click on "Sell" button in Exchange while in fullscreen on some machine configurations (workaround, alt-tab)
Update #189: Boarders Incoming!
While the enemy captains have been launching craft from their bays since the drop of the BROOD expansion pack, it is finally time for them to launch boarding shuttles as well. We've tiered these releases to be sure that captains have time to adjust to the new content and meta requirements. Shuttles -- especially those from jyeeta -- are going to make things a little more challenging! Be sure to keep your own boarding defense party ready and well-equipped in case some pirates or xeno kick open an airlock!
Both Swordsman "Sharp Counter" and Wing Commando "Whirling Blade" Talent lost a critical part of their descriptions a few updates ago. Both of these attacks leave a lasting buff that enables the character to counter-attack against any enemy in the front two ranks who tries to attack them -- hit or miss. It's a key part of why these Talents are so valuable and now its back in their description!
With this update, we're following up on community suggestions and bug reports about components, Talents and lots of things! We've fixed the bug with Explorer "Artifact Profiteer" that prevented it from working with Jyeeta artifacts. We've fixed Hull Plating 4 which had the wrong stats, as well as rebalanced Defense Pattern Matrix 1 versus rank 2. We made some fixes to the Contact discount % display -- they had become mismatched with the last update for some service types. We've also resolved an icon mismatch for the Commander Talent "Inspiring Squadron" and tightened up the rules about changing ships in dry dock.
While we still have a lot of work to finish out the Star Traders: Frontiers development roadmap, we're excited to be coming out of the pre-production phase on our next game and ready to share. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Enemy ships, including Jyeeta Xeno, will now use boarding shuttles effectively to board at range - Added new Contact Trait "Legacy Seeker" for those obsessed with pre-Exodus finds, recruits Explorer - Explorer Talent "Artifact Profiteer" now correctly fires when selling Jyeeta Artifacts for bonus profit - Fixed missing description in Wing Commando Talent "Whirling Blade" and Swordsman "Sharp Counter" that allows counter-attacks while its buff is active! - Rebalanced Defense Pattern Matrix 1 vs 2 - Fixed issue with "Witness Protection" mission allowing it to be completed out of order - Fixed bonuses of Hull Plating 4 (now Void/Rad res instead of Boarding bonuses) - Fixed all Contact Discount services to match display and reduction %s - Fixed icon for Commander Talent "Inspiring Squadron" - Fixed some edge case bugs with Dry Dock ship swapping
[ 2019-11-21 19:34:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #189 continues to deliver on the enemy making full use of craft squadrons. With this update, enemy carriers -- including the dreaded jyeeta -- will now launch fully operational boarding shuttles! In addition, we've added a new Contact Trait, fixed some final bugs with the Jyeeta and xeno-related Talents, rebalanced a bunch of ship components and fixed a missing--but very important--clause about how the Swordsman's Sharp Counter and Wing Commando's Whirling Blade work.
Up next, we're working on a string of new vignette storylines -- thanks KickStarter backers :D
If you're enjoying the updates and free expansion packs, be sure to leave a review and tell a friend.
Boarders, Incoming!!!
While the enemy captains have been launching craft from their bays since the drop of the BROOD expansion pack, it is finally time for them to launch boarding shuttles as well. We've tiered these releases to be sure that captains have time to adjust to the new content and meta requirements. Shuttles -- especially those from jyeeta -- are going to make things a little more challenging! Be sure to keep your own boarding defense party ready and well-equipped in case some pirates or xeno kick open an airlock!
Rightful Counterattacks
Both Swordsman "Sharp Counter" and Wing Commando "Whirling Blade" Talent lost a critical part of their descriptions a few updates ago. Both of these attacks leave a lasting buff that enables the character to counter-attack against any enemy in the front two ranks who tries to attack them -- hit or miss. It's a key part of why these Talents are so valuable and now its back in their description!
Fix and Balance
With this update, we're following up on community suggestions and bug reports about components, Talents and lots of things! We've fixed the bug with Explorer "Artifact Profiteer" that prevented it from working with Jyeeta artifacts. We've fixed Hull Plating 4 which had the wrong stats, as well as rebalanced Defense Pattern Matrix 1 versus rank 2. We made some fixes to the Contact discount % display -- they had become mismatched with the last update for some service types. We've also resolved an icon mismatch for the Commander Talent "Inspiring Squadron" and tightened up the rules about changing ships in dry dock.
Calling All Cyber Knights!
While we still have a lot of work to finish out the Star Traders: Frontiers development roadmap, we're excited to be coming out of the pre-production phase on our next game and ready to share. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.13 - 11/12/2019
- Enemy ships, including Jyeeta Xeno, will now use boarding shuttles effectively to board at range - Added new Contact Trait "Legacy Seeker" for those obsessed with pre-Exodus finds, recruits Explorer - Explorer Talent "Artifact Profiteer" now correctly fires when selling Jyeeta Artifacts for bonus profit - Fixed missing description in Wing Commando Talent "Whirling Blade" and Swordsman "Sharp Counter" that allows counter-attacks while its buff is active! - Rebalanced Defense Pattern Matrix 1 vs 2 - Fixed issue with "Witness Protection" mission allowing it to be completed out of order - Fixed bonuses of Hull Plating 4 (now Void/Rad res instead of Boarding bonuses) - Fixed all Contact Discount services to match display and reduction %s - Fixed icon for Commander Talent "Inspiring Squadron" - Fixed some edge case bugs with Dry Dock ship swapping
Update #188: Gundecks Roar
With Update #188 we've addressed the two biggest pieces of feedback from the player-base for Brood -- the jyeeta carriers are a surprise and you needed more time to defeat the era. For the first, we've now added a discussion between your officers and the captain about the known aspects of jyeeta that make them so challenging as soon as the era starts -- consider it a better pre-warning. Second, if you're getting involved in the jyeeta era, following the story and knocking down the brood score, you are constantly extended the timeline you have to defeat the era. The more you're involved, the more time you get. For those who want the era to end as quickly as possible so you can get back to peaceful trading, don't get involved! We've also added a correct story mission objective to help you find the Brood quadrant as soon as it starts. Or, you can always check the Rumors screen to see the current Era and plot a waypoint.
The Gundeck Boss has gained a new rank 15 Talent to help eviscerate incoming craft with a +50% Damage bonus only to craft and a +10% craft hit chance. While it needs to be paired with other craft accuracy components or Talents, the massive Damage bonus can let you really light up incoming bombers and interdictors! In addition, we've modified Autocannon rules to ensure that if you are fighting at close range with an enemy they will fire at craft on either side of the screen -- either those that have closed on your ship or those sticking close to the enemy ship, where before they only fired on those that have closed. This gives your ACs an entire additional turn to fire at craft if you can close on the enemy carrier, increasing the value of the strategy of getting close. Of course, watch out because the enemy ACs have the same rules now too. Quick note on the enemy -- the AI controlling craft is now smarter about launching craft and will avoid launching too many defensive interdictors once you are inside of torpedo and missile range.
Five new ship components have been added with this update, all enabling more focused anti-craft ship builds. The Railtrak Guidance Matrix 3 and 4 are going to further improve your ability to take out enemy craft before they reach you. You can only pick up the RTGM 4 at a Steel Song starport though. The C-Tak Interceptor System 3 and 4 give the reverse, increasing your defenses and ability to avoid incoming craft and bombing runs. The CTIS 4 is only available at Zenrin starports though. Finally, we've added a Thulun-only Reactive Hangar Bay which is a way to gain additional % chance to dodge craft attacks. This modified hangar has defensive systems for the ship while still housing a craft. However, you'll have to trade the Armor or Shield or your Reinforced or Shielded Hangar Bays for it. Finally, with Update #188 we've made some needed balance changes to defensive and offensive components in regards to +Initiative buffs. Defense Pattern Matrix ranks 1 through 3 have had their +Initiative bonus removed. They are still amazing even without it. Defense Pattern Matrix 4 retains an Initiative bonus, but it has been lowered to a +1. Finally, we've added +Initiative bonuses to aggressive Targeting Matrix components ranks 2 to 4. As bonus Initiative determines who fires first and therefore who gets Crippling Effects or knocks out enemy components, we're going to ensure these types of bonuses are found mostly on offensive ship components in future additions and balance updates.
Ships are expensive and the discounts against them can really add up quickly. For a long time, Contacts and Talents could each provide a 15% discount. With this update, we've finally reduced that discount to 10% for either. While this hurts, it is a needed balance for the price of ships, resale rules, and to help ensure the differentiation between hull prices is enough.
While we still have a lot of work to finish out the Star Traders: Frontiers development roadmap, we're excited to be coming out of the pre-production phase on our next game and ready to share. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Participating in the Jyeeta Brood Era extends the storyline timer, giving more time to succeed - Added mission objective to make it easier to find the Jyeeta Brood Quadrant - Added officer warning about the dangers of fighting jyeeta carriers and strategies you might consider - Added rank 15 Gundeck Boss Talent "Take Down" grants +50% damage to craft and +10% to hit craft - Autocannons firing at range 1 or 2 will now fire on craft near their own capital ship if no enemy craft have closed yet - Improved AI intelligence about launching interdictors when they cannot intercept torps or missiles - Added Railtrak Guidance Matrix 3 and 4, grade 4 is Steel Song only - Added C-Tak Interceptor System 3 and 4, grade 4 is Zenrin-only - Added Thulun-only "Reactive Hangar Bay" giving some ship defense against craft while docking a craft - Removed +Initiative bonus from Defense Pattern Matrix 2-3, reduced DPM 4 +Init bonus, added +Init bonuses to Targeting Matrix 2-4 - Reduce cool down on Gundeck Boss Talent "Dead Eye" and Explorer "Tag the Beast" to ever 3 weeks - Reduced maximum price reduction for Contact's "New Ship" discount to 10%, maximum Talent discount to 10% - Increased some ship prices purchased at the starport - Improved limit on appearance of Jyeeta Brood Era to make sure it cannot show up unfairly early - Fixed miscounted cargo in the "Stockpiled for Riches" mission involving weapons stashes - Fixed hovers with some Jyeeta rumors missing description
[ 2019-11-16 14:13:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
While we released 3 sizeable patches in the wake of Update #187, our first big update following the BROOD milestone is #188, Gundecks Roar. In this update, we've made some more important improvements to the new Brood era, improved the warning you get before encounter jyeeta, added a rank 15 Gundeck Boss Talent, improved autocannons against craft, and added 5 new craft defense and attack related components, and as always, more too. Check the full release notes for everything!
If you're enjoying the pace of updates and the new major expansion pack, please sure to leave a review and tell a friend.
Brood Improvements
With Update #188 we've addressed the two biggest pieces of feedback from the player-base for Brood -- the jyeeta carriers are a surprise and you needed more time to defeat the era. For the first, we've now added a discussion between your officers and the captain about the known aspects of jyeeta that make them so challenging as soon as the era starts -- consider it a better pre-warning. Second, if you're getting involved in the jyeeta era, following the story and knocking down the brood score, you are constantly extended the timeline you have to defeat the era. The more you're involved, the more time you get. For those who want the era to end as quickly as possible so you can get back to peaceful trading, don't get involved! We've also added a correct story mission objective to help you find the Brood quadrant as soon as it starts. Or, you can always check the Rumors screen to see the current Era and plot a waypoint.
Take Down All Zigs
The Gundeck Boss has gained a new rank 15 Talent to help eviscerate incoming craft with a +50% Damage bonus only to craft and a +10% craft hit chance. While it needs to be paired with other craft accuracy components or Talents, the massive Damage bonus can let you really light up incoming bombers and interdictors! In addition, we've modified Autocannon rules to ensure that if you are fighting at close range with an enemy they will fire at craft on either side of the screen -- either those that have closed on your ship or those sticking close to the enemy ship, where before they only fired on those that have closed. This gives your ACs an entire additional turn to fire at craft if you can close on the enemy carrier, increasing the value of the strategy of getting close. Of course, watch out because the enemy ACs have the same rules now too. Quick note on the enemy -- the AI controlling craft is now smarter about launching craft and will avoid launching too many defensive interdictors once you are inside of torpedo and missile range.
New Ship Components
Five new ship components have been added with this update, all enabling more focused anti-craft ship builds. The Railtrak Guidance Matrix 3 and 4 are going to further improve your ability to take out enemy craft before they reach you. You can only pick up the RTGM 4 at a Steel Song starport though. The C-Tak Interceptor System 3 and 4 give the reverse, increasing your defenses and ability to avoid incoming craft and bombing runs. The CTIS 4 is only available at Zenrin starports though. Finally, we've added a Thulun-only Reactive Hangar Bay which is a way to gain additional % chance to dodge craft attacks. This modified hangar has defensive systems for the ship while still housing a craft. However, you'll have to trade the Armor or Shield or your Reinforced or Shielded Hangar Bays for it. Finally, with Update #188 we've made some needed balance changes to defensive and offensive components in regards to +Initiative buffs. Defense Pattern Matrix ranks 1 through 3 have had their +Initiative bonus removed. They are still amazing even without it. Defense Pattern Matrix 4 retains an Initiative bonus, but it has been lowered to a +1. Finally, we've added +Initiative bonuses to aggressive Targeting Matrix components ranks 2 to 4. As bonus Initiative determines who fires first and therefore who gets Crippling Effects or knocks out enemy components, we're going to ensure these types of bonuses are found mostly on offensive ship components in future additions and balance updates.
Ship Discounts
Ships are expensive and the discounts against them can really add up quickly. For a long time, Contacts and Talents could each provide a 15% discount. With this update, we've finally reduced that discount to 10% for either. While this hurts, it is a needed balance for the price of ships, resale rules, and to help ensure the differentiation between hull prices is enough.
Calling All Cyber Knights!
While we still have a lot of work to finish out the Star Traders: Frontiers development roadmap, we're excited to be coming out of the pre-production phase on our next game and ready to share. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.11 - 11/15/2019
- Participating in the Jyeeta Brood Era extends the storyline timer, giving more time to succeed - Added mission objective to make it easier to find the Jyeeta Brood Quadrant - Added officer warning about the dangers of fighting jyeeta carriers and strategies you might consider - Added rank 15 Gundeck Boss Talent "Take Down" grants +50% damage to craft and +10% to hit craft - Autocannons firing at range 1 or 2 will now fire on craft near their own capital ship if no enemy craft have closed yet - Improved AI intelligence about launching interdictors when they cannot intercept torps or missiles - Added Railtrak Guidance Matrix 3 and 4, grade 4 is Steel Song only - Added C-Tak Interceptor System 3 and 4, grade 4 is Zenrin-only - Added Thulun-only "Reactive Hangar Bay" giving some ship defense against craft while docking a craft - Removed +Initiative bonus from Defense Pattern Matrix 2-3, reduced DPM 4 +Init bonus, added +Init bonuses to Targeting Matrix 2-4 - Reduce cool down on Gundeck Boss Talent "Dead Eye" and Explorer "Tag the Beast" to ever 3 weeks - Reduced maximum price reduction for Contact's "New Ship" discount to 10%, maximum Talent discount to 10% - Increased some ship prices purchased at the starport - Improved limit on appearance of Jyeeta Brood Era to make sure it cannot show up unfairly early - Fixed miscounted cargo in the "Stockpiled for Riches" mission involving weapons stashes - Fixed hovers with some Jyeeta rumors missing description
Update #187: Major Expansion "BROOD"
To avoid spoilers, we won't say much about the ancient, slimy, snaky void-slug evil that has slept since the time of Shalun. The BROOD Story Era will start during the 3rd or 4th Centuries with a series of introductory stories. No matter how old your game is, it will start if you play for a few years -- as always we work hard to make sure veteran captains can keep enjoying new content without any restarts. Prepare your ship, sharpen your blades, load up on hexshell. This one won't be easy, captain.
Enemy captains now have the fully operational battle carriers! High level human captains of certain professions like Military Officer may challenge you in the void, ready to launch interdictors, bombers and boarding shuttles against you. And, the jyeeta race is well known for its craft swarms. In both cases, it is time for your captain to consider some changes to ship weaponry, ship components, Talents and even perhaps Job distribution on the boat. Consider the % to hit craft when picking ship weapons, as you'll want to blow the enemy craft out of the sky before they reach you. Take another look at Autocannons. Consider of the C-Tak and Railtrak Guidance components that play double-duty on your ship, or Pilot Assist Modules which help your capital ship evade bombing runs. Finally -- most ship Jobs already provide Talents with capability to jam, disable or debuff craft, and now a new specialist Job has arrived as well.
The new Gundeck Boss Job brings a strong anti-craft capability to any ship, combining the sensibilities of a quartermaster with the skills of a gunner. Stalking the gundecks, the boss roars orders, pinpoints targets and rallies morale in ship combat. Adding Gunnery, Intimidate and Repair, the Gundeck Boss is a great cross-Job for a ship officer but can make for a powerful stand-alone crew member. Even on a small ship, the Gundeck Boss can make a big impact versus carriers.
With the BROOD expansion, we've closed down the entire v2.6.x family of the roadmap, adding the promised 7th story Era and the jyeeta xeno species in a single blow. We've also completed our goal to add +33% new Jobs and Talents and +50% new Contact types and services after the game's release, which means we're starting to tick off some of the big boxes in the Content Expansion Goals as well.
While we still have a lot of work to finish out the Star Traders: Frontiers development roadmap, we're excited to be coming out of the pre-production phase on our next game and ready to share. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
- Added 7th Story Era: Jyeeta Xeno Brood Awakens! - Added new anti-craft "Gundeck Boss" Job! - Enemy captains may now fly carrier ships including the dreaded Jyeeta Xeno and their swarm - All new simulation rules, Rumors, Conflicts, and Contact actions/mutations during this new period of galactic threat - Added new Era-specific Echoes that forever change the simulation due to the 7th Era - Added 4 new Era-specific Rumors which can affect entire quadrants, systems and wilderness zones and multiple Rumor echoes which can appear anytime after Era - Added 1 new Era-specific Contact Type, the controversial Xenologist, who will also echo and appear after Era - Added 5 Era-specific Contact creation rules to seed the Era new blood - Added 4 Era-specific special cargo rules for Spies, Merchants, Smugglers and Pirates - Added 5 Era-specific Explorer cards which can also echo and appear anytime after Era - Added 6 Era-specific Orbital Ops and Salvage cards which can also echo and appear anytime after Era - Added new Era-driven ship encounters and mechanics when meeting the Jyeeta xeno in the void - Added 13 new Era-specific crew barks for different Rumor typess - Added new Rare Trade Good, Jyeeta Artifacts - New Spice Hall recruit of Xeno Hunters during Jyeeta Spore system Rumor - Rippling effects of story choices made all the way back in the first Era bearing fruit - Added new Contact type "Fleet Commander" offers high rank and edict, pardons, ship upgrade discount, recruits Gundeck Boss - Renamed Contact Trait "Naval Vet" to "Wing Vet", added new "Naval Vet" Contact Trait - Contacts with "Naval Vet" Trait gives more weight to Faction Rep, has +1 bonus level to Recruits, and Recruits Gundeck Bosses - Increased duration of Navigator's "Fast Getaway" Talent to 3 turns from 2 - Buffed Battle Prow 1, 2 and 3 components with improved Electronics and Boarding Bonus - Rebalanced Military Officer's "Incite Victory" Talent - Fixed bug with Sell All sometimes still selling "F" demand resources - Fixed issues with total component counts sometimes reporting incorrectly in starport - Fixed issues with Awards -- Survivor III, Navigator I, II and III - Fixed issues with some enemy Talents showing up in the player's log
[ 2019-11-04 19:53:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
The BROOD has been awoken in this major new expansion pack which includes a extremely challenging Story Era, the new Gundeck Boss Job and invites enemy captains to command carriers and launch squadrons of attack craft.
With the drop of this major expansion, we're inviting new captains to come sail the quadrants and save 35%. If you're enjoying the game and the continuous stream of major expansions without any DLCs, please take a moment to leave a review or tell a friend. If you're new to the frontiers, post your comments, feedback and suggestions to the discussion board or join us on our Discord where there is a great community to help!
Brood Awakens
To avoid spoilers, we won't say much about the ancient, slimy, snaky void-slug evil that has slept since the time of Shalun. The BROOD Story Era will start during the 3rd or 4th Centuries with a series of introductory stories. No matter how old your game is, it will start if you play for a few years -- as always we work hard to make sure veteran captains can keep enjoying new content without any restarts. Prepare your ship, sharpen your blades, load up on hexshell. This one won't be easy, captain.
Enemy Carriers and Gundeck Boss
Enemy captains now have the fully operational battle carriers! High level human captains of certain professions like Military Officer may challenge you in the void, ready to launch interdictors, bombers and boarding shuttles against you. And, the jyeeta race is well known for its craft swarms. In both cases, it is time for your captain to consider some changes to ship weaponry, ship components, Talents and even perhaps Job distribution on the boat. Consider the % to hit craft when picking ship weapons, as you'll want to blow the enemy craft out of the sky before they reach you. Take another look at Autocannons. Consider of the C-Tak and Railtrak Guidance components that play double-duty on your ship, or Pilot Assist Modules which help your capital ship evade bombing runs. Finally -- most ship Jobs already provide Talents with capability to jam, disable or debuff craft, and now a new specialist Job has arrived as well.
The new Gundeck Boss Job brings a strong anti-craft capability to any ship, combining the sensibilities of a quartermaster with the skills of a gunner. Stalking the gundecks, the boss roars orders, pinpoints targets and rallies morale in ship combat. Adding Gunnery, Intimidate and Repair, the Gundeck Boss is a great cross-Job for a ship officer but can make for a powerful stand-alone crew member. Even on a small ship, the Gundeck Boss can make a big impact versus carriers.
Roadmap Next Steps
With the BROOD expansion, we've closed down the entire v2.6.x family of the roadmap, adding the promised 7th story Era and the jyeeta xeno species in a single blow. We've also completed our goal to add +33% new Jobs and Talents and +50% new Contact types and services after the game's release, which means we're starting to tick off some of the big boxes in the Content Expansion Goals as well.
Next Project Announced!
While we still have a lot of work to finish out the Star Traders: Frontiers development roadmap, we're excited to be coming out of the pre-production phase on our next game and ready to share. In Cyber Knights, you are the razor-sharp leader of a covert merc company operating in the New Boston Zone in 2231. Built around a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights and complex missions, Cyber Knights weaves the human story of your team, their loyalty and their sacrifice in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world. Coming to KickStarter in Feb 2020, sign up to get the call and alerted about free first day rewards, discounts and more! We're gathering the most crackpot amazing alpha team ever and we hope you'll join us.
v3.0.1 - 11/4/2019
- Added 7th Story Era: Jyeeta Xeno Brood Awakens! - Added new anti-craft "Gundeck Boss" Job! - Enemy captains may now fly carrier ships including the dreaded Jyeeta Xeno and their swarm - All new simulation rules, Rumors, Conflicts, and Contact actions/mutations during this new period of galactic threat - Added new Era-specific Echoes that forever change the simulation due to the 7th Era - Added 4 new Era-specific Rumors which can affect entire quadrants, systems and wilderness zones and multiple Rumor echoes which can appear anytime after Era - Added 1 new Era-specific Contact Type, the controversial Xenologist, who will also echo and appear after Era - Added 5 Era-specific Contact creation rules to seed the Era new blood - Added 4 Era-specific special cargo rules for Spies, Merchants, Smugglers and Pirates - Added 5 Era-specific Explorer cards which can also echo and appear anytime after Era - Added 6 Era-specific Orbital Ops and Salvage cards which can also echo and appear anytime after Era - Added new Era-driven ship encounters and mechanics when meeting the Jyeeta xeno in the void - Added 13 new Era-specific crew barks for different Rumor typess - Added new Rare Trade Good, Jyeeta Artifacts - New Spice Hall recruit of Xeno Hunters during Jyeeta Spore system Rumor - Rippling effects of story choices made all the way back in the first Era bearing fruit - Added new Contact type "Fleet Commander" offers high rank and edict, pardons, ship upgrade discount, recruits Gundeck Boss - Renamed Contact Trait "Naval Vet" to "Wing Vet", added new "Naval Vet" Contact Trait - Contacts with "Naval Vet" Trait gives more weight to Faction Rep, has +1 bonus level to Recruits, and Recruits Gundeck Bosses - Increased duration of Navigator's "Fast Getaway" Talent to 3 turns from 2 - Buffed Battle Prow 1, 2 and 3 components with improved Electronics and Boarding Bonus - Rebalanced Military Officer's "Incite Victory" Talent - Fixed bug with Sell All sometimes still selling "F" demand resources - Fixed issues with total component counts sometimes reporting incorrectly in starport - Fixed issues with Awards -- Survivor III, Navigator I, II and III - Fixed issues with some enemy Talents showing up in the player's log
Update #186: Secondary Ignition
We've made some important changes to the meta around boarding defense and ship weapon Gunnery requirements that may impact your ship builds. First -- we've changed the rules for boarding defense. In the past, Boarding Bonus was directly applied to your boarding defense which means a ship built to board is also excellent at defending against boarding. With this shift, we've reduced the Boarding Bonus contribution to boarding defense by 50%. Without a doubt, this is most likely to help the AI. Most players who are boarding have already figured out how to get 100% boarding success where the enemy who attempts to board fails more than 50% of the time. This change should make Bounty Hunters, Pirates and other boarding aggro enemy captains more fun and challenging. Second -- we've increased the Gunnery Skill Pool requirements for many ship weapons above level 4 from anywhere from +1 to +8 points. Overall, this pushes the Gunnery Skill Pool higher which may require you to adjust your crew compositions to find additional Gunnery Skill, depending on how many high level weapons you have on board. However, it will also increase the accuracy of these weapons and impact the AI's interest in having higher Gunnery Skill.
With Update #186 we've completed the final round of AI hardening before the release of enemy carriers. This update includes improving the ability for captain and officers to balance their Talent selections by upfront planning some of the decisions and needed Talents for their ship type and size. Also, the AI is now putting more weight into higher level Talents to help drive smarter choices and harder to beat strategies. Another improvement was to avoid too many duplicates of the same Talent. This includes toning down the number of Twitch Surge's that any ship crew will take.
With the new xeno race coming it means a new type of xeno Artifact and Rare Trade Good coming as well. As we're working our way through all those impacts, we're balancing and improving the Terrox ops cards. The reward of the Explorer card "Xeno Spore!" can be improved by Mining Ship Components. In Salvage, "Xeno Assault" has an increased number of artifact rewards if you survive the double stacked xeno fights. We've also fixed a bug where Traits gained after Crew Combat where not immediately appearing. Also, finally we've closed the final set of reported bugs for the Buried Demons storyline, including some issues with dialog lying about Trike's final fate.
- Improved intelligence of routine training enemy ship's officers to make smarter Talent selections - Improved balance of enemy ship's Pilot taking Twitch Surge Talent - Rebalanced Ship Combat - Boarding rolls to make defense weaker and buff attack bonuses - Increase Gunnery Skill Pools for most ship weapon's above level 4, increasing ship accuracy as well as Gunnery pool needs - Adjusted visuals in ship combat to clearly differentiate between captain's ship and craft and the enemy ship (and craft soon) - Artifact haul for "Xeno Spore!" Exploring card (xeno plus an artifact stash) is now increased by Mining Ship Components - Increased the Terrox Artifact rewards when fighting xeno in Orbital Salvage card "Xeno Assault!" - Fixed issues with Traits gained by crew combat victory not appear for a little while or until game reload - Fixed story bug where dialog would state Trike Zermotte lived when he actually dies - Fixed crashes in Ship Combat related to Small Craft
[ 2019-10-26 13:22:50 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #186 rolls out the last pack of critical changes before the next major milestone -- rebalancing some aspects of ship combat, improving the AI's Job/Talent training routine, improving high level ship weapon components and tweaking some of the cards related to fighting xeno and harvesting artifacts.
Following this update, we're marching straight for the next major milestone which will include a new era, new xeno type and enemy carriers! If you're enjoying the pace of constant updates, be sure to leave a review and tell a friend!
You can see some of the "making of" the Jyeeta xeno race on YouTube. This time lapse video compresses a multi-hour animation session into a few minutes.
[previewyoutube=Uau5UBcrhnA;full][/previewyoutube]
Boarding and Gunnery Rebalance
We've made some important changes to the meta around boarding defense and ship weapon Gunnery requirements that may impact your ship builds. First -- we've changed the rules for boarding defense. In the past, Boarding Bonus was directly applied to your boarding defense which means a ship built to board is also excellent at defending against boarding. With this shift, we've reduced the Boarding Bonus contribution to boarding defense by 50%. Without a doubt, this is most likely to help the AI. Most players who are boarding have already figured out how to get 100% boarding success where the enemy who attempts to board fails more than 50% of the time. This change should make Bounty Hunters, Pirates and other boarding aggro enemy captains more fun and challenging. Second -- we've increased the Gunnery Skill Pool requirements for many ship weapons above level 4 from anywhere from +1 to +8 points. Overall, this pushes the Gunnery Skill Pool higher which may require you to adjust your crew compositions to find additional Gunnery Skill, depending on how many high level weapons you have on board. However, it will also increase the accuracy of these weapons and impact the AI's interest in having higher Gunnery Skill.
AI Talent Selection
With Update #186 we've completed the final round of AI hardening before the release of enemy carriers. This update includes improving the ability for captain and officers to balance their Talent selections by upfront planning some of the decisions and needed Talents for their ship type and size. Also, the AI is now putting more weight into higher level Talents to help drive smarter choices and harder to beat strategies. Another improvement was to avoid too many duplicates of the same Talent. This includes toning down the number of Twitch Surge's that any ship crew will take.
Artifact Card Adjustments
With the new xeno race coming it means a new type of xeno Artifact and Rare Trade Good coming as well. As we're working our way through all those impacts, we're balancing and improving the Terrox ops cards. The reward of the Explorer card "Xeno Spore!" can be improved by Mining Ship Components. In Salvage, "Xeno Assault" has an increased number of artifact rewards if you survive the double stacked xeno fights. We've also fixed a bug where Traits gained after Crew Combat where not immediately appearing. Also, finally we've closed the final set of reported bugs for the Buried Demons storyline, including some issues with dialog lying about Trike's final fate.
v2.6.29 - 10/25/2019
- Improved intelligence of routine training enemy ship's officers to make smarter Talent selections - Improved balance of enemy ship's Pilot taking Twitch Surge Talent - Rebalanced Ship Combat - Boarding rolls to make defense weaker and buff attack bonuses - Increase Gunnery Skill Pools for most ship weapon's above level 4, increasing ship accuracy as well as Gunnery pool needs - Adjusted visuals in ship combat to clearly differentiate between captain's ship and craft and the enemy ship (and craft soon) - Artifact haul for "Xeno Spore!" Exploring card (xeno plus an artifact stash) is now increased by Mining Ship Components - Increased the Terrox Artifact rewards when fighting xeno in Orbital Salvage card "Xeno Assault!" - Fixed issues with Traits gained by crew combat victory not appear for a little while or until game reload - Fixed story bug where dialog would state Trike Zermotte lived when he actually dies - Fixed crashes in Ship Combat related to Small Craft
Update #185: Crush Their Morale!
Drawing on some inspiration from community suggestions, we've pushed new alternatives for Morale-damaged focused builds into the Talent set for ship combat. Commander has gained a new powerful rank 15 Talent, Warning Shots, which reduces their own damage but debuffs the enemy's move, escape and inflicts nasty Morale Damage every turn. In addition, Gunner's "Signature Homing" (rank 1), "Targeting Lock" (rank 1) and "Scattershot" (rank 8) Talents have all gained +10 Morale/turn to enemy crew, giving some new and quick options to add Morale damage to your starting and standard builds. A final new Talent has gone in for Diplomats at rank 11 -- Compelling Conscription -- allows these quick talkers to lean hard on a new conscript and come onto the ship with higher Morale and without any negative Trait mutation.
Rumors that are focused on Recruiting bonuses -- including Mercenaries, Spice Festival and Academy Graduation -- all the now ensure the doors for recruiting at the spice hall are always open. In situations where these Rumors could appear on low starport worlds there was not enough starfaring interest in the zone to drive recruitment. Now, these Rumors temporarily boost that.
Across a number of card game operations and combat scenarios, we've fine tuned and improved the rates for Trait mutation and XP gain. Traits are slightly more likely to appear now on crew combat victory and slightly less likely to appear on ship combat draw and hyperwarp jump (which are both very common events). We've added new Trait mutation paths for Ship Combat Victory, Craft Destroyed (assuming you survive!) and Craft Landed to help further shape those brave men and women who take to the void in bombers, interdictors and shuttles. In addition, larger planets now cost more Fuel and Time to land on, so have your Piloting Talents ready.
- Added new Commander Talent "Warning Shots" at rank 15 - reduce enemy move, escape and crush their Morale - Added new Diplomat Talent "Compelling Conscription" at rank 11 - pressed crew start with higher Morale and don't gain negative Trait - Gunner Talents "Signature Homing" (rank 1), "Targeting Lock" (rank 1) and "Scattershot" (rank 8) all gain +10 Morale/turn to enemy crew - During Mercenaries, Spice Festival and Academy Graduation Rumors, the Spice Hall is always open for Recruiting even if Starport rating is below minimum - Recovery of relic wargear during Exploration slightly more common, increased during "Gold Rush" Rumor - Radiation and Molten worlds are slightly riskier for Exploration - Very Large Planets take slightly longer and more fuel to make planetfall - Slightly increased Trait Mutation rate for Crew Combat Victory, slightly reduced for Hyperwarp / Ship Combat Draw - Added new Trait Mutation paths for Ship Combat Victory, Craft Destroyed, Craft Landed - Very slightly increased Experienced earned in Ship Combat Victory - Display of ship's offered price added to dry dock sale confirmation dialog - Fixed missing "Unexpected Revelation" cards in Explorer decks, experience granting card now appears again - Mechanized enemies no longer Bleed or suffer Poison Damage - Fixed bug in map hovers where Repair service that was denied by Rep might not show as disabled - Fixed bug with Hietta Lumotte's court (no longer appears)
[ 2019-10-18 20:39:43 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #185 rolls out with another set of additions -- new Talents, new advantages to old Talents, new Rumor effects and many improvements across the card mini-games and Trait mutation rules for the game.
If you're enjoying the relentless pace of updates, new changes and additions please be sure to leave a review and tell a friend!
New Talents - Morale Crushers
Drawing on some inspiration from community suggestions, we've pushed new alternatives for Morale-damaged focused builds into the Talent set for ship combat. Commander has gained a new powerful rank 15 Talent, Warning Shots, which reduces their own damage but debuffs the enemy's move, escape and inflicts nasty Morale Damage every turn. In addition, Gunner's "Signature Homing" (rank 1), "Targeting Lock" (rank 1) and "Scattershot" (rank 8) Talents have all gained +10 Morale/turn to enemy crew, giving some new and quick options to add Morale damage to your starting and standard builds. A final new Talent has gone in for Diplomats at rank 11 -- Compelling Conscription -- allows these quick talkers to lean hard on a new conscript and come onto the ship with higher Morale and without any negative Trait mutation.
Recruit Rumors
Rumors that are focused on Recruiting bonuses -- including Mercenaries, Spice Festival and Academy Graduation -- all the now ensure the doors for recruiting at the spice hall are always open. In situations where these Rumors could appear on low starport worlds there was not enough starfaring interest in the zone to drive recruitment. Now, these Rumors temporarily boost that.
Mutating Traits and XP
Across a number of card game operations and combat scenarios, we've fine tuned and improved the rates for Trait mutation and XP gain. Traits are slightly more likely to appear now on crew combat victory and slightly less likely to appear on ship combat draw and hyperwarp jump (which are both very common events). We've added new Trait mutation paths for Ship Combat Victory, Craft Destroyed (assuming you survive!) and Craft Landed to help further shape those brave men and women who take to the void in bombers, interdictors and shuttles. In addition, larger planets now cost more Fuel and Time to land on, so have your Piloting Talents ready.
v2.6.27 - 10/18/2019
- Added new Commander Talent "Warning Shots" at rank 15 - reduce enemy move, escape and crush their Morale - Added new Diplomat Talent "Compelling Conscription" at rank 11 - pressed crew start with higher Morale and don't gain negative Trait - Gunner Talents "Signature Homing" (rank 1), "Targeting Lock" (rank 1) and "Scattershot" (rank 8) all gain +10 Morale/turn to enemy crew - During Mercenaries, Spice Festival and Academy Graduation Rumors, the Spice Hall is always open for Recruiting even if Starport rating is below minimum - Recovery of relic wargear during Exploration slightly more common, increased during "Gold Rush" Rumor - Radiation and Molten worlds are slightly riskier for Exploration - Very Large Planets take slightly longer and more fuel to make planetfall - Slightly increased Trait Mutation rate for Crew Combat Victory, slightly reduced for Hyperwarp / Ship Combat Draw - Added new Trait Mutation paths for Ship Combat Victory, Craft Destroyed, Craft Landed - Very slightly increased Experienced earned in Ship Combat Victory - Display of ship's offered price added to dry dock sale confirmation dialog - Fixed missing "Unexpected Revelation" cards in Explorer decks, experience granting card now appears again - Mechanized enemies no longer Bleed or suffer Poison Damage - Fixed bug in map hovers where Repair service that was denied by Rep might not show as disabled - Fixed bug with Hietta Lumotte's court (no longer appears)
Update #184: Void Merchant
Immediately a popular feature, Sell All rapidly garnered a lot of smart feedback and suggestions on how to make it even better. Right away, we heard selling everything that was able to turn any profit mean you're incorrectly selling sometimes at F demand for a few credits -- so you have to abandon the button and go back to selling one by one. Therefore, we have added a Minimum Demand slider which you can raise from F to A+. Any resource that has less than this demand won't be sold when you click "Sell All". Our testing merchants cruised through hours of profitable play without ever having to sell anything manually! This setting is remembered from Exchange to Exchange within your game, so set it where you like it and let it ride! Also, to avoid nasty or nice surprises, we've added a warning about Trade Ban Conflicts as well as Embargo and Blockade Rumors, which can respectively damage or raise your Rep when trading. These warnings are visible from the Sell All view and can help you avoid mistakes here. A huge thanks to everyone pouring fuel on the feedback fire for this one.
We've added a helpful confirmation dialog to selling a ship as a few players have been stung by a misclick here. Thanks again to everyone suggesting the little things to make the game even smoother.
Over the last couple of releases, we've worked to revamp the balance of Risk and Reward factors throughout all of the orbital games. We've pushed another set of balancing changes with Update #184 as well as increasing the impacts of the Plague Era and Meteor or Ion Storm Rumors. These dangerous events make this type of activity very dangerous and you should -- more than ever -- consider a lovely spying trip when meteorite storm is whizzing through the system.
- Exchange and Black Market "Sell All" now includes a preference for the Minimum Demand (such as B+) to sell cargo, cargo under this Demand is not sold - Exchange and Black Market "Sell All" now warns about Trade Bans, Blockade Rumors and Embargo Rumors that might increase or decrease Rep with every sale - "Sell All" button always appears when opening Exchange or Black Market sale screen - Added confirmation dialog to Dry Dock ship sales to avoid accidental sales - Additional balancing and fixes for Risk and Reward factor weights in Orbital Ops - Increased impact of Plague Era in Orbital Ops (Salvage, Patrol, Spy, Blockade) - Increased impact of Meteor and Ion Storms on Orbital Ops - Fixed issues with buttons overlapping in Exchange on for some screen sizes - Clarified description of some card game Talents - New SFX for "Meteor Damage" during Orbital Ops - Additional SFX for Xeno Encounters in Orbital Ops and Explorer
[ 2019-10-16 04:25:41 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #184 arrives with continued focus on polishing up the quality of life features, improving the UI and hitting major points of community feedback. As we keep marching to the exciting and dramatic end of the v2.6.x roadmap family, we're focused on hitting all the big points in the quality of life section of our to-do list. We'll be hammering away at this for a few more releases and then we'll be ushering in a new major blast of content!
Thanks to everyone leaving a review and telling a friend.
Sell All Improvements
Immediately a popular feature, Sell All rapidly garnered a lot of smart feedback and suggestions on how to make it even better. Right away, we heard selling everything that was able to turn any profit mean you're incorrectly selling sometimes at F demand for a few credits -- so you have to abandon the button and go back to selling one by one. Therefore, we have added a Minimum Demand slider which you can raise from F to A+. Any resource that has less than this demand won't be sold when you click "Sell All". Our testing merchants cruised through hours of profitable play without ever having to sell anything manually! This setting is remembered from Exchange to Exchange within your game, so set it where you like it and let it ride! Also, to avoid nasty or nice surprises, we've added a warning about Trade Ban Conflicts as well as Embargo and Blockade Rumors, which can respectively damage or raise your Rep when trading. These warnings are visible from the Sell All view and can help you avoid mistakes here. A huge thanks to everyone pouring fuel on the feedback fire for this one.
Sell Ship Confirmation
We've added a helpful confirmation dialog to selling a ship as a few players have been stung by a misclick here. Thanks again to everyone suggesting the little things to make the game even smoother.
Orbitals Continued
Over the last couple of releases, we've worked to revamp the balance of Risk and Reward factors throughout all of the orbital games. We've pushed another set of balancing changes with Update #184 as well as increasing the impacts of the Plague Era and Meteor or Ion Storm Rumors. These dangerous events make this type of activity very dangerous and you should -- more than ever -- consider a lovely spying trip when meteorite storm is whizzing through the system.
v2.6.25 - 10/15/2019
- Exchange and Black Market "Sell All" now includes a preference for the Minimum Demand (such as B+) to sell cargo, cargo under this Demand is not sold - Exchange and Black Market "Sell All" now warns about Trade Bans, Blockade Rumors and Embargo Rumors that might increase or decrease Rep with every sale - "Sell All" button always appears when opening Exchange or Black Market sale screen - Added confirmation dialog to Dry Dock ship sales to avoid accidental sales - Additional balancing and fixes for Risk and Reward factor weights in Orbital Ops - Increased impact of Plague Era in Orbital Ops (Salvage, Patrol, Spy, Blockade) - Increased impact of Meteor and Ion Storms on Orbital Ops - Fixed issues with buttons overlapping in Exchange on for some screen sizes - Clarified description of some card game Talents - New SFX for "Meteor Damage" during Orbital Ops - Additional SFX for Xeno Encounters in Orbital Ops and Explorer
Update #183: Hard Working Gravs
Update #183 includes some fixes and balance changes specifically aimed at making this month's community challenge more playable. The community challenge -- linked below -- involves surviving 14 years with only Officers and your Captain on board the ship, in honor of Firefly's 14 awesome episodes and their tight knit group. October Community Challenge: Firefly Tour Update #183 reduces the minimum head count required for Orbital Ops to 5 which makes this far more achievable with officer-only setup. We've also fixed a bug with the screen locking up on orbital missions if you have less than the minimum head count on board. Finally, we fixed a bug we had never seen before -- the "chain of Storytellers" in which one Storyteller could boost another Storyteller's Morale who would in turn boost another Storyteller's Morale ... its not something you'd ever see in a larger crew but it was causing some occasional issues for this popular challenge!
The Exchange and Black Markets now have a new fire sale button! The "Sell All" button will sell all goods that can be sold in the current market at a profit. The button is not picky about how much of a profit, so be sure to check the totals displayed in the table before clicking -- even a few credits will get a cargo row tossed into the fire. However, for most trading this is a welcome addition to speed up the pace of cargo hauls! Thanks to the players suggesting it and enjoy!
Ships parked in dry dock have long had the disadvantage that they could not be repaired. This could create some challenging situations for launching them as sometimes their officer cabins or barracks could be so damaged that your current crew couldn't transfer over for a valid launch event! Now, you can repair local dry docked ship in the starport by swapping into their repair list. Use the white arrow button in the repair box in the zone to open the repair detail and you'll see a list of any dry docked ships there. Swap in and repair! This can also help you net a better price when selling a ship, as component damage tanks the resale price of a vessel. We've also made some improvements to how certain classes of story missions are set to expire -- specifically those by Calagan Faen and the Arbiter. In both cases, now as the Eras roll by and major political events happen if the mission is still pending as an offer from the Contact it is immediately expired. However, if you've already accepted the mission then it will not expire out from under you suddenly.
- Added "Sell All" button to Exchange and Black Market which makes all profitable trades in a single click - Added ability to repair locally Dry Docked ships in the starport - Improved story handling of expiring missions for Calagan and Arbiter Brokstrom -- better cleanup for mission offers and no clean up for missions in progress - Fixed crash for Community Challenge "Firefly Tour" to prevent possible crash during Paying Wages - Reduced minimum head count required to engage in Orbital Ops and orbital missions to 5 - Fixed bug causing game freeze when attempting an Orbital Ops mission with less than minimum head count - Added note to all orbital operations (Spy, Blockade, Patrol, Salvage) that 5 is the minimum head count required - Improve new Trait mutation paths for even better results, fixed bugs causing some characters to get Trait overflow
[ 2019-10-09 22:28:55 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #183 brings a series of new features to the starport and exchanges on grav worlds to help established merchants, prize ship hunters and captains of all type get their void-faring work done faster and easier. We've also made a pile of changes to improve the October Community Challenge which put some odd strains on the game!
If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please leave a review!
Firefly Tour Challenge
Update #183 includes some fixes and balance changes specifically aimed at making this month's community challenge more playable. The community challenge -- linked below -- involves surviving 14 years with only Officers and your Captain on board the ship, in honor of Firefly's 14 awesome episodes and their tight knit group. October Community Challenge: Firefly Tour Update #183 reduces the minimum head count required for Orbital Ops to 5 which makes this far more achievable with officer-only setup. We've also fixed a bug with the screen locking up on orbital missions if you have less than the minimum head count on board. Finally, we fixed a bug we had never seen before -- the "chain of Storytellers" in which one Storyteller could boost another Storyteller's Morale who would in turn boost another Storyteller's Morale ... its not something you'd ever see in a larger crew but it was causing some occasional issues for this popular challenge!
Fire Sale!!
The Exchange and Black Markets now have a new fire sale button! The "Sell All" button will sell all goods that can be sold in the current market at a profit. The button is not picky about how much of a profit, so be sure to check the totals displayed in the table before clicking -- even a few credits will get a cargo row tossed into the fire. However, for most trading this is a welcome addition to speed up the pace of cargo hauls! Thanks to the players suggesting it and enjoy!
Repair Dry Docked Ships
Ships parked in dry dock have long had the disadvantage that they could not be repaired. This could create some challenging situations for launching them as sometimes their officer cabins or barracks could be so damaged that your current crew couldn't transfer over for a valid launch event! Now, you can repair local dry docked ship in the starport by swapping into their repair list. Use the white arrow button in the repair box in the zone to open the repair detail and you'll see a list of any dry docked ships there. Swap in and repair! This can also help you net a better price when selling a ship, as component damage tanks the resale price of a vessel. We've also made some improvements to how certain classes of story missions are set to expire -- specifically those by Calagan Faen and the Arbiter. In both cases, now as the Eras roll by and major political events happen if the mission is still pending as an offer from the Contact it is immediately expired. However, if you've already accepted the mission then it will not expire out from under you suddenly.
v2.6.23 - 10/9/2019
- Added "Sell All" button to Exchange and Black Market which makes all profitable trades in a single click - Added ability to repair locally Dry Docked ships in the starport - Improved story handling of expiring missions for Calagan and Arbiter Brokstrom -- better cleanup for mission offers and no clean up for missions in progress - Fixed crash for Community Challenge "Firefly Tour" to prevent possible crash during Paying Wages - Reduced minimum head count required to engage in Orbital Ops and orbital missions to 5 - Fixed bug causing game freeze when attempting an Orbital Ops mission with less than minimum head count - Added note to all orbital operations (Spy, Blockade, Patrol, Salvage) that 5 is the minimum head count required - Improve new Trait mutation paths for even better results, fixed bugs causing some characters to get Trait overflow
Update #182: Takes All Kinds
Update #182 comes loaded with new Traits, many of them inspired by or directly suggested by the community. A big thanks definitely goes out to @DrSpendLove for suggesting at least half of these! We've got -- Ace Pilot, Bad Eyes, Bloodstained, Bulky, Daredevil, Diggermind, Fast Talker, Flexible, Lonehawk, Maimed, Surehand, Self-Taught, Wayfarer, Well-Rounded!!! That's quite the list and its a mix of good and bad Traits to enjoy. Ace Pilot, Daredevil and Lonehawk are specifically craft pilot focused, so watch for these when considering your choices on carriers. We've also spent some time tuning and refining the Trait mutations, creating more links between Traits and game events and preventing odd Trait crosses. With this update and the new additions, we've added more strong faction-links to Traits -- meaning Traits like Diggermind are most prevalent on Javat where existing Traits like Spatial are most likely to appear in Alta Mesa crew. We've improved the list and added more to further differentiate the factions over the course of your crew's Trait evolution. If you end up with Bad Eyes from exposure to Radiation or Maimed after falling under xeno claw, you can visit Chaesin and Gestalt clinics -- they can help recondition these Traits out.
With Update #182, we've added the 60th Contact Trait -- Hunted. A Contact who perhaps has had a brush with death or assassins in the past can't shake the feeling that someone is gunning for them. Hunted Contacts hire out Bodyguards, avoid violent missions and offer cheaper pardons. In addition, we've pushed more rules about Pardon pricing to Contact Traits -- Traitor and Corrupt Contacts are willing to take lower price Pardon offers as a form of bribes while Greedy Contacts always charge more.
We've made some nice improvements to desertion this update. First, we've increased the maximum bonus that a veteran's tenure can provide from 25% to 35% -- their weeks and years on your ship will now make them even more resistant. Combined with other factors (landing on a world that doesn't match their faction, on a world that is a syndicate when they are a clan or just landing somewhere indie) your vets can reach over 100% resistance to desertion. Another important note about desertion -- the new Wayfarer Trait can cause some issues with Officers. Those Officers who have Wayfarer gain +4 Wisdom by they are also wanderers and seekers and are willing to jump ship if their Morale is low, even when they are Officers. Otherwise, Officers never desert. So, be sure to know your Officer's Traits. We've also fixed a bug that cause the Ship Skill Pools to not correctly update after desertion was prevented by Talent or Trait.
- Added 15 new Traits (Ace Pilot, Bad Eyes, Bloodstained, Bulky, Daredevil, Diggermind, Fast Talker, Flexible, Lonehawk, Maimed, Surehand, Self-Taught, Wayfarer, Well-Rounded) - Added more strongly faction-linked Traits for newly recruited crew (Javat to Diggermind, Alta Mesa to Ace Pilot, as well as others new and old) - Added more Trait mutation paths from ship and crew combat results - Added new Trait "Surehand" which can grant Gunnery Skill Bonus up to +12 - Maimed and Bad Eyes can be healed by a mix of Chaesin and Gestalt Reconditioning - Added new Contact Trait "Hunted" with cheaper Pardons, less violent missions and Recruits Bodyguards - Updated Contact Traits Corrupt and Traitor to charge less for Pardons while Greedy charges more - Fixed issue with some bonus Skills from officers not appearing in Ship Status / Logs (from Neverlost, Spatial) - Increased maximum desertion resistance bonus that a long tenure on the ship can give a crew member by 10% up to 35% - Fixed bug with Desertion prevention Talents and Traits not always causing Ship Skill Pools to refresh properly - Corrected inconsistency in Born Hunter Trait description
[ 2019-10-04 19:23:07 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #182 is almost entirely dedicated to Traits and Contact Traits with a massive addition of 15 new Traits, one new Contact Trait and further refinement and deepening of all Trait mutation systems. With this big addition, we're excited to finally be marking some of the content items off the dev roadmap -- having now exceeded 210 Traits, we've cleared the "+100% Traits" goal that we put up for Trait expansion.
This doesn't mean that more Traits aren't coming, but we're getting close to knocking down a number of these categories (+33% Jobs and Talents is next).
If you enjoy the constant updates and new free content, please leave a review and tell a friend!
Piles of New Traits!
Update #182 comes loaded with new Traits, many of them inspired by or directly suggested by the community. A big thanks definitely goes out to @DrSpendLove for suggesting at least half of these! We've got -- Ace Pilot, Bad Eyes, Bloodstained, Bulky, Daredevil, Diggermind, Fast Talker, Flexible, Lonehawk, Maimed, Surehand, Self-Taught, Wayfarer, Well-Rounded!!! That's quite the list and its a mix of good and bad Traits to enjoy. Ace Pilot, Daredevil and Lonehawk are specifically craft pilot focused, so watch for these when considering your choices on carriers. We've also spent some time tuning and refining the Trait mutations, creating more links between Traits and game events and preventing odd Trait crosses. With this update and the new additions, we've added more strong faction-links to Traits -- meaning Traits like Diggermind are most prevalent on Javat where existing Traits like Spatial are most likely to appear in Alta Mesa crew. We've improved the list and added more to further differentiate the factions over the course of your crew's Trait evolution. If you end up with Bad Eyes from exposure to Radiation or Maimed after falling under xeno claw, you can visit Chaesin and Gestalt clinics -- they can help recondition these Traits out.
Contact Traits
With Update #182, we've added the 60th Contact Trait -- Hunted. A Contact who perhaps has had a brush with death or assassins in the past can't shake the feeling that someone is gunning for them. Hunted Contacts hire out Bodyguards, avoid violent missions and offer cheaper pardons. In addition, we've pushed more rules about Pardon pricing to Contact Traits -- Traitor and Corrupt Contacts are willing to take lower price Pardon offers as a form of bribes while Greedy Contacts always charge more.
Desertion
We've made some nice improvements to desertion this update. First, we've increased the maximum bonus that a veteran's tenure can provide from 25% to 35% -- their weeks and years on your ship will now make them even more resistant. Combined with other factors (landing on a world that doesn't match their faction, on a world that is a syndicate when they are a clan or just landing somewhere indie) your vets can reach over 100% resistance to desertion. Another important note about desertion -- the new Wayfarer Trait can cause some issues with Officers. Those Officers who have Wayfarer gain +4 Wisdom by they are also wanderers and seekers and are willing to jump ship if their Morale is low, even when they are Officers. Otherwise, Officers never desert. So, be sure to know your Officer's Traits. We've also fixed a bug that cause the Ship Skill Pools to not correctly update after desertion was prevented by Talent or Trait.
v2.6.21 - 10/4/2019
- Added 15 new Traits (Ace Pilot, Bad Eyes, Bloodstained, Bulky, Daredevil, Diggermind, Fast Talker, Flexible, Lonehawk, Maimed, Surehand, Self-Taught, Wayfarer, Well-Rounded) - Added more strongly faction-linked Traits for newly recruited crew (Javat to Diggermind, Alta Mesa to Ace Pilot, as well as others new and old) - Added more Trait mutation paths from ship and crew combat results - Added new Trait "Surehand" which can grant Gunnery Skill Bonus up to +12 - Maimed and Bad Eyes can be healed by a mix of Chaesin and Gestalt Reconditioning - Added new Contact Trait "Hunted" with cheaper Pardons, less violent missions and Recruits Bodyguards - Updated Contact Traits Corrupt and Traitor to charge less for Pardons while Greedy charges more - Fixed issue with some bonus Skills from officers not appearing in Ship Status / Logs (from Neverlost, Spatial) - Increased maximum desertion resistance bonus that a long tenure on the ship can give a crew member by 10% up to 35% - Fixed bug with Desertion prevention Talents and Traits not always causing Ship Skill Pools to refresh properly - Corrected inconsistency in Born Hunter Trait description
Sharing Next Project: Cyber Knights
[ 2019-10-04 02:35:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
While we are still hard at work on Star Traders: Frontiers dev roadmap -- with another big Era release and major milestone coming this month -- we are very excited to preview our next project -- Cyber Knights RPG.
It is early -- we're deep in pre-production -- but want to share the exciting news (outside of our Patreon who have been watching for a while).
Cyber Knights invites you to lead your shadow company of mercs through the New Boston Zone in 2231, testing not only your skill and what you'll compromise to make it big but also your loyalty to each other and how much you're willing to sacrifice. Built on a core of turn-based gameplay featuring stealth, hacking, ambushes, firefights layered over merc company management, base building and criminal networking, Cyber Knights weaves a sharply human story in a dehumanizing cyberpunk world.
So, while it is early, if you like are enjoying Star Traders: Frontiers, like our style of games or love our dedication to updating and expanding our games, sign up to get the call!
In the meantime, enjoy some concept art and tell a friend! Cyber Knights RPG is coming.
Update #181: Glint in the Dark
While most of the outfits in the latest additions have all been matched, we've added two unique outfits today with Update #181. Before you get your pitchfork, these outfits were suggested and detailed by some of our Patreon supporters (https://patreon.com/TreseBrothers). If they're popular, we'll look into making a matched set for each but these are additions thanks to our awesome patron crew who support us every day. First up, we've got a space-punk swordsman and second up we have a sleek and simple fashionable attire suitable for captains, diplomats, merchants and also I am betting that works for assassins too. You try and tell us what you think, captains!
We've been gathering feedback and input on the new Risk and Reward rebalance and by and large are very happy with the new results. We've continually rolled out new sets of Risk and Rewards for a new type of operation each update for the last few updates, to be careful not to upset everything at once. Still, everything in the orbital and ground ops just feels better now, and the feedback is good so we are marching forward! Spy has now had its Risk and Reward math, all reported bugs fixed and all oddities about really high Skill pools causing unpleasant results are resolved.
With Update #181 we improved the Valkri Missile Pods, the level 8 ship weapon. For that price tag, they needed to pack a bit more punch and accuracy. We've also added Ship Ops requirements to every Prisoner Cell and Passenger Cabin. This helps bump the Ship Ops pools on ships that may be investing heavily in Missions and is overall a definitely improvement for captains across the void.
We're bringing in new suggestions from the community every week and this week we picked up a few more related to the Star Atlas and the main star map hovers. We've added Trade Permit values to the hovers over zones so you don't need to remember whether or not you have a permit with a faction when shopping on the map. Also, we've added the phrase "trade law X" to the searchable term -- while it isn't perfect it can help when you're looking for some specific trading zones. We've got a few more great requests this week about QoL in these areas and are looking forward to rolling in more community feedback in the next updates! Thanks to everyone leaving a review and especially to our Patreon supporters.
- Added 2 new character outfits suggested by Patreons -- sleek and stylish outfit and gray and space-punk swordsman - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Orbital Spy including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Improved balance of level 8 ship missiles, Valkri Missile Pods - Added Trade Permit level with faction to hover over systems on the quadrant map - Added minor Ship Ops Skill requirements to Passenger suites of all kind and rebalanced Ship Ops requirements for Prisoner cells - Fixed bug that allowed some non-local starting Contacts to end up on Indie zones - Added searchable string "trade law X" for all visited zones in the Star Atlas - Fixed issue with incorrect jump count shown when navigating to distance quad from Star Atlas - Fixed mobile issue where too many Contacts could run off screen
[ 2019-09-27 21:07:37 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #181 arrives to close out September and helps us preps for a really big October. With this release, we've added new character outfits, are nearly done rebalancing all of the Risk and Reward factors in the operations, pushed in some important ship component improvements and have done another round of minor improvements to the quad map and star atlas. From here, we have a few more big quality of life focused releases coming up before we drop the later October update that will close out the v2.6.x family of the dev roadmap with a bang, a boom and a scream in the void (new xeno, new era, new Job!).
New Outfits
While most of the outfits in the latest additions have all been matched, we've added two unique outfits today with Update #181. Before you get your pitchfork, these outfits were suggested and detailed by some of our Patreon supporters (https://patreon.com/TreseBrothers). If they're popular, we'll look into making a matched set for each but these are additions thanks to our awesome patron crew who support us every day. First up, we've got a space-punk swordsman and second up we have a sleek and simple fashionable attire suitable for captains, diplomats, merchants and also I am betting that works for assassins too. You try and tell us what you think, captains!
Rebalance Spy Risk and Reward
We've been gathering feedback and input on the new Risk and Reward rebalance and by and large are very happy with the new results. We've continually rolled out new sets of Risk and Rewards for a new type of operation each update for the last few updates, to be careful not to upset everything at once. Still, everything in the orbital and ground ops just feels better now, and the feedback is good so we are marching forward! Spy has now had its Risk and Reward math, all reported bugs fixed and all oddities about really high Skill pools causing unpleasant results are resolved.
Ship Component Improvements
With Update #181 we improved the Valkri Missile Pods, the level 8 ship weapon. For that price tag, they needed to pack a bit more punch and accuracy. We've also added Ship Ops requirements to every Prisoner Cell and Passenger Cabin. This helps bump the Ship Ops pools on ships that may be investing heavily in Missions and is overall a definitely improvement for captains across the void.
Improved Map and Star Atlas
We're bringing in new suggestions from the community every week and this week we picked up a few more related to the Star Atlas and the main star map hovers. We've added Trade Permit values to the hovers over zones so you don't need to remember whether or not you have a permit with a faction when shopping on the map. Also, we've added the phrase "trade law X" to the searchable term -- while it isn't perfect it can help when you're looking for some specific trading zones. We've got a few more great requests this week about QoL in these areas and are looking forward to rolling in more community feedback in the next updates! Thanks to everyone leaving a review and especially to our Patreon supporters.
v2.6.19 - 9/27/2019
- Added 2 new character outfits suggested by Patreons -- sleek and stylish outfit and gray and space-punk swordsman - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Orbital Spy including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Improved balance of level 8 ship missiles, Valkri Missile Pods - Added Trade Permit level with faction to hover over systems on the quadrant map - Added minor Ship Ops Skill requirements to Passenger suites of all kind and rebalanced Ship Ops requirements for Prisoner cells - Fixed bug that allowed some non-local starting Contacts to end up on Indie zones - Added searchable string "trade law X" for all visited zones in the Star Atlas - Fixed issue with incorrect jump count shown when navigating to distance quad from Star Atlas - Fixed mobile issue where too many Contacts could run off screen
Update #180: Wide Open Frontier
The new star atlas jump filter allows you to populate the Star Atlas with zones that are outside of the currently selected system. The default comes up only showing the local zones, but if you want to cast your net wider, you can pull down the filter drop down and pick any range up to 4 jumps distant, and these zones will load in. This will greatly increase the number of potential zones shown, as even using the 1 jump filter will pull zones from any quad within 1 jump -- which might be 1 to 4 new quads on the regular. So, it is very important to use additional filters and search to narrow down the list. For example, look for any wilderness zone within 1 jump. Or, search for any zone that "sells explosives" within 3 jumps. Or search for a "mining" zone within 4 jumps. You can peruse what the galaxy has to offer with new ease! Sorting by distance can be a big help to keep things useful.
Locked behind the Master Explorer unlock, the Azurite cruiser is 7000 Mass class combat vessel coming off the starport shelf with many upgraded components including multiple Shielded and Reinforced types of components, Deflector Array 4, upgraded weapons and more. Also promising the best-in-class base Armor for a 7000M ship and with the highest medium slot count of 10 and still packing 11 smalls -- the Azurite stands out as combat ready but also prepared to be retrofitted for many other types of duties. The AI isn't yet flying the Azurite but will get the option soon.
The same major rework coming through Explorer and Patrol has now touched down in Blockade. All of the underlying math to determine Risk and Reward from your crew's Skills as well as all of the local factors from Danger to the zones' Economics, Starport and Military have been fine tuned and improved. We've also made a second pass on Patrol, tweaking a few things and make it even better. You'll really feel the benefits of Patrolling and Blockading at ripe systems and can feel the pain of doing it in the wrong places even more clearly.
We've also jammed a pile of community requests and reported fixes into this release. A long running issue that allowed some of your starting Contacts to end up in Aetaan Char's faction has been resolved. We've further expanded the AI's ship selection routines, spicing up Pirates and Military Officers with a few more options. We've added some missing tooltips to the crew list screens and to craft during ship combat. Finally, we've fixed some issues with hanging story objectives in some branches of the new Era content.
- Star Atlas now supports jump filter, allowing viewing of systems outside of the currently selected quad, up to 4 jumps - New Ship: 7000M Azurite Cruiser (Heavy Combat Ship) - Unlock Azurite Cruiser with Explorer II - Permanently fixed all occurrences of starting Contacts being in Aetaan Char's faction - v4 of rebalanced enemy AI ship selection -- now with more than 110 ship AI - Revised and Updated Patrol risk and reward weights based on player feedback and results from v2.6.13 - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Orbital Blockade including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Improved hovers for Small Craft in Ship Combat - Improved missing tooltips on Crew List / Trait List / Talent Manifest screens - Fixed hanging story objectives that could be left during Buried Demons story branches
[ 2019-09-18 16:11:50 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #180 comes burning out of the system, opening up the frontier for traders, pirates and anyone traveling the void's lanes. With a major new filter in the Star Atlas, a new unlockable ship for purchase, further extension of the new enemy ship selector and a full rebalance of Blockade's risk and reward system, Update #180 full of improvements requested by the community with solid adds of new content.
Star Atlas at Range
The new star atlas jump filter allows you to populate the Star Atlas with zones that are outside of the currently selected system. The default comes up only showing the local zones, but if you want to cast your net wider, you can pull down the filter drop down and pick any range up to 4 jumps distant, and these zones will load in. This will greatly increase the number of potential zones shown, as even using the 1 jump filter will pull zones from any quad within 1 jump -- which might be 1 to 4 new quads on the regular. So, it is very important to use additional filters and search to narrow down the list. For example, look for any wilderness zone within 1 jump. Or, search for any zone that "sells explosives" within 3 jumps. Or search for a "mining" zone within 4 jumps. You can peruse what the galaxy has to offer with new ease! Sorting by distance can be a big help to keep things useful.
Azurite Cruiser
Locked behind the Master Explorer unlock, the Azurite cruiser is 7000 Mass class combat vessel coming off the starport shelf with many upgraded components including multiple Shielded and Reinforced types of components, Deflector Array 4, upgraded weapons and more. Also promising the best-in-class base Armor for a 7000M ship and with the highest medium slot count of 10 and still packing 11 smalls -- the Azurite stands out as combat ready but also prepared to be retrofitted for many other types of duties. The AI isn't yet flying the Azurite but will get the option soon.
Blockade Risk and Reward
The same major rework coming through Explorer and Patrol has now touched down in Blockade. All of the underlying math to determine Risk and Reward from your crew's Skills as well as all of the local factors from Danger to the zones' Economics, Starport and Military have been fine tuned and improved. We've also made a second pass on Patrol, tweaking a few things and make it even better. You'll really feel the benefits of Patrolling and Blockading at ripe systems and can feel the pain of doing it in the wrong places even more clearly.
Quality of Life
We've also jammed a pile of community requests and reported fixes into this release. A long running issue that allowed some of your starting Contacts to end up in Aetaan Char's faction has been resolved. We've further expanded the AI's ship selection routines, spicing up Pirates and Military Officers with a few more options. We've added some missing tooltips to the crew list screens and to craft during ship combat. Finally, we've fixed some issues with hanging story objectives in some branches of the new Era content.
v2.6.15 - 6/17/2019
- Star Atlas now supports jump filter, allowing viewing of systems outside of the currently selected quad, up to 4 jumps - New Ship: 7000M Azurite Cruiser (Heavy Combat Ship) - Unlock Azurite Cruiser with Explorer II - Permanently fixed all occurrences of starting Contacts being in Aetaan Char's faction - v4 of rebalanced enemy AI ship selection -- now with more than 110 ship AI - Revised and Updated Patrol risk and reward weights based on player feedback and results from v2.6.13 - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Orbital Blockade including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Improved hovers for Small Craft in Ship Combat - Improved missing tooltips on Crew List / Trait List / Talent Manifest screens - Fixed hanging story objectives that could be left during Buried Demons story branches
Update #179: Risks and Rewards
We used Update #178 as a release and testing ground for the new rewrite of the enemy AI ship selection. This let us test out the new system, gather data and we had to hotfix a critical bug. Now that everything is confirmed working, with Update #179 we've revved the engine and actually applied gasoline. Boom! The enemy ship AI has a better sense of progression and has more than 100 more options across the board through the tiers of levels and with different captain types. We're eager to hear feedback from the player base, but we've taken this very important project slowly in multiple stages to ensure that this part goes smoothly and leads to a more balanced, fun and challenging experience for all captains at all difficulties.
With Update #179, we've completed a rewrite of the Risk and Reward factors of Patrol and Exploring. The factors remain unchanged -- Explorer, Tactics, Danger, etc -- are all still what derive the % for Common, Good and Rare rewards, for example, but the math to combine all those factors has been adjusted to better take into account the large swing of scale of these values as well as the modifiers of Rumors and Conflicts. This also addresses some issues that were reported about the values oddly shifting as certain Skill Pools got very high as well as some oddities with high Danger planets not being dangerous enough. They're dangerous, we fixed that! One of the dangerous improvements to Explorer is that system-wide Ion Storm and Meteor Storms now increase Exploration risk of ship and crew damage.
We've now added the 3 missing sections to the Talent Manifest to cover all the wide variety of Talents for Explorer, Salvage and Black Market. Each major Talent type has its own section, making it easy to check on your crew's prowess within any given specialty operation and the cool down status of these Talent groups.
We've added more effects to high Reputation, high Military Rank and recruiting Rumors. First up -- very high Rep Captains can gain additional bonus levels recruiting anyone from a zone with Starport 8 or higher. These bonuses can be especially significant when combined with other Rumors and factors -- starting at 500 (+1 non-combat), 800 (+1 all), 1100 (+2 combat, +1 all others), 1400 (+2 all) and 2100 (+3 all). Next up -- Permit Rank 4 and Military Rank 13 and higher both have gained additional bonuses to their recruit types. For example, Permit 4 now gives +2 level bonus to Smugglers. Spice Festival, Academy Graduation and Mercenary Rumors also all got their level bonuses boosted, giving even better options for spice hall and contact recruits. With all the changes, the new theoretical maximum for a recruit is now level 16, but it would take a lot of work and the right Rumor conditions!
- v3 of rebalanced enemy AI ship selection -- now with more than 100 ship AI - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Explorer including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Orbital Patrol including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Very High Rep Captains (Star Hero and above) increase bonus Recruit Levels from affiliated Starports of Rating 8 and above - Increased Recruiting Level Impact of Rank 13, Mercenaries, Graduation and Spice Festival Rumors - Revised some negative Trait mutation tables to better match each event's theme (void, wilderness, spice, piracy) - Ion Storm and Meteor Storms now increase Exploration risk of ship and crew damage - Fixed bug where a Military Officer might be sailing a Xeno Spine ship (oops!) - Fixed bug that allowed xeno ships to surrender due to Morale loss in certain situations - Fixed occasional crash in UCF Founding cut scene
[ 2019-09-12 03:37:58 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #179 brings another wave of improvements to enemy ship selection, a rebalance of all the risk and reward factors for Exploring and Patrol, as well as adding all the missing operation Talent sections to the Talent Manifest (Explorer, Black Market, Salvage). We've also pushed more powerful and varied effects into Rumors, Military Rank and high Rep with factions.
As we start the march to the next major Story Era and Job milestone, we're hammering away on quality of life, systems balance and community suggestions. So a huge thanks to everyone posting feedback, suggestions and bugs!
Ships Galore
We used Update #178 as a release and testing ground for the new rewrite of the enemy AI ship selection. This let us test out the new system, gather data and we had to hotfix a critical bug. Now that everything is confirmed working, with Update #179 we've revved the engine and actually applied gasoline. Boom! The enemy ship AI has a better sense of progression and has more than 100 more options across the board through the tiers of levels and with different captain types. We're eager to hear feedback from the player base, but we've taken this very important project slowly in multiple stages to ensure that this part goes smoothly and leads to a more balanced, fun and challenging experience for all captains at all difficulties.
Risk and Reward Factors
With Update #179, we've completed a rewrite of the Risk and Reward factors of Patrol and Exploring. The factors remain unchanged -- Explorer, Tactics, Danger, etc -- are all still what derive the % for Common, Good and Rare rewards, for example, but the math to combine all those factors has been adjusted to better take into account the large swing of scale of these values as well as the modifiers of Rumors and Conflicts. This also addresses some issues that were reported about the values oddly shifting as certain Skill Pools got very high as well as some oddities with high Danger planets not being dangerous enough. They're dangerous, we fixed that! One of the dangerous improvements to Explorer is that system-wide Ion Storm and Meteor Storms now increase Exploration risk of ship and crew damage.
Talent Manifest Expansion
We've now added the 3 missing sections to the Talent Manifest to cover all the wide variety of Talents for Explorer, Salvage and Black Market. Each major Talent type has its own section, making it easy to check on your crew's prowess within any given specialty operation and the cool down status of these Talent groups.
Rumors, Rep and Rank
We've added more effects to high Reputation, high Military Rank and recruiting Rumors. First up -- very high Rep Captains can gain additional bonus levels recruiting anyone from a zone with Starport 8 or higher. These bonuses can be especially significant when combined with other Rumors and factors -- starting at 500 (+1 non-combat), 800 (+1 all), 1100 (+2 combat, +1 all others), 1400 (+2 all) and 2100 (+3 all). Next up -- Permit Rank 4 and Military Rank 13 and higher both have gained additional bonuses to their recruit types. For example, Permit 4 now gives +2 level bonus to Smugglers. Spice Festival, Academy Graduation and Mercenary Rumors also all got their level bonuses boosted, giving even better options for spice hall and contact recruits. With all the changes, the new theoretical maximum for a recruit is now level 16, but it would take a lot of work and the right Rumor conditions!
v2.6.13 - 9/11/2019
- v3 of rebalanced enemy AI ship selection -- now with more than 100 ship AI - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Explorer including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Improved Risk and Reward factors weights for Orbital Patrol including all zone stats, Rumors and other influences - Very High Rep Captains (Star Hero and above) increase bonus Recruit Levels from affiliated Starports of Rating 8 and above - Increased Recruiting Level Impact of Rank 13, Mercenaries, Graduation and Spice Festival Rumors - Revised some negative Trait mutation tables to better match each event's theme (void, wilderness, spice, piracy) - Ion Storm and Meteor Storms now increase Exploration risk of ship and crew damage - Fixed bug where a Military Officer might be sailing a Xeno Spine ship (oops!) - Fixed bug that allowed xeno ships to surrender due to Morale loss in certain situations - Fixed occasional crash in UCF Founding cut scene
Update #178: From the Bridge
We've focused on this major change for this update, as we have completely rebuilt and rebalanced the enemy AI's ship selection logic. The first and foremost benefit of this is that enemy captains have far more variety available to them in their ship selection. This has not only increased the variety you'll see in lower levels, but granted higher level captains access to more powerful ships later in the game. Finally, this will further improve the appearance of faction specific ships, making it all the more likely that an enemy captain will be flying one of these rare hulls. As with many of the big improvements we've been making to the AI stack, this has its roots in adding carriers to the enemy's arsenal. Another big notch ticked for that project!
A big thanks to everyone reporting any inconsistencies or bugs with the Buried Demons story and the resulting story Eras that can come out of it. We've been receiving saved games and details from players and have swept the board pretty clean of remaining issues with #178. In this patch, we've cleaned up the last vestiges of some of the major characters (won't name them for spoilers, but you know...) having the opposite reaction to your actions than expected.
- Rebuilt and rebalanced enemy AI ship selection -- captain types have more variety in their ship selection - Enemy captains gain more access to different and more dangerous hull types as they progress in level - Enemy captains are more likely to use their faction's unique ships, especially military type captains - Resolved issues with main characters in Buried Demons having wrong reactions after the Era start - Fixed label for mass reduction components in ship display and starport - Fixed ECCM Screen Matrix 3 and 4 Ship Ops level - Fixed reported crashes and typos -- thanks!
[ 2019-09-07 18:03:55 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #178 follows on the coat tails of the HIGHFALL expansion with all new improvements to the enemy AI ship selection logic as well as a wave of new ships showing up in the hands of enemy captains. We've also fixed a pile of issues with Buried Demons and the HIGHFALL story Eras, some typos and label mismatches and rebalanced a few ship components.
Enemy Ship Selection
We've focused on this major change for this update, as we have completely rebuilt and rebalanced the enemy AI's ship selection logic. The first and foremost benefit of this is that enemy captains have far more variety available to them in their ship selection. This has not only increased the variety you'll see in lower levels, but granted higher level captains access to more powerful ships later in the game. Finally, this will further improve the appearance of faction specific ships, making it all the more likely that an enemy captain will be flying one of these rare hulls. As with many of the big improvements we've been making to the AI stack, this has its roots in adding carriers to the enemy's arsenal. Another big notch ticked for that project!
HIGHFALL Story Eras
A big thanks to everyone reporting any inconsistencies or bugs with the Buried Demons story and the resulting story Eras that can come out of it. We've been receiving saved games and details from players and have swept the board pretty clean of remaining issues with #178. In this patch, we've cleaned up the last vestiges of some of the major characters (won't name them for spoilers, but you know...) having the opposite reaction to your actions than expected.
v2.6.9 - 9/7/2019
- Rebuilt and rebalanced enemy AI ship selection -- captain types have more variety in their ship selection - Enemy captains gain more access to different and more dangerous hull types as they progress in level - Enemy captains are more likely to use their faction's unique ships, especially military type captains - Resolved issues with main characters in Buried Demons having wrong reactions after the Era start - Fixed label for mass reduction components in ship display and starport - Fixed ECCM Screen Matrix 3 and 4 Ship Ops level - Fixed reported crashes and typos -- thanks!
Update #177: Salvage Hunt
Every Star Trader's vessel requires a cargo hold -- at least one, of any size. With Update #177 we've made a rule change that now allows the large Salvage Bay components to count as a cargo hold. These Salvage Bays provide cargo storage and also important bonuses for anyone playing the Salvage orbital op. We've removed the restriction that prevented these cargo-providing components from counting for the rule and have opened up some new and exciting angles for ship design!
The list of specific improvements to filter and sort is pretty long and can be probably summed up in "more filter categories, better filter specifics and better sorting." Overall, its cleaner and easier to use and find what you are seeking, but just try it out and see what you think. In specifics -- since Salvage Bays are now counting as cargo bays, they appear in both the standard "Ops" filter as well as the "Cargo" filter. We've added both "Offensive" and "Defensive" filters and reclassified the components which fit into these to be clean and clear. This has also meant a lot of shifts about what is in the "Ship" filter, but again its clearer and simpler. We broke a new filter category "Medical" out from the Crew filter entirely, except if the medical component provides an Officer Cabin it still appears under "Crew". Similarly, we broke out "Mission" from Cargo entirely, splitting off Passenger and Prisoner components. Finally, for filter, the "Small Craft" filter now includes Launch Bays *and* Hangars which it was missing before. Potentially even more importantly, we rebuilt the default sort in starport upgrade screen to group components together (all Nav Assist Modules together by default) which is a huge boon in finding things faster.
We've patched all the reported story issues -- thanks to everyone for sharing these and especially for sending in saved games. A few crashes were fixed, including those at the end of the "False Trail" mission. We've also fixed an issue where Trike would appear unexpected even though you had made choices that mean he shouldn't be there. A few more bugs were fixed and we'll keep hammering away at any and all situational mistakes we've made until everything is 100% smoothed out. Thanks for playing and if you're enjoying the game please leave a review!
- Salvage Bay components now classify as Cargo Hold to fulfill the requirement of always having a cargo hold - Improved, re-categorized and added more starport component filters to make finding upgrades easier - Salvage Bay components now appear in both "Cargo" and "Ops" filters in starport upgrade - Added "Offensive" and "Defensive" filters to starport upgrade and reclassified components into "Ship" to simplify search for components - Added "Medical" filter to starport upgrade for all medical bay and hospital components (separated from Crew) - Added "Mission" filter to starport upgrade for specific Passenger and Prisoner component types (separated from Cargo) - "Small Craft" filter in starport upgrade finds both Launch Bays and Hangars -- easier to equip your carrier - Improved default sort in starport upgrade screen to group components together (all Nav Assist Modules together by default) - Fixed crash at the end of Arbiter's "False Trail" Mission - Fixed issue with decision in Trike mission not being correctly remembered later - Fixed issue with Rep damage not actually processing at the end of one of Buried Demon's choices - Fixed reported crashes and typos -- thanks!
[ 2019-09-03 12:25:15 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #177 follows up on a big week after the release of the Dissension/Consolidation Era with HIGHFALL major milestone. We're working to get back to regular order and quick cycle updates, but still have some patching and clean up to do. Tonight's patch focuses on major improvements to the starport upgrade rules, filters and sorting as well as some important story patches.
Salvage Bay Rules
Every Star Trader's vessel requires a cargo hold -- at least one, of any size. With Update #177 we've made a rule change that now allows the large Salvage Bay components to count as a cargo hold. These Salvage Bays provide cargo storage and also important bonuses for anyone playing the Salvage orbital op. We've removed the restriction that prevented these cargo-providing components from counting for the rule and have opened up some new and exciting angles for ship design!
Starport Filters and Sort
The list of specific improvements to filter and sort is pretty long and can be probably summed up in "more filter categories, better filter specifics and better sorting." Overall, its cleaner and easier to use and find what you are seeking, but just try it out and see what you think. In specifics -- since Salvage Bays are now counting as cargo bays, they appear in both the standard "Ops" filter as well as the "Cargo" filter. We've added both "Offensive" and "Defensive" filters and reclassified the components which fit into these to be clean and clear. This has also meant a lot of shifts about what is in the "Ship" filter, but again its clearer and simpler. We broke a new filter category "Medical" out from the Crew filter entirely, except if the medical component provides an Officer Cabin it still appears under "Crew". Similarly, we broke out "Mission" from Cargo entirely, splitting off Passenger and Prisoner components. Finally, for filter, the "Small Craft" filter now includes Launch Bays *and* Hangars which it was missing before. Potentially even more importantly, we rebuilt the default sort in starport upgrade screen to group components together (all Nav Assist Modules together by default) which is a huge boon in finding things faster.
Buried Demons and new Era
We've patched all the reported story issues -- thanks to everyone for sharing these and especially for sending in saved games. A few crashes were fixed, including those at the end of the "False Trail" mission. We've also fixed an issue where Trike would appear unexpected even though you had made choices that mean he shouldn't be there. A few more bugs were fixed and we'll keep hammering away at any and all situational mistakes we've made until everything is 100% smoothed out. Thanks for playing and if you're enjoying the game please leave a review!
v2.6.7 - 9/2/2019
- Salvage Bay components now classify as Cargo Hold to fulfill the requirement of always having a cargo hold - Improved, re-categorized and added more starport component filters to make finding upgrades easier - Salvage Bay components now appear in both "Cargo" and "Ops" filters in starport upgrade - Added "Offensive" and "Defensive" filters to starport upgrade and reclassified components into "Ship" to simplify search for components - Added "Medical" filter to starport upgrade for all medical bay and hospital components (separated from Crew) - Added "Mission" filter to starport upgrade for specific Passenger and Prisoner component types (separated from Cargo) - "Small Craft" filter in starport upgrade finds both Launch Bays and Hangars -- easier to equip your carrier - Improved default sort in starport upgrade screen to group components together (all Nav Assist Modules together by default) - Fixed crash at the end of Arbiter's "False Trail" Mission - Fixed issue with decision in Trike mission not being correctly remembered later - Fixed issue with Rep damage not actually processing at the end of one of Buried Demon's choices - Fixed reported crashes and typos -- thanks!
Daily Deal - Star Traders: Frontiers, 33% Off
[ 2019-08-27 17:10:00 CET ] [ Original post ]
Today's Deal: Save 33% on Star Traders: Frontiers!*
Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!
*Offer ends Monday 9/2 at 10AM Pacific Time
Update #175: Major Milestone "HIGHFALL"
With this update we've smashed open the new group of the development roadmap. The first item in v2.6.x has fallen with the release of these two dueling eras and the new combat job. To see more detail about what is coming next, check out our development roadmap which details the next major features and content expansions as well as our on-going content expansion initiatives.
This update releases a major wave of story content, major branch points for the galactic story, new characters to meet, new rewards to chase and new challenges to face. This includes 2 new Eras -- Dissension and Consolidation -- which are mutually exclusive in the storyline. Your choices might help drive the galaxy one way or the other. And with each comes a heap of new content and additions to explore -- all new rules for the simulation including 2 new unique Rumors, 4 Era-specific rules for what types of cargo enemy ships are carrying, 6 new Contact creation rules to set the tone of the Era as well as a specialized Conflict setup rules and more. You might see some ship you've never seen before due to these Eras and will definitely meet some all new characters. Keep an eye out for the "Buried Demons" storyline introduced by Silvaine von Sha to get a start on it. These Eras will only get started if you've already reached the 3rd Century Era, but will appear in any game no matter how far along you are. In the dept of "even more new stuff" these Eras can also release up to 3 new specialist ship components as story rewards as well as an entirely new tier of ship weaponry!
The Bodyguard Job is now available as the 34th Job of the frontiers. This defensive-focused fighter dual wields pistols and blades while mixing high power defensive buffs with well-aimed disabling hits. Protecting a target is a mix of keeping the enemy off balance and blocking incoming hits. The Bodyguard boasts a truly new Talent type -- Honor Guard which grants an 75% Auto-Block chance to a friendly crew member who is behind the Bodyguard. Each hit that is blocked has a 50% chance of ending the buff, but its a great way for a front-line bodyguard to protect the back-line. The Bodyguard is also unique in having 4 Skills which stretches his or her Skill set pretty wide -- Pistols, Blades, Evasion and Tactics. Without a doubt, the best Bodyguards will be Officers with complementary Jobs. The Job combinations are staggering and extremely fun to play with -- from the Assassin, Military Officer, Bodyguard to the Spy Bodyguard, Swordsman -- there are too many too count and we're excited to see what you captains cook up! Bodyguards can also provide life saving Talents to protect other crew and officers and special mission bonus payments for passenger and prisoner missions. Bodyguards can be recruited from High Princes, Judicial Counsels and Courtesan Contacts.
- Added new pistol-blade wielding "Bodyguard" Job, unique defensive fighter and team defender! - Added 6th Story Era: either the Era of Dissension or Consolidation - Choose a side in the growing galactic tension between the UCF unionists and the faction leadership - All new simulation rules, Rumors, Conflicts, and Contact actions/mutations during these new chapters of the United Coalition - Added new story vignette to introduce the Era, "Buried Demons" with Thulun Intelligence Officer - Added 3 new specialist ship components available through story choices and rewards - Added 2 new unique crew weapon/armors available through story choices and rewards - Added 2 Era-specific Rumors as Coalition power shifts -- "Anti-Coalition Riots" and "UDF Recruitment Drives" - Added 4 Era-specific special cargo rules for Merchants, Smugglers and Pirates - Added 6 Era-specific Contact creation rules to seed the Era new blood - Added 8 new ship weapons released by the Era progressions -- gear up for advanced warfare! - Added 3 new major story characters who can have wide impact - Added new Era-driven ship encounter and mechanics and 2 new Era-driven cards for orbital ops games - Added 2 special Missions available in different story paths of the Eras, including a chance at a first meeting with legend from Templar Battleforce - Rippling story impacts can flow into other Eras like the Plague - Recruit Bodyguards from High Prince, Judicial Counsel and Courtesan Contacts - Improved Alta Mesa component "Battle Bridge" with Void/Res Resist and +Accuracy % - Contact Search now picks up Trait-based services like Offer Rumor due to Techno Addict Trait
[ 2019-08-26 23:36:22 CET ] [ Original post ]
The HIGHFALL major milestone unleashes a massive new story addition with 2 new story Eras as well as a new highly defensive fighting job, the dual wielding Bodyguard. This major new story expansion includes a major arc that moves forward the political story of the galaxy, brings new powerful characters to the fore and threatens to upend some of the order you may have helped establish. Please be careful with spoilers within the community, there is some *major* stuff in here!
On top of this major milestone, now is the time to join in and save 33%. If you're enjoying the game and continuous stream of major new updates without any DLCs, please take a moment to leave a review or tell a friend. If you're new to the frontiers, post your comments, feedback and suggestions to the discussion board or join us on our Discord where there is a great community to help!
Cracking Open v2.6.x
With this update we've smashed open the new group of the development roadmap. The first item in v2.6.x has fallen with the release of these two dueling eras and the new combat job. To see more detail about what is coming next, check out our development roadmap which details the next major features and content expansions as well as our on-going content expansion initiatives.
Two New Story Eras
This update releases a major wave of story content, major branch points for the galactic story, new characters to meet, new rewards to chase and new challenges to face. This includes 2 new Eras -- Dissension and Consolidation -- which are mutually exclusive in the storyline. Your choices might help drive the galaxy one way or the other. And with each comes a heap of new content and additions to explore -- all new rules for the simulation including 2 new unique Rumors, 4 Era-specific rules for what types of cargo enemy ships are carrying, 6 new Contact creation rules to set the tone of the Era as well as a specialized Conflict setup rules and more. You might see some ship you've never seen before due to these Eras and will definitely meet some all new characters. Keep an eye out for the "Buried Demons" storyline introduced by Silvaine von Sha to get a start on it. These Eras will only get started if you've already reached the 3rd Century Era, but will appear in any game no matter how far along you are. In the dept of "even more new stuff" these Eras can also release up to 3 new specialist ship components as story rewards as well as an entirely new tier of ship weaponry!
Bodyguard Joins the Ranks
The Bodyguard Job is now available as the 34th Job of the frontiers. This defensive-focused fighter dual wields pistols and blades while mixing high power defensive buffs with well-aimed disabling hits. Protecting a target is a mix of keeping the enemy off balance and blocking incoming hits. The Bodyguard boasts a truly new Talent type -- Honor Guard which grants an 75% Auto-Block chance to a friendly crew member who is behind the Bodyguard. Each hit that is blocked has a 50% chance of ending the buff, but its a great way for a front-line bodyguard to protect the back-line. The Bodyguard is also unique in having 4 Skills which stretches his or her Skill set pretty wide -- Pistols, Blades, Evasion and Tactics. Without a doubt, the best Bodyguards will be Officers with complementary Jobs. The Job combinations are staggering and extremely fun to play with -- from the Assassin, Military Officer, Bodyguard to the Spy Bodyguard, Swordsman -- there are too many too count and we're excited to see what you captains cook up! Bodyguards can also provide life saving Talents to protect other crew and officers and special mission bonus payments for passenger and prisoner missions. Bodyguards can be recruited from High Princes, Judicial Counsels and Courtesan Contacts.
v2.6.1 8/26/2019
- Added new pistol-blade wielding "Bodyguard" Job, unique defensive fighter and team defender! - Added 6th Story Era: either the Era of Dissension or Consolidation - Choose a side in the growing galactic tension between the UCF unionists and the faction leadership - All new simulation rules, Rumors, Conflicts, and Contact actions/mutations during these new chapters of the United Coalition - Added new story vignette to introduce the Era, "Buried Demons" with Thulun Intelligence Officer - Added 3 new specialist ship components available through story choices and rewards - Added 2 new unique crew weapon/armors available through story choices and rewards - Added 2 Era-specific Rumors as Coalition power shifts -- "Anti-Coalition Riots" and "UDF Recruitment Drives" - Added 4 Era-specific special cargo rules for Merchants, Smugglers and Pirates - Added 6 Era-specific Contact creation rules to seed the Era new blood - Added 8 new ship weapons released by the Era progressions -- gear up for advanced warfare! - Added 3 new major story characters who can have wide impact - Added new Era-driven ship encounter and mechanics and 2 new Era-driven cards for orbital ops games - Added 2 special Missions available in different story paths of the Eras, including a chance at a first meeting with legend from Templar Battleforce - Rippling story impacts can flow into other Eras like the Plague - Recruit Bodyguards from High Prince, Judicial Counsel and Courtesan Contacts - Improved Alta Mesa component "Battle Bridge" with Void/Res Resist and +Accuracy % - Contact Search now picks up Trait-based services like Offer Rumor due to Techno Addict Trait
Sunday Night Patch
[ 2019-08-26 02:23:48 CET ] [ Original post ]
We dropped a quick Sunday night patch to stabilize a few bugs that had escaped the lab due to the new Era development. In the Crowning Smuggler storyline an unexpected character might appear and spout some nonsense. Also, there was a crash in the lab near the end of Zette's storyline.
Both are fixed! Thanks to everyone for reporting.
v2.5.89
Update #174: Merchant's Delight
Searching Contacts was a hit, so we've wasted no time moving the solution into the next most critical list in the game -- the Star Atlas. You can now search the atlas for all sorts of helpful terms such as "mining" to find all mining zones or "population" to find both pop and lux pop zones. You can search for "stash" to find where you have stashes too. But, to the great glee of merchants and smugglers across the galaxy, the best is definitely the cargo type search. You can search "sells explosives" to find any zone that can legally sell you explosives or type "buys crystals" to find a buyer for what you've got in your hold. The search takes Trade Law and Rumors into account as well, so you can now find your next stop very quickly and with great precision!
To help the quadrants where Contacts can gain access to Rare Trade Goods be more evident, we've bubbled them up to the galactic map. Alongside Rumors, Mission and Contacts you can now see a map mark for the availability of Rare Trade Goods, and hover to see exactly which one is available where. Of course, you still need to find a Contact with the Influence, Rep and service to sell you such valuable goods, but the hunt is far simpler now!
We've made two tweaks to the Plague Era -- first counting Kloxian Medical Bays as a type of medical supplies for different Rumors within the Era. Second, due to some calculation issues, some story Contacts in the Era were offering terribly priced missions -- now resolved! If you're looking to get an Introduction from a Contact, you'll find that they are a little more upfront about the destination of the second Contact, not only listing the jump count but the quadrant and system name as well.
- Added search feature for Star Atlas -- search "mining" to find Mining Zones, "sells explosives" or "buys explosives" to find zones that trade explosives, plus combine with filter and sort - Added 4 new filters to Star Atlas to quickly seek zones that have Repair, Upgrade, Doctor or Spice services - Quadrants with Rare Trade Goods available now clearly marked on galactic map and in quadrant hovers - Selling Kloxian Medical Bays to infected zones can now help break Infected Rumors - Contact Introductions now list the name of the Contact's system and quadrant - Improved mission offers to recognize round-trip missions that are only in the local quad - Improved pricing on some of the cargo delivery missions during Plague Era and increased their ability to scale to your cargo/permit level - Fixed issue with Ship Fuel displays in New Template - Fixed bugs that allowed certain ships to move without using fuel
[ 2019-08-22 02:32:54 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #174 continues to hammer on quality of life improvements while we wrap up the next story Eras back at HQ. We've expanded the search feature into Star Atlas as well as adding 4 new filters which can be combined to make finding a specific system, buyer or seller of a cargo type much easier. we've also better marked Rare Trade Goods within the galactic map, improved Contact introductions and tweaked some of the rules for the Plague Era to ensure mission prices are right as well as letting Kloxian Medical Bays get in on the fun.
If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please leave a review and tell a friend.
This should be the last update in the v2.5.x dev family. v2.6.x is NEXT :D
Searching the Star Atlas
Searching Contacts was a hit, so we've wasted no time moving the solution into the next most critical list in the game -- the Star Atlas. You can now search the atlas for all sorts of helpful terms such as "mining" to find all mining zones or "population" to find both pop and lux pop zones. You can search for "stash" to find where you have stashes too. But, to the great glee of merchants and smugglers across the galaxy, the best is definitely the cargo type search. You can search "sells explosives" to find any zone that can legally sell you explosives or type "buys crystals" to find a buyer for what you've got in your hold. The search takes Trade Law and Rumors into account as well, so you can now find your next stop very quickly and with great precision!
Rare Trade Goods
To help the quadrants where Contacts can gain access to Rare Trade Goods be more evident, we've bubbled them up to the galactic map. Alongside Rumors, Mission and Contacts you can now see a map mark for the availability of Rare Trade Goods, and hover to see exactly which one is available where. Of course, you still need to find a Contact with the Influence, Rep and service to sell you such valuable goods, but the hunt is far simpler now!
Other Improvements
We've made two tweaks to the Plague Era -- first counting Kloxian Medical Bays as a type of medical supplies for different Rumors within the Era. Second, due to some calculation issues, some story Contacts in the Era were offering terribly priced missions -- now resolved! If you're looking to get an Introduction from a Contact, you'll find that they are a little more upfront about the destination of the second Contact, not only listing the jump count but the quadrant and system name as well.
v2.5.85 - 8/21/2019
- Added search feature for Star Atlas -- search "mining" to find Mining Zones, "sells explosives" or "buys explosives" to find zones that trade explosives, plus combine with filter and sort - Added 4 new filters to Star Atlas to quickly seek zones that have Repair, Upgrade, Doctor or Spice services - Quadrants with Rare Trade Goods available now clearly marked on galactic map and in quadrant hovers - Selling Kloxian Medical Bays to infected zones can now help break Infected Rumors - Contact Introductions now list the name of the Contact's system and quadrant - Improved mission offers to recognize round-trip missions that are only in the local quad - Improved pricing on some of the cargo delivery missions during Plague Era and increased their ability to scale to your cargo/permit level - Fixed issue with Ship Fuel displays in New Template - Fixed bugs that allowed certain ships to move without using fuel
Quick Patch Round
- Fixed pricing on some starting ships that had moved categories (Longbolt is now back in D) - Fixed bug preventing clicking from advancing cut-scenes like those at the start of the game - Renamed some mission giver categories to make search easier ("Spy Missions" is now "Espionage Missions", "Dipomat" is "Diplomatic" and "Doctor" is "Medical") - Improved searchable text to match visible text fixing some mismatches (searching "Spy Recruits" now correctly gets hits)
[ 2019-08-17 21:51:40 CET ] [ Original post ]
For Saturday afternoon fun, we've released a quick patch to help fix some issues and improve some of the new features from yesterday.
This patch fixes some of the start ship prices -- some of the accidentally shifted in Update #173 and bumped ships into different categories. The Longbolt is now back in category D.
We've also fixed a bug that was causing some cut-scenes to resist clicking to advance. They were basically unplayable and you had to skip them. Sorry - now fixed!
Finally, we've made the first round of improvements to the Contact Search feature. We've changed the searchable text to more closely align with the visible text -- searching "Spy Recruits" will now get matches as that is what you can see on the screen. We've also changed a few game terms to separate keywords -- Spy Missions are now Espionage Missions, Diplomat Missions are now Diplomatic Missions and finally Doctor Missions are now Medical Missions. This should help prevent some keywords from crossing and getting false positive results.
We're hard at work on getting the Star Atlas search perfected, so stay tuned for exciting updates to come!
v2.5.83 - 8/17/2019
- Fixed pricing on some starting ships that had moved categories (Longbolt is now back in D) - Fixed bug preventing clicking from advancing cut-scenes like those at the start of the game - Renamed some mission giver categories to make search easier ("Spy Missions" is now "Espionage Missions", "Dipomat" is "Diplomatic" and "Doctor" is "Medical") - Improved searchable text to match visible text fixing some mismatches (searching "Spy Recruits" now correctly gets hits)
Update #173: Needle in a Haystack
This request has been very popular for a while and we're excited to finally deliver. You can now search your Contacts for specific terms such as "quartermaster", "generous" or "prince missions". The search is a single keyword, so "prince missions" will only find Contacts who offer that type of mission, and anyone who offers any type of Mission and all Princes. You can also search zones, systems or quadrants like "Northpines" or specific Contact types like "Gestalt". Search can be combined with filters and sort for the best effect. We're rolling out Contact search as a first trial of the setup to gather player feedback, see if there are any issues and test the waters. From there, we will move on to other exciting areas like the System Atlas.
As we continue to fight the good fight to get enemy carriers to be ready, we've introduced a new set of Small slot anti-craft components. These components also have general bonuses that might make them appealing to wider ship design. The Railtak Guidance Matrices components add standard Accuracy bonus as well as an improved chance to hit enemy craft. The C-Tak Interceptor Systems increase a capital ship's chance to avoid craft attacks, increase Initiative and also provide Void Resistance. While you may not be running to your nearest starport to install these just yet, the enemy AI ship builder is interested in using them and since you can capture enemy ships ... anyway -- they are nice!
With Update #173, we've rolled out an improved set of contextual rules for the loss of high grades of Ranks, Permits and Edicts. As you cross the 100 positive Reputation mark, these faction perks becomes more difficult to lose. Each category has its negative Reputation threshold loosened a little bit at the 100 Rep mark. For Military Ranks, it goes from -2 to -4 Rep to lose a Rank. For Permits, it drops from -3 to -4 and for Edicts -4 to -5.
This deserves to be a full heading. The princes of Weapon Lockers have been increased. You can now get an A4 for what you used to be able to get an A5. The middle tiers are also more expensive in a better curve. The enemy's access to Weapon Lockers has been adjusted accordingly to match.
Both Launch Bays and Hangars have gained Skill Pools to help them integrate into ship builds more directly. We've also simplified some of the requirements for ship components, removing some of the lower Economy requirements, cleaning up Starport requirements and fixing a few tiered sets of components that had contradictory requirements.
- Added search feature for Contact list -- search "Quartermaster" to find specific recruits, "Generous" to find certain known Traits, and combine with filter & sort - Added 2 new "Railtak Guidance Matrix" ship components to increase chance for capital ship to hit Craft and general Accuracy % - Added 2 new "C-Tak Interceptor System" ship components to increase capital ship evasion against Craft, Initiative and Void Res - Above 100 Rep with a faction makes it more difficult to lose high level Rank/Permit/Edict by 1 to 2 pts (-4 for Ranks, -4 for Permits, -5 for Edict) - Launch Bays and Hangars all gain Ship Ops and Electronics Skill Pools - Increased prices of Weapon Lockers A2 thru A5 - Fixed a number of component sets that had inconsistencies in Starport / Military / Economy requirements - Reduced complexity in low requirements for components (removed all Economy 2 requirements, etc) - Added System Danger rating to Star Atlas for better seeking recruits, orbital ops, etc - Fixed pricing and component count issues with Skylift Carrier and other ships - Fixed bug with De Valtos Grand Lux Suites not always providing 22% bonus - Fixed some keyboard issues in the HUD and subwindows
[ 2019-08-16 20:05:17 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #173 lifts of the starport tarmac with a roar bringing a long awaits UI improvement to the Contacts list, 4 new ship components, better rules for high Rep protecting against Rank/Permit/Edict loss and more. A huge thanks as always to all the players posting feedback, suggestions and bugs who help us drive continued improvements to the game!
We're in the final ramp up to the next major move on the Development Roadmap. A few updates from now, we'll be rolling out 2.6.1 with major new story Eras, galactic shifts and more!
https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1696055855739611821
The map seed above is st-v01-40-6-10776916 if you're interested in a a nice multi-directional sprawl.
Searching Contacts
This request has been very popular for a while and we're excited to finally deliver. You can now search your Contacts for specific terms such as "quartermaster", "generous" or "prince missions". The search is a single keyword, so "prince missions" will only find Contacts who offer that type of mission, and anyone who offers any type of Mission and all Princes. You can also search zones, systems or quadrants like "Northpines" or specific Contact types like "Gestalt". Search can be combined with filters and sort for the best effect. We're rolling out Contact search as a first trial of the setup to gather player feedback, see if there are any issues and test the waters. From there, we will move on to other exciting areas like the System Atlas.
Anti-Craft Components
As we continue to fight the good fight to get enemy carriers to be ready, we've introduced a new set of Small slot anti-craft components. These components also have general bonuses that might make them appealing to wider ship design. The Railtak Guidance Matrices components add standard Accuracy bonus as well as an improved chance to hit enemy craft. The C-Tak Interceptor Systems increase a capital ship's chance to avoid craft attacks, increase Initiative and also provide Void Resistance. While you may not be running to your nearest starport to install these just yet, the enemy AI ship builder is interested in using them and since you can capture enemy ships ... anyway -- they are nice!
High Rep Protection
With Update #173, we've rolled out an improved set of contextual rules for the loss of high grades of Ranks, Permits and Edicts. As you cross the 100 positive Reputation mark, these faction perks becomes more difficult to lose. Each category has its negative Reputation threshold loosened a little bit at the 100 Rep mark. For Military Ranks, it goes from -2 to -4 Rep to lose a Rank. For Permits, it drops from -3 to -4 and for Edicts -4 to -5.
Weapon Locker Prices
This deserves to be a full heading. The princes of Weapon Lockers have been increased. You can now get an A4 for what you used to be able to get an A5. The middle tiers are also more expensive in a better curve. The enemy's access to Weapon Lockers has been adjusted accordingly to match.
Component Improvements
Both Launch Bays and Hangars have gained Skill Pools to help them integrate into ship builds more directly. We've also simplified some of the requirements for ship components, removing some of the lower Economy requirements, cleaning up Starport requirements and fixing a few tiered sets of components that had contradictory requirements.
v2.5.81 - 8/16/2019
- Added search feature for Contact list -- search "Quartermaster" to find specific recruits, "Generous" to find certain known Traits, and combine with filter & sort - Added 2 new "Railtak Guidance Matrix" ship components to increase chance for capital ship to hit Craft and general Accuracy % - Added 2 new "C-Tak Interceptor System" ship components to increase capital ship evasion against Craft, Initiative and Void Res - Above 100 Rep with a faction makes it more difficult to lose high level Rank/Permit/Edict by 1 to 2 pts (-4 for Ranks, -4 for Permits, -5 for Edict) - Launch Bays and Hangars all gain Ship Ops and Electronics Skill Pools - Increased prices of Weapon Lockers A2 thru A5 - Fixed a number of component sets that had inconsistencies in Starport / Military / Economy requirements - Reduced complexity in low requirements for components (removed all Economy 2 requirements, etc) - Added System Danger rating to Star Atlas for better seeking recruits, orbital ops, etc - Fixed pricing and component count issues with Skylift Carrier and other ships - Fixed bug with De Valtos Grand Lux Suites not always providing 22% bonus - Fixed some keyboard issues in the HUD and subwindows
Update #172: Secure the Cargo!
The Thulun starports have produced a new heavily armored freighter that uses fighters primarily for defense -- the Skylift Carrier. It is well equipped to protect crew and cargo and its design prefers armor and speed over shielding and agility. It features an oversized Warhammer Void Engine more commonly used in battleships. The Skylift is a secure cargo hauler's dream ship. It's a beast of a carrier boasting 12 small, 10 medium and 6 large slots. Oh, it also has a passenger cabin :)
First, we've enabled collapsible sections throughout the Talent Manifest which was needed as we've loaded 5 more major groups into it. You can now quickly browse the major sections, and view the groups you want. There are even more sections coming, but with this update we've added a new "After Landing" section that covers Talents like Listening Post and Generous in Service. We've also added an entire group for "Contacts" which includes Talents that reveal traits, discount services, ranks, introductions and the rest. To test the groupings, we've added a section to cover the 3 core types of Orbital Ops -- Blockading, Patrolling and Spying. If these are found helpful by the community, we'll add Salvage, Black Market and Exploring as well to round out the set. So far, we're still keeping Crew and Ship Combat Talents out of it. Those will need to be visible in their own blocks and also visible in the Ship Encounter screen, so they are coming soon as well.
We've also fixed an issue that was causing xeno battles encountered through Missions to be incorrectly underscored for Unlocks, Awards and for your Captain's Score. This is now resolved!
- Added SkyLift Carrier new massive carrier at 8000M class, 5 Craft and 7 Officer - Unlock Skylift Carrier with the "Adventurer" Award - Talent Manifest sections can now be toggled open/close to enable longer list of talent groups - Added new section to Talent Manifest for all "Contacts" Talents including discounts to rank, edict, permits, introductions and Trait reveals - Added new section to Talent Manifest for all "After Landing" Talents including Generous in Service, Listening Post, etc - Added new section to Talent Manifest for 3 orbital ops -- Blockading, Patrolling, Spying -- with all active and passive Talent types - Separated "Makeshift Repairs" (wilderness landing repairs) and "Port Maintenance" (urban landing repairs) in Talent Manifest - Aded Electronics Tech "Alert Scanner" Talent to the "Travel and Hyperwarp" group in Talent Manifest - Fixed miscounted Talents in the Black Market trades over $5,000 category in Talent Manifest - Fixed scoring issue with xeno missions not properly counting xeno battles
[ 2019-08-10 18:42:16 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #172 comes roaring out of atmo and into full orbit with a new ship and big community requested improvements to the Talent Manifest. A big thanks to everyone who is posting feedback, suggestions and bugs. This update includes a bundle of changes requested by different players all using the Talent Manifest -- straight from the community boards to you!
We're hammering through preparation to crack open the next phase of the development roadmap, the v2.6.x family. Another big Era is coming, and this update includes a lot of internal prep for the next Era, which we're on the brink of releasing.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1696055855739611821
Now, on to the exciting new stuff!
Skylift Carrier
The Thulun starports have produced a new heavily armored freighter that uses fighters primarily for defense -- the Skylift Carrier. It is well equipped to protect crew and cargo and its design prefers armor and speed over shielding and agility. It features an oversized Warhammer Void Engine more commonly used in battleships. The Skylift is a secure cargo hauler's dream ship. It's a beast of a carrier boasting 12 small, 10 medium and 6 large slots. Oh, it also has a passenger cabin :)
Talent Manifest
First, we've enabled collapsible sections throughout the Talent Manifest which was needed as we've loaded 5 more major groups into it. You can now quickly browse the major sections, and view the groups you want. There are even more sections coming, but with this update we've added a new "After Landing" section that covers Talents like Listening Post and Generous in Service. We've also added an entire group for "Contacts" which includes Talents that reveal traits, discount services, ranks, introductions and the rest. To test the groupings, we've added a section to cover the 3 core types of Orbital Ops -- Blockading, Patrolling and Spying. If these are found helpful by the community, we'll add Salvage, Black Market and Exploring as well to round out the set. So far, we're still keeping Crew and Ship Combat Talents out of it. Those will need to be visible in their own blocks and also visible in the Ship Encounter screen, so they are coming soon as well.
Xeno Scores
We've also fixed an issue that was causing xeno battles encountered through Missions to be incorrectly underscored for Unlocks, Awards and for your Captain's Score. This is now resolved!
v2.5.79 - 8/10/2019
- Added SkyLift Carrier new massive carrier at 8000M class, 5 Craft and 7 Officer - Unlock Skylift Carrier with the "Adventurer" Award - Talent Manifest sections can now be toggled open/close to enable longer list of talent groups - Added new section to Talent Manifest for all "Contacts" Talents including discounts to rank, edict, permits, introductions and Trait reveals - Added new section to Talent Manifest for all "After Landing" Talents including Generous in Service, Listening Post, etc - Added new section to Talent Manifest for 3 orbital ops -- Blockading, Patrolling, Spying -- with all active and passive Talent types - Separated "Makeshift Repairs" (wilderness landing repairs) and "Port Maintenance" (urban landing repairs) in Talent Manifest - Aded Electronics Tech "Alert Scanner" Talent to the "Travel and Hyperwarp" group in Talent Manifest - Fixed miscounted Talents in the Black Market trades over $5,000 category in Talent Manifest - Fixed scoring issue with xeno missions not properly counting xeno battles
Update #171: Hidden Agendas
Contact Traits have gained some new teeth with Update #171. Unknown Traits can now keep some of a Contact's true agendas hidden until they are known. The first type of Trait-Mission relationship like this is in the Cult Leader Trait, the Xeno Obsessed Trait and the Collector Trait. Much like recruit bonuses from Traits which only function when the Trait is known, these Traits now add special types of Missions once they are known. Once your Contact has let you in on the secret that he or she is dabbling in a cult, they're willing to start asking you to help them with that secretive side of their life. In this case, a new Mission is available that will ask you to gather Terrox Artifacts through xeno ship combat, exploring, salvaging or however and stash them on a wilderness world for the Contact's agents. This new branch of the Contact Trait hidden impacts has a lot of potential and we can't wait to see more Trait-Mission combos added over the coming updates! Finally in other xeno-related news, we've also adjusted the weighting on the Xeno Hunter mission giver to make it more likely that the focus will be on missions to hunt down and destroy xeno.
Across the board, the cards that warn of ship or crew danger have gained in power in both Orbital Ops and Exploration. These cards can be at times easy to avoid if you have enough of the right Skill saving Talents on hand. But now, they have some more serious teeth and if you fail to save them you're going to feel it. A few fails in these common cards can send a crew back to a landing zone for some R&R. These changes help shift more value into the ship components that can pull the teeth out of these cards by mitigating crew and ship damage in ops.
Based on feedback from players (thanks @gravling) we've doubled down on the improvements to the mission offering screen. It now shows the total jumps and offered price of the mission, as well as the distance of the first jump. If the mission is one-way, meaning that all of the jumps lead to a single destination and there is no return trip, this is also noted in the mission offer. These extra details in the summary will help players stay out of the extended mission description. We'll keep grinding on improving this section as we go!
We've updated the rules for Trade Permits in Trade Alliances and fixed a long time bug. The bug was allowing honoring of permits up to grade 4 when the rules stated only grade 2. We've met in the middle here, allowing Trader Permits to honor up to grade 3 and fixed an issue with the logic on grade 1 permits always being counted as 2.
We've made some important tweaks with Update #171 to specific missions and stories. We've fixed a faction mismatch in the "Smuggler Snatch" Mission. We've also doubled the timeline for the "Call of the Strong" Mission, basically making Commander Axeil far more patient. And of course, a lot more. Check out the full release notes below!
- New Contact Trait specific Mission Types - Stash Xeno Artifacts - Contacts with "Cult Leader", "Xeno Obsessed" and "Collector" Traits may ask you to find xeno artifacts for them, if you know the Trait - Introduces new "hidden agenda" missions pattern based on Trait knowledge - Improved mission offer display to show both total mission jumps and price as well as distance to first step - Mission offer summary now calls out missions that are one-way -- you jump out to the destination but are not paid to return - Improved power of Trade Alliances and Trade Permits -- factions will now honor up to grade 3 Permits - Doubled storyline timeline for "Call of the Strong" storyline - Improved faction targeting and description of "Smuggler Snatch" mission type - Adjusted penalty to selling price on indie worlds to be -10% - Improved the weighting of Xeno Hunter mission types to focus more on xeno - Increased danger from Crew / Ship Danger rolls in Orbit and Exploration - Fixed bug with "Bandit" Trait allowing more than 3 character Traits to jack the bonus above 30% - Fixed some Salvage cards that were not reporting loss of Rank/Permit/Edict due to Rep loss - Clarified time required to remove Trait through Contact Trait Reconditioning Service - Fixed bug where a anti-xeno Mission might be shown as assigned against another faction - Fixed Rare Trade Good counter in character template creation when selecting contacts - Fixed Crew Combat log bug that caused initial target's defensive stats to be printed for every target in AOE attacks - Fixed display bug showing negative ship component damage under some circumstances
[ 2019-08-03 01:59:53 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #171 rolls out with some exciting new changes to how Contact Traits can affect Missions, a second round of QoL improvements to Mission offers, sharpening the teeth of all crew and ship danger cards in operations, better weighting for xeno-related missions and more!
If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please tell a friend and leave a review!
Hidden Agenda Missions
Contact Traits have gained some new teeth with Update #171. Unknown Traits can now keep some of a Contact's true agendas hidden until they are known. The first type of Trait-Mission relationship like this is in the Cult Leader Trait, the Xeno Obsessed Trait and the Collector Trait. Much like recruit bonuses from Traits which only function when the Trait is known, these Traits now add special types of Missions once they are known. Once your Contact has let you in on the secret that he or she is dabbling in a cult, they're willing to start asking you to help them with that secretive side of their life. In this case, a new Mission is available that will ask you to gather Terrox Artifacts through xeno ship combat, exploring, salvaging or however and stash them on a wilderness world for the Contact's agents. This new branch of the Contact Trait hidden impacts has a lot of potential and we can't wait to see more Trait-Mission combos added over the coming updates! Finally in other xeno-related news, we've also adjusted the weighting on the Xeno Hunter mission giver to make it more likely that the focus will be on missions to hunt down and destroy xeno.
Operational Dangers!
Across the board, the cards that warn of ship or crew danger have gained in power in both Orbital Ops and Exploration. These cards can be at times easy to avoid if you have enough of the right Skill saving Talents on hand. But now, they have some more serious teeth and if you fail to save them you're going to feel it. A few fails in these common cards can send a crew back to a landing zone for some R&R. These changes help shift more value into the ship components that can pull the teeth out of these cards by mitigating crew and ship damage in ops.
Improved Mission Offers
Based on feedback from players (thanks @gravling) we've doubled down on the improvements to the mission offering screen. It now shows the total jumps and offered price of the mission, as well as the distance of the first jump. If the mission is one-way, meaning that all of the jumps lead to a single destination and there is no return trip, this is also noted in the mission offer. These extra details in the summary will help players stay out of the extended mission description. We'll keep grinding on improving this section as we go!
Trade Alliances and Permits
We've updated the rules for Trade Permits in Trade Alliances and fixed a long time bug. The bug was allowing honoring of permits up to grade 4 when the rules stated only grade 2. We've met in the middle here, allowing Trader Permits to honor up to grade 3 and fixed an issue with the logic on grade 1 permits always being counted as 2.
Missions and Stories
We've made some important tweaks with Update #171 to specific missions and stories. We've fixed a faction mismatch in the "Smuggler Snatch" Mission. We've also doubled the timeline for the "Call of the Strong" Mission, basically making Commander Axeil far more patient. And of course, a lot more. Check out the full release notes below!
v2.5.77 - 8/3/2019
- New Contact Trait specific Mission Types - Stash Xeno Artifacts - Contacts with "Cult Leader", "Xeno Obsessed" and "Collector" Traits may ask you to find xeno artifacts for them, if you know the Trait - Introduces new "hidden agenda" missions pattern based on Trait knowledge - Improved mission offer display to show both total mission jumps and price as well as distance to first step - Mission offer summary now calls out missions that are one-way -- you jump out to the destination but are not paid to return - Improved power of Trade Alliances and Trade Permits -- factions will now honor up to grade 3 Permits - Doubled storyline timeline for "Call of the Strong" storyline - Improved faction targeting and description of "Smuggler Snatch" mission type - Adjusted penalty to selling price on indie worlds to be -10% - Improved the weighting of Xeno Hunter mission types to focus more on xeno - Increased danger from Crew / Ship Danger rolls in Orbit and Exploration - Fixed bug with "Bandit" Trait allowing more than 3 character Traits to jack the bonus above 30% - Fixed some Salvage cards that were not reporting loss of Rank/Permit/Edict due to Rep loss - Clarified time required to remove Trait through Contact Trait Reconditioning Service - Fixed bug where a anti-xeno Mission might be shown as assigned against another faction - Fixed Rare Trade Good counter in character template creation when selecting contacts - Fixed Crew Combat log bug that caused initial target's defensive stats to be printed for every target in AOE attacks - Fixed display bug showing negative ship component damage under some circumstances
Update #170: Void Thunder
Whenever you're looking at a ship component that has a level as part of its description, you'll now see that level in roman numerals over the icon, easy to read and see at a glance. This is a huge help in being able to visual share a ship design. It is also even more important when browsing component lists within the starport. Along with this, we've done some name standardization to be sure that any component which is part of a tiered setup (1 to 4, etc) has the level in its name (Pilot Assist Module 1).
We've also added a new set of component icons for the different modules of your ship -- differentiating Armor-focused components, Shield-focused components, those types of seals and plating for orbital ops and ship combat, as well as spike modules. We've also added icons for the exo-crawler exploration components and differentiated Warhammer and Behemoth Void Engines.
- Improved ship component display for shopping, sharing and planning - Added new component icons for Armor components, Shield components, exo-crawler, Behemoth and Warhammer void engines - Added new component icons for operations seals and protectors, spike modules - Added level tag to all icons for all ship components in sequences (Fuel Tank 1 to 4, etc) - Improved consistency of naming of ship components, especially those in a sequence (Pilot Assist Module 1) - Fixed reported issues with Mission jumps - Clarified rules for Rank / Permit / Edict loss in the Contact details panel
[ 2019-07-28 02:06:57 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #170 rolls out with a big focus on captain's quality of life in ship status and while planning how to upgrade your ship. These changes are a continuation of work we began last week and improvements that have been requested by different players. We're happy to deliver more ship component icons as well as visually marking the level of all tiered ship components directly on the icon!
A huge thanks to everyone posting feedback, suggestions and reviews!
Component Level Visible
Whenever you're looking at a ship component that has a level as part of its description, you'll now see that level in roman numerals over the icon, easy to read and see at a glance. This is a huge help in being able to visual share a ship design. It is also even more important when browsing component lists within the starport. Along with this, we've done some name standardization to be sure that any component which is part of a tiered setup (1 to 4, etc) has the level in its name (Pilot Assist Module 1).
More Component Icons
We've also added a new set of component icons for the different modules of your ship -- differentiating Armor-focused components, Shield-focused components, those types of seals and plating for orbital ops and ship combat, as well as spike modules. We've also added icons for the exo-crawler exploration components and differentiated Warhammer and Behemoth Void Engines.
v2.5.75 - 7/27/2019
- Improved ship component display for shopping, sharing and planning - Added new component icons for Armor components, Shield components, exo-crawler, Behemoth and Warhammer void engines - Added new component icons for operations seals and protectors, spike modules - Added level tag to all icons for all ship components in sequences (Fuel Tank 1 to 4, etc) - Improved consistency of naming of ship components, especially those in a sequence (Pilot Assist Module 1) - Fixed reported issues with Mission jumps - Clarified rules for Rank / Permit / Edict loss in the Contact details panel
Update #169: Lightning Patch
This patch includes a reduction of the chance of Trait mutation for some very common activities like visiting a doctor in the landing zone, making a hyperwarp jump or ship encounters that end in a draw. This will help further balance the traits of crew to be about more interesting events like emergency HW jumps, ship victories or exploring wilderness zones. We've also completed a pass to tie more Traits to more mutation events, improving on the concept that your actions directly drive and develop the type of crew that hangs around you.
We've added a number of new entries to the captain's log with Update #169. These include reaching major level thresholds with your captain -- 20, 30 and 40 -- as well as promoting officers or dismissing crew. In addition, we've added more story event logs which help tie together the arc of a story when you are looking back over your captain's log. We've made additional balances to the Dart Jammer, Degla Megalift, Skylift Carrier which is an on-going process as we are balancing out ship components and crew/cabin masses.
- Fixed reported issues with Mission jumps - Improved variety of traits in motivation engine / mutation rolls - Reduced Trait mutations from Doctor, Hyperwarp, Combat Draw - New Captain Log Entries for Promoting Officer, Dismissing Crew Members - New Captain Log Entries for reaching Level 20, 30, 40 - Added new story event logs for major story events like second Arbiter mission - Fixed icon for Defense Pattern Matrix - Ship Balancing for Dart Jammer, Degla Megalift, Skylift Carrier
[ 2019-07-26 01:44:03 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #169 comes hot on the heels of the last one due to a bug in th emission jump calculations on some platforms. This is now fixed with Update #169, but a few other nice improvements got caught up in the net and are ready to ship! So we ship!
Motivation Engine
This patch includes a reduction of the chance of Trait mutation for some very common activities like visiting a doctor in the landing zone, making a hyperwarp jump or ship encounters that end in a draw. This will help further balance the traits of crew to be about more interesting events like emergency HW jumps, ship victories or exploring wilderness zones. We've also completed a pass to tie more Traits to more mutation events, improving on the concept that your actions directly drive and develop the type of crew that hangs around you.
Captain's Log
We've added a number of new entries to the captain's log with Update #169. These include reaching major level thresholds with your captain -- 20, 30 and 40 -- as well as promoting officers or dismissing crew. In addition, we've added more story event logs which help tie together the arc of a story when you are looking back over your captain's log. We've made additional balances to the Dart Jammer, Degla Megalift, Skylift Carrier which is an on-going process as we are balancing out ship components and crew/cabin masses.
v2.5.73 - 7/25/2019
- Fixed reported issues with Mission jumps - Improved variety of traits in motivation engine / mutation rolls - Reduced Trait mutations from Doctor, Hyperwarp, Combat Draw - New Captain Log Entries for Promoting Officer, Dismissing Crew Members - New Captain Log Entries for reaching Level 20, 30, 40 - Added new story event logs for major story events like second Arbiter mission - Fixed icon for Defense Pattern Matrix - Ship Balancing for Dart Jammer, Degla Megalift, Skylift Carrier
Update #168: Knife-like Design
The Victus Interceptor is the premier construction template for the fifth generation Juror class solar yacht. The Victus is a sleek, efficient vessel with very flexible operational capabilities for a ship of its mass. The hull's architecture is was planned to save mass and hull at every step which makes two small craft bays possible. Boasting a famous knife-like design and a bold black-and-red color scheme, the Victus is a favorite of those captains who love to terrify their opponents. Access to the ship requires the Warmaster unlock.
With Update #168 we've made some very helpful improvements to the Mission offer and current list of Missions. First, we've removed all inconsistencies between the two screens. There were fields (price and distance) that were not shared cleanly between the two -- now they are all. Also, we've ensured the price and distance calculations for each mission include the sum total of all steps. If the missions summary on the left states "2 jumps" it is correctly counting the 1 jump there and the 1 jump back. Once the mission is accepted, you'll see the same summary in the current Missions list.
With some great input from the community, we've made some changes to ship components -- thanks @peterbbesen! The Mass on Zenrin-only "Armored Officer Suites" has been fixed to 225. We've added Void and Radiation resistances to both the Cadar Shielded Barracks 4 and the Alta Mesa Reinforced Fuel Pod to set them apart from stock options. The Alta Mesa Reinforced Fuel Tank (medium) has also gained a small Fuel bonus as well as some Pilot and Electronics Skill Pool bonuses to help stay competitive.
Across the wide world of operations, we've made a ton of changes. Many are for the moment in the form of higher XP bonuses for critical actions, like ending or reducing Rumors timeline (Quarantine) or for the card that uncovers a new Rumor. In the Black Market, learning a new Contact or uncovering a new Rumor will also yield higher XP rewards. If you're salvaging, the time and fuel cost of crew risk cards has gone up. We've also made some Rumors more impactful on the Black Market -- the Ion Storm system Rumor and Civil Unrest zone Rumor now make the Black Market significantly easier to reach.
- New Ship: Victus Interceptor (3400M, Warmaster Unlock) - Improved Mission offer and accepted missions list -- correct jump count and price always shown on both, local missions marked as such - Redesigned and repriced Sword Cutter from 800K to 480K - Improved Cadar "Shielded Barracks 4" with Void and Rad Resist - Improved Alta-Mesa only "Reinforced Fuel Tank" with +2 Pilot, +2 Electronics and +4 Fuel - Improved Alta-Mesa only "Reinforced Fuel Pod" component with Void and Rad Resist - Fixed incorrect Mass on Zenrin-only Armored Officer Suites medium component - Changed classification of Kloxian Reaver and Cognisense Balm - Orbital Ops: Increased XP bonus for ending a Quarantine Rumor by 100% - Orbital Ops: Increased XP bonus for reducing a Quarantine Rumor by 50% - Orbital Ops: Increased XP bonus for uncovering a Rumor by 20% - Increased Turns and Fuel used when Crew are injured during Salvage operations - Black Market: Increased XP bonus for uncovering a Rumor by 200% - Black Market: Added major XP bonus for uncovering a new Contact - Reduced Crew morale loss during Black Market failures by 20% - Civil Unrest Rumor now makes Black Market access considerably easier - Ion Storm Rumor makes Black Market access considerably easier
[ 2019-07-25 17:14:39 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #168 rolls out in the heat of the end of July, bringing another new ship, a major redesign to the Sword Cutter, improvements for some faction-specific ship components and some major player-driven improvements to the mission offer and current mission lists. We're also grinding through some balance tasks across all of the card games.
If your'e enjoying the game or the pace of updates, please consider leaving a review and telling a friend!
Warmaster Victus Interceptor
The Victus Interceptor is the premier construction template for the fifth generation Juror class solar yacht. The Victus is a sleek, efficient vessel with very flexible operational capabilities for a ship of its mass. The hull's architecture is was planned to save mass and hull at every step which makes two small craft bays possible. Boasting a famous knife-like design and a bold black-and-red color scheme, the Victus is a favorite of those captains who love to terrify their opponents. Access to the ship requires the Warmaster unlock.
Mission Estimations
With Update #168 we've made some very helpful improvements to the Mission offer and current list of Missions. First, we've removed all inconsistencies between the two screens. There were fields (price and distance) that were not shared cleanly between the two -- now they are all. Also, we've ensured the price and distance calculations for each mission include the sum total of all steps. If the missions summary on the left states "2 jumps" it is correctly counting the 1 jump there and the 1 jump back. Once the mission is accepted, you'll see the same summary in the current Missions list.
Faction-specific Ship Components
With some great input from the community, we've made some changes to ship components -- thanks @peterbbesen! The Mass on Zenrin-only "Armored Officer Suites" has been fixed to 225. We've added Void and Radiation resistances to both the Cadar Shielded Barracks 4 and the Alta Mesa Reinforced Fuel Pod to set them apart from stock options. The Alta Mesa Reinforced Fuel Tank (medium) has also gained a small Fuel bonus as well as some Pilot and Electronics Skill Pool bonuses to help stay competitive.
Card Game Balancing
Across the wide world of operations, we've made a ton of changes. Many are for the moment in the form of higher XP bonuses for critical actions, like ending or reducing Rumors timeline (Quarantine) or for the card that uncovers a new Rumor. In the Black Market, learning a new Contact or uncovering a new Rumor will also yield higher XP rewards. If you're salvaging, the time and fuel cost of crew risk cards has gone up. We've also made some Rumors more impactful on the Black Market -- the Ion Storm system Rumor and Civil Unrest zone Rumor now make the Black Market significantly easier to reach.
v2.5.71 - 7/25/2019
- New Ship: Victus Interceptor (3400M, Warmaster Unlock) - Improved Mission offer and accepted missions list -- correct jump count and price always shown on both, local missions marked as such - Redesigned and repriced Sword Cutter from 800K to 480K - Improved Cadar "Shielded Barracks 4" with Void and Rad Resist - Improved Alta-Mesa only "Reinforced Fuel Tank" with +2 Pilot, +2 Electronics and +4 Fuel - Improved Alta-Mesa only "Reinforced Fuel Pod" component with Void and Rad Resist - Fixed incorrect Mass on Zenrin-only Armored Officer Suites medium component - Changed classification of Kloxian Reaver and Cognisense Balm - Orbital Ops: Increased XP bonus for ending a Quarantine Rumor by 100% - Orbital Ops: Increased XP bonus for reducing a Quarantine Rumor by 50% - Orbital Ops: Increased XP bonus for uncovering a Rumor by 20% - Increased Turns and Fuel used when Crew are injured during Salvage operations - Black Market: Increased XP bonus for uncovering a Rumor by 200% - Black Market: Added major XP bonus for uncovering a new Contact - Reduced Crew morale loss during Black Market failures by 20% - Civil Unrest Rumor now makes Black Market access considerably easier - Ion Storm Rumor makes Black Market access considerably easier
Save 33% and Update #167: Explore the Frontier!
An important balancing upgrading has come to Mission pricing to help ensure that shorter missions, very far away missions and missions that only involve one step are all fairly balanced in price, as well as valuable throughout the life cycle of a long captain's career. In general, this is going to appear as a bump to many mission prices and a focus on making individual steps worth their jumps.
We're returning to ship component icons this week to inject a new level of variety and clarity to their visual style. We've added new icons that separate Officer Cabins from Barracks, as well as a new icon to separate Combat Hyperwarp Drives from traveler and base drives. Also, all Mass reduction components now have their own icon. Finally, we've split the boosters into 4 categories -- those that lead with high Pilot, those that lead with high Navigation, those that are aggression focused and then all others (often Electronics-high). This is a great new start that makes looking at a ship build far more interesting and communicative as well as helping to make the shopping experience more visual and easier to sort through. However, we are just getting started. Future updates will feature the component's level as part of its icon, so seeking out level 4 pilot modules will be something you can start to do without reading any text and only looking at icons. With this, we are also planning on buffing the Starport component filters to be more clear, breaking them out into much more functional silos, where "Ship" filter today groups together a very wide range of types, we will see that split out into 3 or 4 new filters to make shopping faster and easier.
Two new Traits have arrived for Contacts -- a "Decorated Vet" who was a hero in some Solar War sometime in the past as well as an "Unscrupulous" Contact who doesn't really care how it gets done, just wants the rewards. Decorated Vets put more weight on Faction Rep, pay better for Missions, but most importantly, offer Military Officers recruits! Unscrupulous Contacts raise the price of all of their services, may enable the Black Market and most importantly, offer Smuggler recruits!
With this update, we've added clarification to the Trait text for all Contact Black Market Traits. A single Black Market Trait is not enough to always enable to the Black Market, which we've now made clear in the Trait description. It is only when a Black Market Trait is combined with certain types of Contacts (a Greedy Merchant or an Unscrupulous Spice Trader) that the Black Market becomes available via a Trait. We have also improved the rules so that *any* Contact who has 2 Black Market Traits -- the Unscrupulous Greedy Prince -- will open Black Market access, making it a little easier to find Black Markets across the galaxy even with Contacts where you might not normally suspect it.
After the Mass reduction to all barracks and cabins last update, we are coming through with a large sweep to effect some additional ship balance and remove any Mass reduction components deemed no longer needed on ships. With this update, we've made changes to the Vulture Liner, Fallen Carrier, Dragoon Cruiser, Lightbow Raptor, Longbow Cruiser. We've also caught up to the faction-only Mass reduction components and improved them to match the core set. The Hawk Mass Reducer 4 (Alta Mesa only) and Lion Mass Reducer 4 (Thulun only) are both far more interesting and attractive now within their class. We fixed a bug with the Shielded Officer Suites where their Mass was too high for the group.
- Improved base price and duration calculations for all Missions to avoid some missions coming out with far too low pay - Added new component icons for Officer Cabins, Combat Hyperwarp Drives, Mass reduction comps, Pilot boosters, Nav boosters, aggressive boosters - Ship balance improvements for: Vulture Liner, Fallen Carrier, Dragoon Cruiser, Lightbow Raptor, Longbow Cruiser - Improved balance of Hawk Mass Reducer 4 (Alta Mesa only) and Lion Mass Reducer 4 (Thulun only) - Added new Contact Trait "Decorated Vet" increases weight of Faction rep, +10% mission pay, recruits Military Officers - Added new Contact Trait "Unscrupulous" increases cost of services, recruits Smugglers and may enable Black Market - Clarified rules for Black Market Traits -- these Traits combine with certain Contact Types and Traits to possibly open Black Market (but not always) - Removed limitation on Black Market access -- any Contact with combo of Unscrupulous, Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld can grant access - Fixed incorrect Mass on Shielded Officer Suites medium component - Fixed incorrect Void Engine name in main ship status screen
[ 2019-07-21 18:40:55 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #167 is rolling out during the Steam Space Exploration Sale where you can save 33% on Star Traders: Frontiers. The frontier awaits, so get in here or help a friend find their way to the bridge!
With this update, we've made some major rebalances to the pricing system of missions to ensure that single-stop and short jump missions to increase their minimum prices, added a pile of new helpful icons for different ship components, rebalanced some of the ships affected by the Mass reduction of cabins and barracks, added 2 new Contact Traits that allow specialist recruits and made some improvements to Black Market Traits that will help smuggling access to more common.
If you enjoy the pace of updates, please tell a friend and leave a review!
New Mission Pricing
An important balancing upgrading has come to Mission pricing to help ensure that shorter missions, very far away missions and missions that only involve one step are all fairly balanced in price, as well as valuable throughout the life cycle of a long captain's career. In general, this is going to appear as a bump to many mission prices and a focus on making individual steps worth their jumps.
New Ship Component Icons
We're returning to ship component icons this week to inject a new level of variety and clarity to their visual style. We've added new icons that separate Officer Cabins from Barracks, as well as a new icon to separate Combat Hyperwarp Drives from traveler and base drives. Also, all Mass reduction components now have their own icon. Finally, we've split the boosters into 4 categories -- those that lead with high Pilot, those that lead with high Navigation, those that are aggression focused and then all others (often Electronics-high). This is a great new start that makes looking at a ship build far more interesting and communicative as well as helping to make the shopping experience more visual and easier to sort through. However, we are just getting started. Future updates will feature the component's level as part of its icon, so seeking out level 4 pilot modules will be something you can start to do without reading any text and only looking at icons. With this, we are also planning on buffing the Starport component filters to be more clear, breaking them out into much more functional silos, where "Ship" filter today groups together a very wide range of types, we will see that split out into 3 or 4 new filters to make shopping faster and easier.
New Contact Traits
Two new Traits have arrived for Contacts -- a "Decorated Vet" who was a hero in some Solar War sometime in the past as well as an "Unscrupulous" Contact who doesn't really care how it gets done, just wants the rewards. Decorated Vets put more weight on Faction Rep, pay better for Missions, but most importantly, offer Military Officers recruits! Unscrupulous Contacts raise the price of all of their services, may enable the Black Market and most importantly, offer Smuggler recruits!
Improved Black Market Access
With this update, we've added clarification to the Trait text for all Contact Black Market Traits. A single Black Market Trait is not enough to always enable to the Black Market, which we've now made clear in the Trait description. It is only when a Black Market Trait is combined with certain types of Contacts (a Greedy Merchant or an Unscrupulous Spice Trader) that the Black Market becomes available via a Trait. We have also improved the rules so that *any* Contact who has 2 Black Market Traits -- the Unscrupulous Greedy Prince -- will open Black Market access, making it a little easier to find Black Markets across the galaxy even with Contacts where you might not normally suspect it.
Ship and Component Balance
After the Mass reduction to all barracks and cabins last update, we are coming through with a large sweep to effect some additional ship balance and remove any Mass reduction components deemed no longer needed on ships. With this update, we've made changes to the Vulture Liner, Fallen Carrier, Dragoon Cruiser, Lightbow Raptor, Longbow Cruiser. We've also caught up to the faction-only Mass reduction components and improved them to match the core set. The Hawk Mass Reducer 4 (Alta Mesa only) and Lion Mass Reducer 4 (Thulun only) are both far more interesting and attractive now within their class. We fixed a bug with the Shielded Officer Suites where their Mass was too high for the group.
v2.5.69 - 7/20/2019
- Improved base price and duration calculations for all Missions to avoid some missions coming out with far too low pay - Added new component icons for Officer Cabins, Combat Hyperwarp Drives, Mass reduction comps, Pilot boosters, Nav boosters, aggressive boosters - Ship balance improvements for: Vulture Liner, Fallen Carrier, Dragoon Cruiser, Lightbow Raptor, Longbow Cruiser - Improved balance of Hawk Mass Reducer 4 (Alta Mesa only) and Lion Mass Reducer 4 (Thulun only) - Added new Contact Trait "Decorated Vet" increases weight of Faction rep, +10% mission pay, recruits Military Officers - Added new Contact Trait "Unscrupulous" increases cost of services, recruits Smugglers and may enable Black Market - Clarified rules for Black Market Traits -- these Traits combine with certain Contact Types and Traits to possibly open Black Market (but not always) - Removed limitation on Black Market access -- any Contact with combo of Unscrupulous, Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld can grant access - Fixed incorrect Mass on Shielded Officer Suites medium component - Fixed incorrect Void Engine name in main ship status screen
Update #166: Merchant Grandeur
While peaceful merchants have run cargo missions for a long time, these missions have not scaled well to the power and grandeur of those said merchants. With the latest update, Cargo Missions now take into account the captain's cargo hold size, their Rep with the faction and their Trade Permit level when determining how far to push the requirements for the cargo delivery -- and the price. The rewards for cargo delivery now scale more above the linear line as these requirements go up. Now, its possible to see larger deliveries with larger pay days.
We've made some important and highly impactful changes to the Mass stats for all ship components -- small, medium and large -- that primarily house Officer or Crew. This type of component has across the board seen a reduction in Mass, sometimes upwards of 20%. As every ship is required to have some barracks and officer cabins, this frees up a bit more design space across the board and even more so on ships that feature multiple components to house their crew and officers. Dual-Field Void Engines have also seen a reduction in Mass to improve their place within the engine hierarchy and to help offset the decision to return to Balanced engine from one of the specialist builds.
The new Pallas Freighter leaves the starport at a heavy 8,000 Mass boasting powerful internal shielding, best-in-class fuel storage (96 base, 250 all told) and the average hull points of a freighter built for transport. The Pallas offers 8 large slots -- an unrivaled layout with a ability to expanding with large components like cargo holds. In trade, it has only 12 medium and 8 small slots. The Pallas has the option to convert into a carrier and fly up to 3 max craft, which is especially suited to its large slot setup. Built out with a wide array of medium component cargo holds, a Salvage Bay, and an array of bristling weaponry for its own defense -- the Pallas Freighter will cost you more than $1,000,000 credits to get into but is worth the price tag.
The Blazelight Railgun and Radiance Raligun -- the high level small slot railguns -- have been rebalanced a bit with Update #166. The Radiance has been pushed even more into the pattern of a crippling weapon with high Radiation Damage and high Crippling Chance. The Blazelight maintains its position as a more hull-destructive version of the weapon. We've also added a new windowed resolution by request and dropped in 8 new awesome barks (thanks @lurker) that reference back to Exodus and pre-Exodus lore.
- New 8000 Mass class Ship: Pallas Freighter - mighty transport class - Enhanced cargo delivery missions to scale up delivery requirements (more cargo, more reward) based on ship's cargo hold, Permit rank, Rep levels - Improved balance of XP granted for craft pilots during ship combat, also moved XP gains to moment of attack/boarding/intercept instead of landing - Rebalanced & reduced mass costs for Dual-Field Engines, Barracks and Size 2 Officer Cabins - Added 8 new barks hearkening back to Exodus and galactic core - Added 2560x1080 windowed resolution by request - Fixed switch names of ship debuffs Devastating Shot and Disabling Approach in hovers during ship combat - Rebalanced Blazelight Railgun (small slot, lvl 5) and Radiance Railgun (small slot, lvl 6) - Fixed issue where story event on quadrant map might not stop ship from moving - Fixed crash occurring on some maps with Faen or other story missions ("Conspiracy in Motion", etc)
[ 2019-07-17 20:59:25 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #166 rolls out with a new Mass 8000 freighter, a rebuild of the Cargo Missions to make the more exciting and lucrative for focused merchants, a new look at how craft pilots gain XP, and a major rebalance to the Mass allocated for Dual-Field Engines, Barracks and Officer Cabins. As always, there is more so check the full notes below.
If you're enjoying the pace of updates and improvements, please share the game with a fiend and be sure to leave a review!
For anyone having crashes during the Faen storyline or other storylines when completing a mission, this update should resolve it! Thanks to everyone for reporting the issue.
Expanded Cargo Missions
While peaceful merchants have run cargo missions for a long time, these missions have not scaled well to the power and grandeur of those said merchants. With the latest update, Cargo Missions now take into account the captain's cargo hold size, their Rep with the faction and their Trade Permit level when determining how far to push the requirements for the cargo delivery -- and the price. The rewards for cargo delivery now scale more above the linear line as these requirements go up. Now, its possible to see larger deliveries with larger pay days.
Crew and Officer Mass Reductions
We've made some important and highly impactful changes to the Mass stats for all ship components -- small, medium and large -- that primarily house Officer or Crew. This type of component has across the board seen a reduction in Mass, sometimes upwards of 20%. As every ship is required to have some barracks and officer cabins, this frees up a bit more design space across the board and even more so on ships that feature multiple components to house their crew and officers. Dual-Field Void Engines have also seen a reduction in Mass to improve their place within the engine hierarchy and to help offset the decision to return to Balanced engine from one of the specialist builds.
Pallas Freighter
The new Pallas Freighter leaves the starport at a heavy 8,000 Mass boasting powerful internal shielding, best-in-class fuel storage (96 base, 250 all told) and the average hull points of a freighter built for transport. The Pallas offers 8 large slots -- an unrivaled layout with a ability to expanding with large components like cargo holds. In trade, it has only 12 medium and 8 small slots. The Pallas has the option to convert into a carrier and fly up to 3 max craft, which is especially suited to its large slot setup. Built out with a wide array of medium component cargo holds, a Salvage Bay, and an array of bristling weaponry for its own defense -- the Pallas Freighter will cost you more than $1,000,000 credits to get into but is worth the price tag.
Railgun Rebalance
The Blazelight Railgun and Radiance Raligun -- the high level small slot railguns -- have been rebalanced a bit with Update #166. The Radiance has been pushed even more into the pattern of a crippling weapon with high Radiation Damage and high Crippling Chance. The Blazelight maintains its position as a more hull-destructive version of the weapon. We've also added a new windowed resolution by request and dropped in 8 new awesome barks (thanks @lurker) that reference back to Exodus and pre-Exodus lore.
v2.5.67 - 7/17/2019
- New 8000 Mass class Ship: Pallas Freighter - mighty transport class - Enhanced cargo delivery missions to scale up delivery requirements (more cargo, more reward) based on ship's cargo hold, Permit rank, Rep levels - Improved balance of XP granted for craft pilots during ship combat, also moved XP gains to moment of attack/boarding/intercept instead of landing - Rebalanced & reduced mass costs for Dual-Field Engines, Barracks and Size 2 Officer Cabins - Added 8 new barks hearkening back to Exodus and galactic core - Added 2560x1080 windowed resolution by request - Fixed switch names of ship debuffs Devastating Shot and Disabling Approach in hovers during ship combat - Rebalanced Blazelight Railgun (small slot, lvl 5) and Radiance Railgun (small slot, lvl 6) - Fixed issue where story event on quadrant map might not stop ship from moving - Fixed crash occurring on some maps with Faen or other story missions ("Conspiracy in Motion", etc)
Update #165: Solar Flare
The Obsidian Carrier lifts off from the nearest starport with a void shaking rumble. While lightly armored, the Obsidian's best-in-class Hull and high shielding makes a hull with high endurance. Built with redundant launch bays and capacity for all 4 craft right off the tarmac, the Obsidian is one of the most focused carriers available on the open ship hull market. It's sale is locked behind the Press Gang unlock
An important Faen story bug was introduced two updates ago, which causes some missions to suddenly disappear after their first step. We're very sorry for the issue and would like to talk to any player who is having the problem - we will help resolve. This update fixes the issue for all future captains.
Thanks to @en1gma and @lordofsyn on our https://discord.gg/tresebrothers for suggesting some improvements to the starting Pirate template. With some adjustments to priority, changes to Skills and Attributes as well as a ship swap, the Pirate template has never been more ready to fly and dive into ship combat. Please note that these changes to the template will only appear in new installs.
Across the game where you're looking at a ship without being able to see all of its components, a wealth of new roll-up stats are available. Where before you could see the hull's base fuel, now you can see its final fuel, cargo as well as prisoner cells and passenger cabins. In addition, you can see the exact count of crew and officers who have bunks on the ship as well as the hull's maximum for crew and officers. This extra info is a great boon when planning a build and considering a new ship purchase!
A new rare relic can now be found during Salvage, the Voidsealed Heavy Jack. We've also reduced the chance of encounter xeno slightly in Explorer, with some weighting to the early game experience as well. And, we've fixed a bug with the Longbolt having a missing tag line. A huge thanks to everyone posting bugs, feedback and reviews!
- New Unlockable Ship: Obsidian Carrier (7000M) - Added Unlock Reward info for "Press Gang" Award -- conscript 20 enemy crew - Fixed bug causing some story missions such as Erik and Zette's to disappear suddenly after finishing one step - New Relic: 'Voidsealed Heavy Jack' (Military Gear, Salvagable Rare) - Replaced Pirate Template with updated and Improved version putting more focus on the right Attributes, Skills and improved ship choice - Improved Ship Details display in new template to include final cargo and fuel capacity as well as maximums for crew and officers, prisoner and passenger cabins - Improved Ship Details display in New Ship/Dry Dock to include the same additions as new template - Fixed missing description of Longbolt starting ship - Fixed Crashes in Unlock Display in some conditions - Slight reduction in Xeno encounter rates during Exploration
[ 2019-07-11 22:07:19 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #165 adds a new carrier ship to the mix, fixes a critical story bug plaguing the Faens, drops a new rare lootable relic, updates the Pirate default starting templates and improves the ship displays in new game, drydock and new ship to include more of the critical fields.
The updates keep coming, so be sure to leave a review and tell a friend.
Obsidian Carrier
The Obsidian Carrier lifts off from the nearest starport with a void shaking rumble. While lightly armored, the Obsidian's best-in-class Hull and high shielding makes a hull with high endurance. Built with redundant launch bays and capacity for all 4 craft right off the tarmac, the Obsidian is one of the most focused carriers available on the open ship hull market. It's sale is locked behind the Press Gang unlock
Faen Story Bug
An important Faen story bug was introduced two updates ago, which causes some missions to suddenly disappear after their first step. We're very sorry for the issue and would like to talk to any player who is having the problem - we will help resolve. This update fixes the issue for all future captains.
Updated Pirate Start
Thanks to @en1gma and @lordofsyn on our https://discord.gg/tresebrothers for suggesting some improvements to the starting Pirate template. With some adjustments to priority, changes to Skills and Attributes as well as a ship swap, the Pirate template has never been more ready to fly and dive into ship combat. Please note that these changes to the template will only appear in new installs.
Ship Stats
Across the game where you're looking at a ship without being able to see all of its components, a wealth of new roll-up stats are available. Where before you could see the hull's base fuel, now you can see its final fuel, cargo as well as prisoner cells and passenger cabins. In addition, you can see the exact count of crew and officers who have bunks on the ship as well as the hull's maximum for crew and officers. This extra info is a great boon when planning a build and considering a new ship purchase!
And More
A new rare relic can now be found during Salvage, the Voidsealed Heavy Jack. We've also reduced the chance of encounter xeno slightly in Explorer, with some weighting to the early game experience as well. And, we've fixed a bug with the Longbolt having a missing tag line. A huge thanks to everyone posting bugs, feedback and reviews!
v2.5.65 - 7/11/2019
- New Unlockable Ship: Obsidian Carrier (7000M) - Added Unlock Reward info for "Press Gang" Award -- conscript 20 enemy crew - Fixed bug causing some story missions such as Erik and Zette's to disappear suddenly after finishing one step - New Relic: 'Voidsealed Heavy Jack' (Military Gear, Salvagable Rare) - Replaced Pirate Template with updated and Improved version putting more focus on the right Attributes, Skills and improved ship choice - Improved Ship Details display in new template to include final cargo and fuel capacity as well as maximums for crew and officers, prisoner and passenger cabins - Improved Ship Details display in New Ship/Dry Dock to include the same additions as new template - Fixed missing description of Longbolt starting ship - Fixed Crashes in Unlock Display in some conditions - Slight reduction in Xeno encounter rates during Exploration
Last Days to Save 33% + Update #164: The Gunhawk
Rychart's own fast, sleek and deadly Gunhawk Sabre is hitting the void with a very unique build. This M2400 class ship features 10 small components, 7 medium slots and only 1 large slot but boasts high start Armor, Shield, a full set of 6 officers and the smallest crew out there, clocking in at 18. Build for close ranged combat, hit and run boarding or spying expeditions that are just in Rychart's wheel house, the Gunhawk Sabre requires a special kind of focus and a special kind of captain to command. Whether your rapidly training a small inner core of crew and officers for a large ship upgrade or planning to stay forever, the Gunhawk Sabre is a joy to fly.
Sometimes you need someone to negotiate for peace on your behalf. You're in luck, because the new Interceder class Plasma Cannons are ready to "talk it out" with your enemy. Packing a huge Radiation Damage punch and extra Crippling Chance, these high level large class Plasma Cannons are built to decimate and cook the enemy crew and ship's internals while leaving the hull (mostly) in one piece. Perfect for pirates and salvages alike, mount these new beauties on your ship and start negotiating your way out of trouble.
Javat is finally getting into the transport game with the release of their new Hauler Hold. Boasting 65 Cargo capacity and a solid chunk of Fuel storage, the hold is perfect for any commodity merchant all the way up to someone who can afford to pack it with Rare Trade Goods and sail the stars.
Enemy ship captains are gaining a new level of versatility as they are now able to staff their crew with more interesting Job picks. Military and boarding-focused captains may choose to foregoe extra Pilots or Gunners in trade for more Swordsman, Pistoleers and Rifleman. And now, Pirate captains may swap out some of their Pilots for Pirates. These changes will have a wide set of effects -- they can make boarding against military vessels harder as you may face multiple sets of trained fighting crew. Also, they may reduce the ship pools on some ships as a Pilot or E-Tech is replaced with an extra Pistoleer or a Swordsman. This also increases the chance that Captains may find more interesting Jobs to conscript among the enemy crew. And Pirates among the enemy crew will bring new varied set of Talents to bear in ship combat. As with all major shifts, this will be done in multiple stages, starting here and looking to expand to other enemy captain types and other exciting crew Jobs. The changes are difficulty dependent, so you're less likely to see these new swaps on lower difficulty.
With some improvements to Pilot Assist Modules, we're moving toward some important rebalancing to help defend against craft. Craft come with a percentage based attack system (60% to Hit, etc) that does not take normal ship defenses into account. If the craft is able to close and swoop down in over your hull, you're way bigger than a womprat or a barn and their bombs are going to hit you. Now, with new bonuses coming off Pilot Assist Modules, your capital ship has gained the ability to avoid their attack runs altogether with a Dodge %. This new type of bonus will be propagating to other ship components as well, as its a critical part of allowing the AI to fairly use craft, especially for smaller ships.
We've fixed a ton of other nice things for you as well! Salvage Bay components now work against xeno. All story fights against xeno are properly counted in your stats screen. We've fixed some issues with smaller maps and story missions hanging -- if you were having this crash, just try again after the update. We've resolved a bug with "Dread Legacy" Trait from xeno hunters in certain quadrants. The Quad-Goltha Scanner component needed some tweaks to be fair versus the rewards of the storyline so got a bit of a down balance. And, we fixed more odd edge-case bugs with the Arbiter storyline and story arcs timing out. If you're enjoying the updates, we hope you'll leave a review!
- Added new ship design: Gunhawk Sabre is a unique Rychart-only M2400 class ship built for close range combat and boarding - Added two new large slot Plasma Cannon ship weapons -- the "Interceder PCX" class deals massive Radiation Damage in trade for low Standard Damage - Added new Javat-only "Hauler Hold" large slot cargo hold is high capacity for bulk shipments, adding 65 cargo and 40 fuel - Military or boarding minded enemy captains will now hire additional fighting crew (difficulty dependent) - Pirate enemy captains will now hire additional pirates to staff their boats (difficulty dependent) - Improved Pilot Assist Modules 1-4 to include % chance to avoid attacks from small craft - Rebalanced the Quad-Goltha Scanner against the Red series Goltha tech to improve the "Goltha Theory" storyline pay off - Salvage Bay ship components now improve the results when salvaging xeno ships - Fixed crash occuring on some 12 quadrant small maps with story missions ("Conspiracy in Motion", etc) - Fixed bug with "Dread Legacy" Xeno Hunter Captain Trait that caused it not to display in certain quadrants when defeating xeno - Fixed issue where some Mission and Story battles against xeno were not properly recorded in logs - Fixed bug making the chance to avoid a fight in Civil Unrest Rumor very low - Fixed bug allowing Zenrin Archivist Contact to appear on non-Zenrin systems - Fixed other ways that the Arbiter Coalition storyline could end early - Fixed some bugs with early Arbiter-Faen storyline and timing out
[ 2019-07-08 00:52:40 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #164 will help us wrap up the Steam Summer Sale in style! The Grand Prix theme was all about speed, and we've dropped 5 updates with tons of new content, new features and community driven improvements fast-fast-fast! And this latest update is no expection -- Update #164 features a new Rychart-only ship, 2 new ship weapons focused on disabling enemy ships, a new Javat-only cargo hold, major new improvements to how enemy AI staff their ship, rebalance for Pilot Assist Modules versus craft attacks and well, there's more too. Read the full release notes for everything!
If you've enjoyed the relentless pace of updates and the game, please leave a review and tell a friend!
Gunhawk Sabre
Rychart's own fast, sleek and deadly Gunhawk Sabre is hitting the void with a very unique build. This M2400 class ship features 10 small components, 7 medium slots and only 1 large slot but boasts high start Armor, Shield, a full set of 6 officers and the smallest crew out there, clocking in at 18. Build for close ranged combat, hit and run boarding or spying expeditions that are just in Rychart's wheel house, the Gunhawk Sabre requires a special kind of focus and a special kind of captain to command. Whether your rapidly training a small inner core of crew and officers for a large ship upgrade or planning to stay forever, the Gunhawk Sabre is a joy to fly.
Interceder Plasma Cannons
Sometimes you need someone to negotiate for peace on your behalf. You're in luck, because the new Interceder class Plasma Cannons are ready to "talk it out" with your enemy. Packing a huge Radiation Damage punch and extra Crippling Chance, these high level large class Plasma Cannons are built to decimate and cook the enemy crew and ship's internals while leaving the hull (mostly) in one piece. Perfect for pirates and salvages alike, mount these new beauties on your ship and start negotiating your way out of trouble.
Hauler Hold
Javat is finally getting into the transport game with the release of their new Hauler Hold. Boasting 65 Cargo capacity and a solid chunk of Fuel storage, the hold is perfect for any commodity merchant all the way up to someone who can afford to pack it with Rare Trade Goods and sail the stars.
Staffing Enemy Ships
Enemy ship captains are gaining a new level of versatility as they are now able to staff their crew with more interesting Job picks. Military and boarding-focused captains may choose to foregoe extra Pilots or Gunners in trade for more Swordsman, Pistoleers and Rifleman. And now, Pirate captains may swap out some of their Pilots for Pirates. These changes will have a wide set of effects -- they can make boarding against military vessels harder as you may face multiple sets of trained fighting crew. Also, they may reduce the ship pools on some ships as a Pilot or E-Tech is replaced with an extra Pistoleer or a Swordsman. This also increases the chance that Captains may find more interesting Jobs to conscript among the enemy crew. And Pirates among the enemy crew will bring new varied set of Talents to bear in ship combat. As with all major shifts, this will be done in multiple stages, starting here and looking to expand to other enemy captain types and other exciting crew Jobs. The changes are difficulty dependent, so you're less likely to see these new swaps on lower difficulty.
Pilot Modules
With some improvements to Pilot Assist Modules, we're moving toward some important rebalancing to help defend against craft. Craft come with a percentage based attack system (60% to Hit, etc) that does not take normal ship defenses into account. If the craft is able to close and swoop down in over your hull, you're way bigger than a womprat or a barn and their bombs are going to hit you. Now, with new bonuses coming off Pilot Assist Modules, your capital ship has gained the ability to avoid their attack runs altogether with a Dodge %. This new type of bonus will be propagating to other ship components as well, as its a critical part of allowing the AI to fairly use craft, especially for smaller ships.
And More!
We've fixed a ton of other nice things for you as well! Salvage Bay components now work against xeno. All story fights against xeno are properly counted in your stats screen. We've fixed some issues with smaller maps and story missions hanging -- if you were having this crash, just try again after the update. We've resolved a bug with "Dread Legacy" Trait from xeno hunters in certain quadrants. The Quad-Goltha Scanner component needed some tweaks to be fair versus the rewards of the storyline so got a bit of a down balance. And, we fixed more odd edge-case bugs with the Arbiter storyline and story arcs timing out. If you're enjoying the updates, we hope you'll leave a review!
v2.5.63 - 7/6/2019
- Added new ship design: Gunhawk Sabre is a unique Rychart-only M2400 class ship built for close range combat and boarding - Added two new large slot Plasma Cannon ship weapons -- the "Interceder PCX" class deals massive Radiation Damage in trade for low Standard Damage - Added new Javat-only "Hauler Hold" large slot cargo hold is high capacity for bulk shipments, adding 65 cargo and 40 fuel - Military or boarding minded enemy captains will now hire additional fighting crew (difficulty dependent) - Pirate enemy captains will now hire additional pirates to staff their boats (difficulty dependent) - Improved Pilot Assist Modules 1-4 to include % chance to avoid attacks from small craft - Rebalanced the Quad-Goltha Scanner against the Red series Goltha tech to improve the "Goltha Theory" storyline pay off - Salvage Bay ship components now improve the results when salvaging xeno ships - Fixed crash occuring on some 12 quadrant small maps with story missions ("Conspiracy in Motion", etc) - Fixed bug with "Dread Legacy" Xeno Hunter Captain Trait that caused it not to display in certain quadrants when defeating xeno - Fixed issue where some Mission and Story battles against xeno were not properly recorded in logs - Fixed bug making the chance to avoid a fight in Civil Unrest Rumor very low - Fixed bug allowing Zenrin Archivist Contact to appear on non-Zenrin systems - Fixed other ways that the Arbiter Coalition storyline could end early - Fixed some bugs with early Arbiter-Faen storyline and timing out
Save 33% + Update #163: Doomsday Stashers
With Update #162 we've added another matching outfit. Your Military Officers and Commanders never had it so good, now featuring an outfit specifically baked just for them. If you are a Captain, Officer or just a pretentious crew member, you can now wear your full regalia and remind everyone else that you serve a faction military. Or not. Either way -- you're going to do it in style. A huge thanks to all of our Patreons who have helped suggest outfits that are appearing in this second wave.
If you've got *a lot* of things in stashes buried all across the galaxy than this update is for you. First up, we've now denoted the rows that are the headers for individual stashes by coloring them differently, making it a quick visual scan to see the different stashes. Second, we've included Quadrant name in the stash header row, making is easy to see which Stashes are in the same Quadrant, helping you plan a pickup run if you're sweeping through to collect and sell. Third, we've added a Dump feature for stash items. You can dump an entire entry in a stash or even just a few units -- all from across the galaxy. By erasing these entries from your data records, you remove the Stashed cargo from your list. Got 32 units of Biomass that are 17 jumps away? Dump it! Finally, we fixed a routing bug that was occurring when looking at Stashes on the galaxy map. If you're routing to stashes from this map, the waypoints will now update correctly.
The Pirate Job has gained a new rank 11 Talent, "Looter's Intuition" that affects all encounters with Merchants while blockading. While hunting the richest targets, a Pirate's nose for loot can now help pick out the merchants who are most heavily loaded with cargo. There are no clear visual signs, perhaps the slightest traces on the arc scanner reverb -- but none the less, a real Pirate just nose. Knows? Nose. Any Merchant who is encountered with this Talent firing is going to have a packed cargo hold, often with extra valuable goods. Just one more way to reap the benefits of blockading. We've also fixed a bug with the "Signature Jammer" type Talents -- they were not appearing in the ship encounter log if they reduced Rep loss to just -1. We've clarified their description as well to be clear that they have cannot reduce Rep loss below -1 and we've also clarified all Doctor Saving Talents which had some confusing words in their description before. Thanks to everyone for playing, sharing and gifting the game. Also, for reviewing! Enjoy the new content!
- Added new matching character outfits -- military officer or top brass commander - Added new rank 11 Pirate Talent "Looter's Instinct" which causes any Merchant encountered during Blockade to have bonus cargo - Stash List now includes Quadrant name for each stash grouping for easier visual parsing - Added feature to "Dump" cargo from Stashes at a distance, allowing the complete removal of Stashes without visiting them - Improved color coding of rows in Stash list to make it clearer which are the Stash headers and which are Stashed cargo - Fixed issue causing galactic map to route oddly when navigating to a stash - Fixed bug that was preventing "Signature Jammer" Talents from appear after ship encounter if the Rep loss was exactly -1 - Clarified description of "Signature Jammer" Talents to be clear that they reduce Rep loss to a minimum of -1 - Clarified description of medical Talents that prevent Doctor Skill failures and Life Savers
[ 2019-07-03 15:36:08 CET ] [ Original post ]
It's the second week of Steam Summer sale and our 4th big update so far! With Update #162, you're still saving 33% and you get even more content, outfits, a new Pirate Talent, major Stash feature improvements suggested by the community and more! We'll dive into all the specifics below, section by section.
If you're enjoying the pace of updates and new content, please leave a review. Great to see some of our 600+ hour players coming out to drop reviews on the game! Thank you :D
If you've ever been looking for an interesting and peace-focused merchant / high cargo ship build, look no further than the screenshot above shared by @JimmysTheBestCop. Amazing capacity, amazing fuel efficiency, but no weapons and weak Ship Skill Pools. This one needs factions to be friendly and some powerful Encounter Talents.
Military Brass
With Update #162 we've added another matching outfit. Your Military Officers and Commanders never had it so good, now featuring an outfit specifically baked just for them. If you are a Captain, Officer or just a pretentious crew member, you can now wear your full regalia and remind everyone else that you serve a faction military. Or not. Either way -- you're going to do it in style. A huge thanks to all of our Patreons who have helped suggest outfits that are appearing in this second wave.
Doomsday Stashers
If you've got *a lot* of things in stashes buried all across the galaxy than this update is for you. First up, we've now denoted the rows that are the headers for individual stashes by coloring them differently, making it a quick visual scan to see the different stashes. Second, we've included Quadrant name in the stash header row, making is easy to see which Stashes are in the same Quadrant, helping you plan a pickup run if you're sweeping through to collect and sell. Third, we've added a Dump feature for stash items. You can dump an entire entry in a stash or even just a few units -- all from across the galaxy. By erasing these entries from your data records, you remove the Stashed cargo from your list. Got 32 units of Biomass that are 17 jumps away? Dump it! Finally, we fixed a routing bug that was occurring when looking at Stashes on the galaxy map. If you're routing to stashes from this map, the waypoints will now update correctly.
Pirate's Nose for Loot!
The Pirate Job has gained a new rank 11 Talent, "Looter's Intuition" that affects all encounters with Merchants while blockading. While hunting the richest targets, a Pirate's nose for loot can now help pick out the merchants who are most heavily loaded with cargo. There are no clear visual signs, perhaps the slightest traces on the arc scanner reverb -- but none the less, a real Pirate just nose. Knows? Nose. Any Merchant who is encountered with this Talent firing is going to have a packed cargo hold, often with extra valuable goods. Just one more way to reap the benefits of blockading. We've also fixed a bug with the "Signature Jammer" type Talents -- they were not appearing in the ship encounter log if they reduced Rep loss to just -1. We've clarified their description as well to be clear that they have cannot reduce Rep loss below -1 and we've also clarified all Doctor Saving Talents which had some confusing words in their description before. Thanks to everyone for playing, sharing and gifting the game. Also, for reviewing! Enjoy the new content!
v2.5.61 - 7/3/2019
- Added new matching character outfits -- military officer or top brass commander - Added new rank 11 Pirate Talent "Looter's Instinct" which causes any Merchant encountered during Blockade to have bonus cargo - Stash List now includes Quadrant name for each stash grouping for easier visual parsing - Added feature to "Dump" cargo from Stashes at a distance, allowing the complete removal of Stashes without visiting them - Improved color coding of rows in Stash list to make it clearer which are the Stash headers and which are Stashed cargo - Fixed issue causing galactic map to route oddly when navigating to a stash - Fixed bug that was preventing "Signature Jammer" Talents from appear after ship encounter if the Rep loss was exactly -1 - Clarified description of "Signature Jammer" Talents to be clear that they reduce Rep loss to a minimum of -1 - Clarified description of medical Talents that prevent Doctor Skill failures and Life Savers
Save 33% + Update #162: The Goltha Theory
We won't go into spoilers about the new storyline vignette that has been added, other than to say that it starts on Rychart worlds only after the Early Coalition Era has ended. In this messy weave of galactic espionage, there are opportunities to unlock new and unique ship components that otherwise are unavailable. Your captain's actions can help change the technology of the galaxy in this new vignette. The Contact's name is Cassie Cain and we'd like to send out a huge thanks to the KickStarter backer who helped us develop her character and her storyline! This storyline will eventually appear in any game, regardless of how far along your captain is -- no need to restart!
Carrying Terrox Artifacts just got a bit more dangerous. While no one knows why, warnings have always been whispered that smuggler's carrying troves of artifacts are the most likely to be attacked by the Terrox. Perhaps someday, humanity will better understand the Terrox to know how it is possible, but for now, know this -- every Terrox Artifact in your cargo hold gives a very fractional increase to the percentage chance of encounter a xeno in the void. It's small, but carrying a hundred Artifacts results in a few important percentage points bump!
Based on some great player feedback, we've added a third field to the fuel bar text in the HUD. It now includes the exact amount of fuel, along with the fuel range in AU and the AU to the destination. While the exact amount of Water-Fuel is implied by the existing numbers (if and only if you know your ship's fuel-to-AU ratio), it is a big help to see the actual changes to your fuel gauge. It helps to impress upon a captain the differences between ships, large and small as well as between efficient and guzzling Void Engines.
We've improved the ship comparison run down in a ship encounter and the tooltip during combat to include the Ship Combat Boost from your Difficulty setting. This was mistakenly not taken into account before, and it is a very important factor. Mostly, this was leading to enemy captains on lower difficulties looking overly powerful for what they really were, while captains on higher difficulties might look underpowered. The comparison report is even more accurate now!
- Added new story vignette "Goltha Theory" starting on Rychart worlds after the end of the Early Coalition Era -- thanks KickStarter backers! - Get tangled up in galactic espionage in the "Goltha Theory" story arc - Multiple possible unique story Ship Components unlocked by story -- best new spying equipment available - Story includes new high powered Contact type, so called "Retired Diplomat" - Improved Fuel Bar in the HUD to include exact quantity of Water-Fuel in the tanks as well as AU range and AU to destination - Carrying Terrox Artifacts in your cargo hold while traveling increases chance of encountering xeno ship - Improved critical hit target group in ship combat to include Launch Bays (along with Bridge, Engine, etc) - Refined ability for enemy AI to pick ship weapons that cover a wider band of ranges - Improved ship comparison logic in tooltip and ship encounter screen to take Ship Combat Boost from Difficulty properly into account - Fixed a bug that could prevent the second of two orbital ops missions from appearing over the same system - Fixed issue where hovering over an event for a Skill test or a Saving Talent could be misleading about Saving Talents ready at time of test
[ 2019-06-30 17:40:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to the first weekend of the Steam Summer Sale and another big update for Star Traders: Frontiers. Update #162 is built around the arrival of the 7th new story in the 2.5.x roadmap family -- the first vignette to result in unique story ship components becoming available based on your actions. We've also made shipping xeno artifacts a little more dangerous, improved the fuel bar in the HUD, helped the AI pick weapons to cover ranges more intelligently, and upgraded all the ship comparisons to fully take difficulty into account. And more -- so be sure to check the full release notes.
Thanks to everyone leaving a review -- it's been bonkers, so thank you!
New Vignette: Goltha Theory
We won't go into spoilers about the new storyline vignette that has been added, other than to say that it starts on Rychart worlds only after the Early Coalition Era has ended. In this messy weave of galactic espionage, there are opportunities to unlock new and unique ship components that otherwise are unavailable. Your captain's actions can help change the technology of the galaxy in this new vignette. The Contact's name is Cassie Cain and we'd like to send out a huge thanks to the KickStarter backer who helped us develop her character and her storyline! This storyline will eventually appear in any game, regardless of how far along your captain is -- no need to restart!
Dangerous Cargo
Carrying Terrox Artifacts just got a bit more dangerous. While no one knows why, warnings have always been whispered that smuggler's carrying troves of artifacts are the most likely to be attacked by the Terrox. Perhaps someday, humanity will better understand the Terrox to know how it is possible, but for now, know this -- every Terrox Artifact in your cargo hold gives a very fractional increase to the percentage chance of encounter a xeno in the void. It's small, but carrying a hundred Artifacts results in a few important percentage points bump!
Improved Fuel Bar
Based on some great player feedback, we've added a third field to the fuel bar text in the HUD. It now includes the exact amount of fuel, along with the fuel range in AU and the AU to the destination. While the exact amount of Water-Fuel is implied by the existing numbers (if and only if you know your ship's fuel-to-AU ratio), it is a big help to see the actual changes to your fuel gauge. It helps to impress upon a captain the differences between ships, large and small as well as between efficient and guzzling Void Engines.
Ship Comparisons
We've improved the ship comparison run down in a ship encounter and the tooltip during combat to include the Ship Combat Boost from your Difficulty setting. This was mistakenly not taken into account before, and it is a very important factor. Mostly, this was leading to enemy captains on lower difficulties looking overly powerful for what they really were, while captains on higher difficulties might look underpowered. The comparison report is even more accurate now!
v2.5.57 - 6/28/2019
- Added new story vignette "Goltha Theory" starting on Rychart worlds after the end of the Early Coalition Era -- thanks KickStarter backers! - Get tangled up in galactic espionage in the "Goltha Theory" story arc - Multiple possible unique story Ship Components unlocked by story -- best new spying equipment available - Story includes new high powered Contact type, so called "Retired Diplomat" - Improved Fuel Bar in the HUD to include exact quantity of Water-Fuel in the tanks as well as AU range and AU to destination - Carrying Terrox Artifacts in your cargo hold while traveling increases chance of encountering xeno ship - Improved critical hit target group in ship combat to include Launch Bays (along with Bridge, Engine, etc) - Refined ability for enemy AI to pick ship weapons that cover a wider band of ranges - Improved ship comparison logic in tooltip and ship encounter screen to take Ship Combat Boost from Difficulty properly into account - Fixed a bug that could prevent the second of two orbital ops missions from appearing over the same system - Fixed issue where hovering over an event for a Skill test or a Saving Talent could be misleading about Saving Talents ready at time of test
Save 33% for Summer Sale and Quick Patch
[ 2019-06-26 20:36:17 CET ] [ Original post ]
We've pushed a quick patch this afternoon that adds a new QoL feature based on player feedback, fixes a crash in crew combat and fixes a number of other small display bugs that have been coming up.
With this quick patch (too small to get an Update #), we've added a "Claim All" button to the Stash screen. Explorers rejoice! One click to quickly load up the cargo hold.
We've fixed some issues with the tooltip math in ship combat, fixed the display of the -25% Armor Piercing on the new Shrapnel Shell Talent as well as a crash that could sometimes happen when it was used. We've tightened rules in crew combat to ensure you don't get Blade Skill for defense if you aren't carrying a blade. We've fixed a counting bug in the Talent Manifest that was always reporting that you had only 1/1 Port Maintenance or Skip Off the Void Talents. We've improved the title of the option to toggle between "Right Click to Navigate" and "Right Click to Set Waypoint".
That's all for this quick patch. Be sure to tell a friend and share the game while its on sale for Summer Sale. Save 33% today, Captain.
v2.5.55 -
- Added "Claim All" capability from a Stash -- load everything that fits into the cargo hold in a single click
- Fixed issue in tooltip during ship combat that was showing Tactics dice even if Gunnery is understaffed -- if Gunnery is understaffed, no Tactics on attack
- Fixed missing "-25% Armor Piercing" from Shrapnel Shell's Talent, fixed bugs when using Talent
- Improved rules in crew combat -- if you are not holding a melee weapon you do not gain Blades Skill as defensive dice
- Fixed bug in Talent Manifest that could incorrectly report 1/1 Talents in a group when you had more, such as "Repair on Landing"
- Improved options menu to be more clear about option's use "click to navigate" or "click to set waypoint"
- Fixed bug with stash and cargo screen loop
Save 33% and Update #161: Engine Burn
The new paramilitary uniform is a matching uniform that gives the feeling of a light and mobile soldier or perhaps a wing pilot with military training. We're loving the look of this outfit on fighters, wing pilots and even ship ops crew if they have that kind of attitude. It's always exciting to deliver another outfit to the game, with new options for how to style your crew and different jobs. As shown in the dev roadmap, there are more coming. The roadmap includes our goal of doubling the outfit count and we are about 30% of the way there now with the additions since launch in August.
Based on feedback from a number of different players, we've made a set of improvements to the Buy and Sell lists within the Star Atlas to specifically help legal traders work more quickly. First, we've alphabetized the list. This simple sort can help you find what you're looking for faster. Even better than that, we've tagged every item that is in your cargo hold with a blue highlight. Now with a glance, you can tell if you're carrying the goods that this zone wants to purchase. If you want to know exactly how many of that cargo type you are carrying, simply hover over the item -- you can now see the exact cargo count as well. Finally, we've made the permit tagging more clear. We've ensured that cargo types requiring permits still show their demand type (A-, etc) as well as the permit. In the tooltip we've included the permit rank required specifically to provide every bit of needed intel possible. Happy trading, merchants! Thanks to everyone for posting feedback. We hope you enjoy seeing it filter into the game over updates :D
Soldiers have gained a new rank 11 Talent with Update #161, thanks to @DrSpendLove for the great suggestion. Shrapnel Shell is a perfect attack Talent for a low armored enemy, adding Damage, Critical and Bleeding but also reducing your attack's Armor Piercing by 25%. Not the best against a heavily armored target where the extra damage is going to get soaked up, but very effective against lower armored targets. With a debuff to Parry along with the bleeding, anyone who survives the close-range blast can be mopped up by another team member.
These updates are always deep, so you'll want to check the full patch notes below for every little thing. We've improved the AI's ability to pick a better mix of crew with this update, which is the last foundation piece required to truly prepare them for staffing carriers. We've also improved the "Deadly Encounter" card in Black Market to note th status of your Life Saver Talents. Also, Troy 'the Blade' Circin's famous Circin Cutter has had its stats bumped.
- Added new matching character outfits -- paramilitary soldier or wing pilot - Added new art for lower level Hexshell Rifles and LMGs (Weapons Locker A0 through A3, level 4 from Contacts) - Added new rank 11 Soldier Talent "Shrapnel Shell" causes deadly damage and bleeding but at significant reduction to Armor Piercing - Star Atlas now highlights cargo types in the buy/sell list in blue if present in your cargo hold, tooltip lists exact amount - Star Atlas now lists exact permit level required for cargo types in the buy/sell list in tooltip - Star Atlas now lists resources available to buy/sell within a zone in alphabetical order for easy reading - Improved AI's ability to pick ship crew effectively, final prep step for Carrier AIs - Improved Black Market card "Deadly Encounter" to list the status of Talents that prevent death like "Life Saver" - Improved stats on "Circin Cutter" blade - Increased mission payment offers at the end of the "Call of the Strong" storyline - Fixed incorrect Escape dice value shown in tooltip over ship in combat when at Range 1-3 - Fixed incorrect listing for award "Survivor III" which requires 50 crew battles
[ 2019-06-25 19:26:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
The summer heat is on and with it come the big sales! You can save 33% on Star Traders: Frontiers all through the Steam Summer Sale. If you've waited out the first 160 updates now might just be the time to get in on this wild ride across the galaxy at the best discount yet. Or, if you're already running a ship, gift a copy to a friend!
Update #161 brings all sorts of new to the game -- two new character outfits, new art for different types of hexshell and LMGs, a new rank 11 Soldier Talent to target lightly armored enemies, new improvements to the Star Atlas based directly on player suggestions, the final piece of the AI puzzle to prepare for carriers and much more. Read the entire release notes below for all the details!
Paramilitary Uniform
The new paramilitary uniform is a matching uniform that gives the feeling of a light and mobile soldier or perhaps a wing pilot with military training. We're loving the look of this outfit on fighters, wing pilots and even ship ops crew if they have that kind of attitude. It's always exciting to deliver another outfit to the game, with new options for how to style your crew and different jobs. As shown in the dev roadmap, there are more coming. The roadmap includes our goal of doubling the outfit count and we are about 30% of the way there now with the additions since launch in August.
Star Atlas for Traders
Based on feedback from a number of different players, we've made a set of improvements to the Buy and Sell lists within the Star Atlas to specifically help legal traders work more quickly. First, we've alphabetized the list. This simple sort can help you find what you're looking for faster. Even better than that, we've tagged every item that is in your cargo hold with a blue highlight. Now with a glance, you can tell if you're carrying the goods that this zone wants to purchase. If you want to know exactly how many of that cargo type you are carrying, simply hover over the item -- you can now see the exact cargo count as well. Finally, we've made the permit tagging more clear. We've ensured that cargo types requiring permits still show their demand type (A-, etc) as well as the permit. In the tooltip we've included the permit rank required specifically to provide every bit of needed intel possible. Happy trading, merchants! Thanks to everyone for posting feedback. We hope you enjoy seeing it filter into the game over updates :D
Shrapnel Shell
Soldiers have gained a new rank 11 Talent with Update #161, thanks to @DrSpendLove for the great suggestion. Shrapnel Shell is a perfect attack Talent for a low armored enemy, adding Damage, Critical and Bleeding but also reducing your attack's Armor Piercing by 25%. Not the best against a heavily armored target where the extra damage is going to get soaked up, but very effective against lower armored targets. With a debuff to Parry along with the bleeding, anyone who survives the close-range blast can be mopped up by another team member.
And More
These updates are always deep, so you'll want to check the full patch notes below for every little thing. We've improved the AI's ability to pick a better mix of crew with this update, which is the last foundation piece required to truly prepare them for staffing carriers. We've also improved the "Deadly Encounter" card in Black Market to note th status of your Life Saver Talents. Also, Troy 'the Blade' Circin's famous Circin Cutter has had its stats bumped.
v2.5.53 - 6/25/2019
- Added new matching character outfits -- paramilitary soldier or wing pilot - Added new art for lower level Hexshell Rifles and LMGs (Weapons Locker A0 through A3, level 4 from Contacts) - Added new rank 11 Soldier Talent "Shrapnel Shell" causes deadly damage and bleeding but at significant reduction to Armor Piercing - Star Atlas now highlights cargo types in the buy/sell list in blue if present in your cargo hold, tooltip lists exact amount - Star Atlas now lists exact permit level required for cargo types in the buy/sell list in tooltip - Star Atlas now lists resources available to buy/sell within a zone in alphabetical order for easy reading - Improved AI's ability to pick ship crew effectively, final prep step for Carrier AIs - Improved Black Market card "Deadly Encounter" to list the status of Talents that prevent death like "Life Saver" - Improved stats on "Circin Cutter" blade - Increased mission payment offers at the end of the "Call of the Strong" storyline - Fixed incorrect Escape dice value shown in tooltip over ship in combat when at Range 1-3 - Fixed incorrect listing for award "Survivor III" which requires 50 crew battles
Update #160: Ship Operations
With Update #160, we've added another outfit option for your crew, designed specifically for your ship operational crew and your wing specialist pilots. This new green flightsuit design is great for those pilots cramming into bombers and interdictors and fits well for Mechanics, Elo-Techs and more. We've got a lot more additional outfits to add as we keep moving through the roadmap, but its great to see another option targeted at the non-fighting majority on board your ship.
With Update #160, we've also finalized 4 new Contact character faces that will go into rotation for new games and new Contacts in existing games. As always, they're channeling the outlandish and unique style of the faction gravs.
Based on some great community feedback (thanks @resistor) we've made a set of improvements to some of the small ship designs, including the Dart Liner, Volk Frigate and Allistar Liner. In general, we've replaced some non-essential components with those that help increase the Skill Pools for the ship, adding Nav Assist Modules or Sig Dampeners as possible. We've also varied the weapons build out on the Dart Liner to mount a second Light Railgun on the ship. Outside of small ships, we've improved the balance of the Dragoon Cruiser to ensure it is competitive within its class. Coming out of the starport, it now boasts heavier Armor and Shield along with slightly increased base Fuel to match its built-in Warhammer class Void Engine.
Update #160 adds a new interesting option -- a 6 bunk small component "Compact Barracks". For creative ship designers, it could help decompose the needed bunks in a ship into different component slots, such as avoiding a large slot 42 bunk barracks and instead taking a medium 36 and a small slot 6. We'll leave the rest of the design crafting in your capable hands, but enjoy this one! We also fixed a misleading message in the Starport if you tried to replace a barracks and had too many crew. It was suggesting you dismiss *way* too many people ha!
We've hammered through a batch of story bugs reported by the community. The Arbiter Estelle storyline will no longer end prematurely at 2 supporters. You can now turn in both De Rivesh legacy pieces even if you get them separately. Prince Damien Lumotte is specific about amount of Rep lost and gained. Some short story arcs will also cause less of a delay in other stories popping up which will help when players are seeking out specific, larger storylines like Call of the Strong, etc.
- Added new matching character outfits -- green pilot, wing pilot or mechanic jump suit - Added art for 4 new Contact character faces - Added new ship component "Compact Barracks" a small component that holds 6 crew - Improved Dart Liner Ship, replacing one of the Armored Bulkheads 1 with Sig Dampener (more Nav and Elo pool), replaced 2nd Torp with a Railgun - Improved Volk Frigate, replacing Reactor Spike Module with Nav Assist Module 1 (more Nav pool) - Improved Allistar Liner, replacing Reactor Spike Module with Nav Assist Module 1 (more Nav pool), swapped Mass Dampener 1 for Mass Modulator 1 (more Pilot) - Improved Dragoon Cruiser within its Mass class, gaining +1 base Armor, +1 base Shield and +10 base Fuel to match its start Warhammer Class Void Engine - Improved failure message when attempting to remove a Barracks that will remove too many beds to house your full crew - Fixed issue where Combat Medic's "Bio-Bomb" boarding Talent was damaging a component - Cleaned up some issues in text of improved boarding Talents "Thrown Wrench" and "Disarming Sabotage" - Fixed issue where Arbiter's storyline and "Coalition Founder" unlock fired too early (finishing 2 instead of 3 storylines) - Fixed bugs with the "De Rivesh Legacy" storyline -- dialog inconsistencies as well as inability to turn in the second half of the findings for reward - Fixed issues with famous Officer Elsa Nariman's homeworld being incorrect - Improved storyline with Prince Damien Lumotte, dialog is now specific about all Rep gains and losses for your actions - Improved the pacing between some of the storyline events to move on more quickly from smaller events to larger ones - Fixed issues with text formatting in Dry Dock screen
[ 2019-06-20 17:54:01 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to Thursday! We've dropped another big one! Update #160 includes two new character outfits, 4 new Contact character faces, one new ship component, a wealth of improvements to existing smaller ship designs, tweaked boarding Talents and a host of storyline tweaks and fixes driven by the community. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please take a moment to leave a review and tell a friend.
Let's get right into the details!
New Flight Suit or Mechanic Outfit
With Update #160, we've added another outfit option for your crew, designed specifically for your ship operational crew and your wing specialist pilots. This new green flightsuit design is great for those pilots cramming into bombers and interdictors and fits well for Mechanics, Elo-Techs and more. We've got a lot more additional outfits to add as we keep moving through the roadmap, but its great to see another option targeted at the non-fighting majority on board your ship.
New Faces Among the Gravs
With Update #160, we've also finalized 4 new Contact character faces that will go into rotation for new games and new Contacts in existing games. As always, they're channeling the outlandish and unique style of the faction gravs.
Small Ship Improvements
Based on some great community feedback (thanks @resistor) we've made a set of improvements to some of the small ship designs, including the Dart Liner, Volk Frigate and Allistar Liner. In general, we've replaced some non-essential components with those that help increase the Skill Pools for the ship, adding Nav Assist Modules or Sig Dampeners as possible. We've also varied the weapons build out on the Dart Liner to mount a second Light Railgun on the ship. Outside of small ships, we've improved the balance of the Dragoon Cruiser to ensure it is competitive within its class. Coming out of the starport, it now boasts heavier Armor and Shield along with slightly increased base Fuel to match its built-in Warhammer class Void Engine.
Barracks Options
Update #160 adds a new interesting option -- a 6 bunk small component "Compact Barracks". For creative ship designers, it could help decompose the needed bunks in a ship into different component slots, such as avoiding a large slot 42 bunk barracks and instead taking a medium 36 and a small slot 6. We'll leave the rest of the design crafting in your capable hands, but enjoy this one! We also fixed a misleading message in the Starport if you tried to replace a barracks and had too many crew. It was suggesting you dismiss *way* too many people ha!
Story Bug Round Up
We've hammered through a batch of story bugs reported by the community. The Arbiter Estelle storyline will no longer end prematurely at 2 supporters. You can now turn in both De Rivesh legacy pieces even if you get them separately. Prince Damien Lumotte is specific about amount of Rep lost and gained. Some short story arcs will also cause less of a delay in other stories popping up which will help when players are seeking out specific, larger storylines like Call of the Strong, etc.
v2.5.51 - 6/20/2019
- Added new matching character outfits -- green pilot, wing pilot or mechanic jump suit - Added art for 4 new Contact character faces - Added new ship component "Compact Barracks" a small component that holds 6 crew - Improved Dart Liner Ship, replacing one of the Armored Bulkheads 1 with Sig Dampener (more Nav and Elo pool), replaced 2nd Torp with a Railgun - Improved Volk Frigate, replacing Reactor Spike Module with Nav Assist Module 1 (more Nav pool) - Improved Allistar Liner, replacing Reactor Spike Module with Nav Assist Module 1 (more Nav pool), swapped Mass Dampener 1 for Mass Modulator 1 (more Pilot) - Improved Dragoon Cruiser within its Mass class, gaining +1 base Armor, +1 base Shield and +10 base Fuel to match its start Warhammer Class Void Engine - Improved failure message when attempting to remove a Barracks that will remove too many beds to house your full crew - Fixed issue where Combat Medic's "Bio-Bomb" boarding Talent was damaging a component - Cleaned up some issues in text of improved boarding Talents "Thrown Wrench" and "Disarming Sabotage" - Fixed issue where Arbiter's storyline and "Coalition Founder" unlock fired too early (finishing 2 instead of 3 storylines) - Fixed bugs with the "De Rivesh Legacy" storyline -- dialog inconsistencies as well as inability to turn in the second half of the findings for reward - Fixed issues with famous Officer Elsa Nariman's homeworld being incorrect - Improved storyline with Prince Damien Lumotte, dialog is now specific about all Rep gains and losses for your actions - Improved the pacing between some of the storyline events to move on more quickly from smaller events to larger ones - Fixed issues with text formatting in Dry Dock screen
Update #159: Extended Wear-and-Tear
We've added a new blade attack Talent for Zealots at rank 1 -- "Incensed Strikes." This new ability pushes Zealot's possibilities, making it more valuable as a combat class and enables crew Zealots to have more fighting options, especially early on. Incensed Strikes costs 1.5X your weapon's Initiative, but it has a rare debuff to enemy Initiative as well as clearing their buffs! We've also added a new Doctor rank 5 Talent "Healer's Intuition." With the constant care of the crew's health, it is only natural that a Doctor comes to know his or her crew very well. This insight can reveal a Trait when the crew is paid and has a moment to truly relax. Based on player feedback, we've also improved the handling of Talents when paying crew to ensure that Talents with a % chance to activate don't block other Talents from firing. And finally, in this area we've fixed a bug with the Diplomat Talent "Hand that Feeds" which was prevent the Talent from activating correctly.
We've adjusted the system that helps a Contact pick the mission they request to increase the focus of Contact's on their core areas. Those Contacts giving Merchant missions are going to be more likely to dish out cargo missions, stash missions and the like while Prison Wardens are far more likely to send you on capture bounties and prisoner transports. This extra level of focus will increase your captain's ability to cleave to a type of career by cleaving to a type of Contact. Beyond the mission-giver type, we've also strengthened the effect of Conflicts upon mission selection. Those Contacts who respond to certain types of Conflicts are going to be even *more* likely to give missions focused on the core Conflict. For example, those Contacts giving Spy missions are going to go all in on spying during an Info War while Duel of Assassins is going to turn up more Edict and death warrant missions than before.
Two Talents have come up in player feedback often -- the Mechanic's "Thrown Wrench" and Gunner's "Disarming Sabotage" where neither provided enough specifics in their description or in the details after they were used to let captains make an informed decision about their value. In both cases, we have adjusted their rules to be more powerful as these are rarer Talents -- in both cases you need to be either boarding at range 1 or have a unique Job combination on an Officer to make these available at longer range. In addition to buffing their power level, we've made their exact rules clear in their description as well as improving their in-game feedback upon use so that it is clear exactly what components or weapons were damaged and for how much.
The on-map tooltip over wild zones now displays Richness, Danger and Explore ratings giving those adventurous and brave explorers faster access to critical data as they browse a quadrant, looking for the best targets to set down and go hunting. Good luck and avoid those xeno cards! Unless ... you're looking for them!
For a time, in ship combat victory there has been an unfair disparity between the XP granted to those taking a more peaceful route Ransoming a ship and those taking a destructive route to destroy and then salvage a ship. In order to help balance this out, we've added a minor XP bonus to the Ransom action as well as making it clear with all 3 action types -- Ransom, Destroy, Salvage -- exactly how much XP is gained for taking the action.
- Added new rank 1 Zealot Talent "Incensed Strikes" as additional blade attack option - Added new rank 5 Doctor Talent "Healer's Intuition" which can reveal a crew members Trait on payday - Improved rules for Talents running while paying crew -- Talents with a % to fire that do not no longer block other Talents from running - Fixed issue with Diplomat "Hand that Feeds" Talent that was not activating while paying crew - Added Richness, Explore and Danger rating to map hover for wild zones - Improved rules for Mechanic's boarding Talent "Thrown Wrench" and added result that explains exact ship damage dealt - Improved rules for Gunner's boarding Talent "Disarming Sabotage" and improved result to include full detail of what weapons are damaged - Now gain minor Experience bonus when you Ransom a ship, exact Experience gain for destroying a ship is now displayed - Adjusted weights for all Contact mission giver types to be more focused on their core area (Merchants > Cargo missions, Wardens > Capture bounties) - Adjusted weights of mission givers during Conflicts to be more focused on the core Conflict (Info War > Spy missions, Duel of Assassins > Edict missions) - Improved details of Intel sale to be clear when maximum Personal or Faction Rep has been achieved - Slightly increased the maximum caps for Personal Rep when selling Intel - Clarified text for all Flight Plan Talents as 4 turns such as "(launch, close, bomb, land)" - Fixed bug with Wing Commando's "Grandiose Arrival" Talent always granting a $0 bonus - Fixed bug allowing too much gain of Personal Rep through sale of Intel - Fixed bug with Talent "Redemption Purge" that was allowing it to repair 5 components instead of 2-4 - Fixed text description of "Exposed Shot" to indicate you are causing a self-debuff that can be purged - Fixed bug that could place High Prince Contacts "on vacation" on indie worlds - Improved some screens when using UI scaling to increase visual size of elements - Clarified rules for Exo-Scout "Keen Senses" Talent -- only rerolls risk cards
[ 2019-06-17 16:09:48 CET ] [ Original post ]
Let's start the week off with a bang! Update #159 comes straight from the community -- requests for quality of life improvements, suggestions for missing Talents, improved balance, improvements to the mission generation system -- and more, all directly dialed in by our players. So, this one goes out to you, captains! Thanks for posting, writing, joining our Discord and leaving reviews!
+2 New Talents
We've added a new blade attack Talent for Zealots at rank 1 -- "Incensed Strikes." This new ability pushes Zealot's possibilities, making it more valuable as a combat class and enables crew Zealots to have more fighting options, especially early on. Incensed Strikes costs 1.5X your weapon's Initiative, but it has a rare debuff to enemy Initiative as well as clearing their buffs! We've also added a new Doctor rank 5 Talent "Healer's Intuition." With the constant care of the crew's health, it is only natural that a Doctor comes to know his or her crew very well. This insight can reveal a Trait when the crew is paid and has a moment to truly relax. Based on player feedback, we've also improved the handling of Talents when paying crew to ensure that Talents with a % chance to activate don't block other Talents from firing. And finally, in this area we've fixed a bug with the Diplomat Talent "Hand that Feeds" which was prevent the Talent from activating correctly.
Mission Focus
We've adjusted the system that helps a Contact pick the mission they request to increase the focus of Contact's on their core areas. Those Contacts giving Merchant missions are going to be more likely to dish out cargo missions, stash missions and the like while Prison Wardens are far more likely to send you on capture bounties and prisoner transports. This extra level of focus will increase your captain's ability to cleave to a type of career by cleaving to a type of Contact. Beyond the mission-giver type, we've also strengthened the effect of Conflicts upon mission selection. Those Contacts who respond to certain types of Conflicts are going to be even *more* likely to give missions focused on the core Conflict. For example, those Contacts giving Spy missions are going to go all in on spying during an Info War while Duel of Assassins is going to turn up more Edict and death warrant missions than before.
Boarding Victory Talents
Two Talents have come up in player feedback often -- the Mechanic's "Thrown Wrench" and Gunner's "Disarming Sabotage" where neither provided enough specifics in their description or in the details after they were used to let captains make an informed decision about their value. In both cases, we have adjusted their rules to be more powerful as these are rarer Talents -- in both cases you need to be either boarding at range 1 or have a unique Job combination on an Officer to make these available at longer range. In addition to buffing their power level, we've made their exact rules clear in their description as well as improving their in-game feedback upon use so that it is clear exactly what components or weapons were damaged and for how much.
Explorer Ratings
The on-map tooltip over wild zones now displays Richness, Danger and Explore ratings giving those adventurous and brave explorers faster access to critical data as they browse a quadrant, looking for the best targets to set down and go hunting. Good luck and avoid those xeno cards! Unless ... you're looking for them!
Experience Spread
For a time, in ship combat victory there has been an unfair disparity between the XP granted to those taking a more peaceful route Ransoming a ship and those taking a destructive route to destroy and then salvage a ship. In order to help balance this out, we've added a minor XP bonus to the Ransom action as well as making it clear with all 3 action types -- Ransom, Destroy, Salvage -- exactly how much XP is gained for taking the action.
v2.5.49 - 6/16/2019
- Added new rank 1 Zealot Talent "Incensed Strikes" as additional blade attack option - Added new rank 5 Doctor Talent "Healer's Intuition" which can reveal a crew members Trait on payday - Improved rules for Talents running while paying crew -- Talents with a % to fire that do not no longer block other Talents from running - Fixed issue with Diplomat "Hand that Feeds" Talent that was not activating while paying crew - Added Richness, Explore and Danger rating to map hover for wild zones - Improved rules for Mechanic's boarding Talent "Thrown Wrench" and added result that explains exact ship damage dealt - Improved rules for Gunner's boarding Talent "Disarming Sabotage" and improved result to include full detail of what weapons are damaged - Now gain minor Experience bonus when you Ransom a ship, exact Experience gain for destroying a ship is now displayed - Adjusted weights for all Contact mission giver types to be more focused on their core area (Merchants > Cargo missions, Wardens > Capture bounties) - Adjusted weights of mission givers during Conflicts to be more focused on the core Conflict (Info War > Spy missions, Duel of Assassins > Edict missions) - Improved details of Intel sale to be clear when maximum Personal or Faction Rep has been achieved - Slightly increased the maximum caps for Personal Rep when selling Intel - Clarified text for all Flight Plan Talents as 4 turns such as "(launch, close, bomb, land)" - Fixed bug with Wing Commando's "Grandiose Arrival" Talent always granting a $0 bonus - Fixed bug allowing too much gain of Personal Rep through sale of Intel - Fixed bug with Talent "Redemption Purge" that was allowing it to repair 5 components instead of 2-4 - Fixed text description of "Exposed Shot" to indicate you are causing a self-debuff that can be purged - Fixed bug that could place High Prince Contacts "on vacation" on indie worlds - Improved some screens when using UI scaling to increase visual size of elements - Clarified rules for Exo-Scout "Keen Senses" Talent -- only rerolls risk cards
Update #158: Talented Folk
The Pistoleer combat Job has gained 2 new useful, high rank Talents with Update #158. With "Exposed Shot" you can now take aim at a target in any slot in the enemy's line up granting all new flexibility for a Pistoleer. The shot requires deadly aim but may not do as much damage, but its value is in the sheer flexibility. However, for stepping so into the open you'll suffer a small Defense and Dodge bonus for the next few turns. With "Confounding Gunplay" you have an immediately available attack that can drop 50% Stun and a small Accuracy debuff on an enemy at only 1.5X the Initiative cost of your pistol. This rank 15 Talent comes with some nice punching power and will be a foundation of high-end Pistoleer builds for centuries to come.
Bounty Hunters are finally getting into the prize ship game with "Realm's Justice", capable of claiming a ship during a Conflict for a faction. As the edict-carrying enforces of a faction, they take the ship for 50% of the cost and one of the higher Rep damages in the set. You may be making enemies but you've gained a ship and struck a might blow in the Conflict. Be the hand of "Realm's Justice" and capture a ship today.
Diplomats have gained a new rank 8 Talent "Unyielding Force" granting an Intimidation save to match their rank 1 Negotiation save. As a non-combat class, this utility is especially key and it can help narrow the required build of a ship crew. Where you may have needed more specialists to cover Intimidation -- such as a Pirate -- now your diplomatic corp can keep that on the lock.
With this update, we've tweaked the stats for the new Sig Dampeners to ensure that they are fairly in line with other competitive long range and escape focused components. We've also fixed a bug that was introduced where a list of components gained different bonuses like +8 Void Resist accidentally. These have now been removed. All Luxury Suites and Cabins now have minimum economy ratings in order to install. And, if you're looking for your Ship Encounter reduction rate you can see it now on the ship status screen.
- Added new rank 15 Bounty Hunter Talent "Realm's Justice" allows the BH to capture a prize ship under standard rules - Added new rank 11 Pistoleer Talent "Exposed Shot" which allows targeting backline enemies at a penalty - Added new rank 15 Pistoleer Talent "Confounding Gunplay" which debuffs with 50% Stun - Added new rank 8 Diplomat Talent "Unyielding Force" saves against Intimidate skill failures - Added new De Valtos only ship component "Grand Luxury Suites" which grants a +22% bonus per passenger - Reduced crew combat evasion for Terrox Xeno by 10-20% based on type - Rebalanced bonuses from slightly overpowered set of Sig Dampener Components - Ship Encounter rate reduction now shown on main ship status screen - Fixed bug with Reinforced Medical Chamber, Sensor Array 1, Storage Cache, Reinforced Officer Cabin, M2400 Void Engine: Traveler all accidentally getting incorrect extra bonuses - Added minimum Economy requirements for all Luxury Cabin types - Fixed issue allowing Wing Bomber's Talent "Intimidating Fly Over" to take effect in wild zones - Switched names for Elo Tech Talents "Hunt and Seek" and "ECCM Surge"
[ 2019-06-12 20:58:04 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #158 sees 4 new Talents slot into spots across 3 Jobs, a new De Valtos only Luxury Suite, some rebalance to the new Sig Dampeners and Xeno crew combat defense as well as a big sweep of fixes based on community feedback. As always, new Talents expand the already expansive field of possible builds and make some crew build outs more possible.
If you're enjoying the pace of updates please be sure to leave a review and tell a friend.
A huge thanks goes out to the community members posting suggestions, bug reports and feedback.
Highly Trained Pistoleer
The Pistoleer combat Job has gained 2 new useful, high rank Talents with Update #158. With "Exposed Shot" you can now take aim at a target in any slot in the enemy's line up granting all new flexibility for a Pistoleer. The shot requires deadly aim but may not do as much damage, but its value is in the sheer flexibility. However, for stepping so into the open you'll suffer a small Defense and Dodge bonus for the next few turns. With "Confounding Gunplay" you have an immediately available attack that can drop 50% Stun and a small Accuracy debuff on an enemy at only 1.5X the Initiative cost of your pistol. This rank 15 Talent comes with some nice punching power and will be a foundation of high-end Pistoleer builds for centuries to come.
Ship Bounties
Bounty Hunters are finally getting into the prize ship game with "Realm's Justice", capable of claiming a ship during a Conflict for a faction. As the edict-carrying enforces of a faction, they take the ship for 50% of the cost and one of the higher Rep damages in the set. You may be making enemies but you've gained a ship and struck a might blow in the Conflict. Be the hand of "Realm's Justice" and capture a ship today.
Diplomatic Force
Diplomats have gained a new rank 8 Talent "Unyielding Force" granting an Intimidation save to match their rank 1 Negotiation save. As a non-combat class, this utility is especially key and it can help narrow the required build of a ship crew. Where you may have needed more specialists to cover Intimidation -- such as a Pirate -- now your diplomatic corp can keep that on the lock.
Component Rebalance and Fixes
With this update, we've tweaked the stats for the new Sig Dampeners to ensure that they are fairly in line with other competitive long range and escape focused components. We've also fixed a bug that was introduced where a list of components gained different bonuses like +8 Void Resist accidentally. These have now been removed. All Luxury Suites and Cabins now have minimum economy ratings in order to install. And, if you're looking for your Ship Encounter reduction rate you can see it now on the ship status screen.
v2.5.47 - 6/12/2019
- Added new rank 15 Bounty Hunter Talent "Realm's Justice" allows the BH to capture a prize ship under standard rules - Added new rank 11 Pistoleer Talent "Exposed Shot" which allows targeting backline enemies at a penalty - Added new rank 15 Pistoleer Talent "Confounding Gunplay" which debuffs with 50% Stun - Added new rank 8 Diplomat Talent "Unyielding Force" saves against Intimidate skill failures - Added new De Valtos only ship component "Grand Luxury Suites" which grants a +22% bonus per passenger - Reduced crew combat evasion for Terrox Xeno by 10-20% based on type - Rebalanced bonuses from slightly overpowered set of Sig Dampener Components - Ship Encounter rate reduction now shown on main ship status screen - Fixed bug with Reinforced Medical Chamber, Sensor Array 1, Storage Cache, Reinforced Officer Cabin, M2400 Void Engine: Traveler all accidentally getting incorrect extra bonuses - Added minimum Economy requirements for all Luxury Cabin types - Fixed issue allowing Wing Bomber's Talent "Intimidating Fly Over" to take effect in wild zones - Switched names for Elo Tech Talents "Hunt and Seek" and "ECCM Surge"
Update #157: Sig Concealment
With this update, we've added a new capability for ship components -- that of reducing deep space encounters -- with the Sig Dampener and Signal Concealment Field components. Joining the existing small slot Sig Dampener are the small slot Sig Dampener 2 and 3 and the Rychart-only Sig Veil Field. For a medium slot option, the Sig Concealment Field packs a higher reduction rate of 10% but is a larger slot investment. When stacked, these components can reduce ship encounters up to 25% maximum. Each of them has other bonuses, adding both strong Escape bonuses and primarily Electronics and secondarily Nav Skills with some light Void Resistance on the top end options. For those ships looking to avoid encounters and escape in the case of being forced into an encounter, these new Sig Dampener components and feature are going to be a great boon. As an all new area, they're likely to get some balancing up and down in some stats in the next release or two, so be sure to post your feedback!
Craft have gained two more important balance additions with this update. First, in order to reward their successful service, those wing specialist pilots who make a complete and successful Flight Plan during ship combat will gain Experience directly. This helps to keep your most active wing specialists pilots gaining XP for their flight duties, in the same way that crew combat gains XP for their battles. Second, Interdictors have now joined Bombers and Shuttles in landing on the same turn that their flight plan ends. Previously, Interdictors would have a final turn where they were not blocking torpedoes but only focusing on landing the craft. Now, they land at the end of the last turn on which they will block incoming long range attacks, improving their flight plan efficiency by 20%.
Crew Combat Talents that fire "On Init" have gained a major upgrade as they now impart their Init bonuses on the turn they fire. As almost every On Init Talent gives a +Init bonus, this is a big boon and guarantees at least one of your combatants to get an Init bonus on the first round of combat (assuming you're wisely using these power talents) and then more bonuses to come if you have more Talents. Of course, the enemy gets the same. And they are wise to use these Talents as well :D
A lot of balance changes have been rolled up into this release. A huge thanks to all the community members, including @prime_resistor for posting such great suggestions. With Update #157, we've adjusted all Combat Hyperwarp drives to tweak their allocation of Skill Points, putting more into Navigation over Electronics. Smaller ship Combat HW Drives -- for Mass 2400 and 3400 hulls -- have gained additional Skill points. The large slot Hull Plating components now add to Ship Ops as well as contributing better Electronics and Void and Radiation Resist. For such an investment in an armor-focused large slot, these components are now far more competitive and also have reduced Jump Cost across the boards. The medium slot Deflector Arrays have gained improved Electronics Skill Pool as well as new Void Resist to help their long range defense contribution, shifting them into a more advantageous position within the Elo-defense meta. Finally, we've added +15 Fuel Storage to Micro Launch Bays to help offset their Jump Cost. There is always more! Be sure to check the full release notes below and leave a review!
- Added new component capability - reduce encounter rate in void travel by %, up to 20% maximum (starport "Ship" filter) - Added new 2 new small slot Sig Dampener components (2, 3) to join original Sig Dampener in granting reduction in encounter rate, grant Elo, small Nav, Void Res - Added new Rychart only small slot Sig Veil Field as top tier Sig Dampener type component - Added new medium slot Sig Concealment Field which reduces encounter rate, grants Rad/Void Res, Elo/Nav Skill - Wing specialist pilots now gain XP for each successful flight plan run keeping active wing pilots better leveled - Interdictors on defensive flight plans now land after the final turn instead of waiting one last turn to only land (just like offensive flight plans) - Big buff to all On Init Talents: now correctly granting the Initiative bonuses on the first Turn they are used - Adjusted all size Combat Hyperwarp Drives to rebalance Electronics and Navigation, improved Skill Pools for Mass 2400 and Mass 3400 drives - Adjusted large comp Hull Plating to include Ship Ops, better Electronics, moderate Void and Radiation Res on all tiers and lower jump cost - Adjusted medium comp Deflector Array to give slightly better Electronics bonus and Void Res - Added +15 Fuel Storage to Micro Launch bay - Adjusted Wing Tech's "Recovery Pod" Talent to use Repair to determine health of saved wing pilot - Improved language in ship encounter to explain current disposition / hostility versus base disposition / hostility - Fixed some bugs with certain play loops causing game date to skip backwards - Fixed bug with Wing Tech's "Hangar Triage" Talent not using Repair Skill correctly
[ 2019-06-08 21:28:12 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #157 adds a exciting new function capability of ship components, 5 new ship components, new rules to help keep Interdictors competitive, new rules to help keep your active wing specialist pilots up to level, a major balance improvement for On Init crew combat Talents, a big wave of component rebalance and more.
It's another big update from our HQ to you -- if you're enjoying the constant stream of new content, please be sure to leave a review and rave to a friend :P
Signature Dampeners
With this update, we've added a new capability for ship components -- that of reducing deep space encounters -- with the Sig Dampener and Signal Concealment Field components. Joining the existing small slot Sig Dampener are the small slot Sig Dampener 2 and 3 and the Rychart-only Sig Veil Field. For a medium slot option, the Sig Concealment Field packs a higher reduction rate of 10% but is a larger slot investment. When stacked, these components can reduce ship encounters up to 25% maximum. Each of them has other bonuses, adding both strong Escape bonuses and primarily Electronics and secondarily Nav Skills with some light Void Resistance on the top end options. For those ships looking to avoid encounters and escape in the case of being forced into an encounter, these new Sig Dampener components and feature are going to be a great boon. As an all new area, they're likely to get some balancing up and down in some stats in the next release or two, so be sure to post your feedback!
Interdictors and Ace Pilots
Craft have gained two more important balance additions with this update. First, in order to reward their successful service, those wing specialist pilots who make a complete and successful Flight Plan during ship combat will gain Experience directly. This helps to keep your most active wing specialists pilots gaining XP for their flight duties, in the same way that crew combat gains XP for their battles. Second, Interdictors have now joined Bombers and Shuttles in landing on the same turn that their flight plan ends. Previously, Interdictors would have a final turn where they were not blocking torpedoes but only focusing on landing the craft. Now, they land at the end of the last turn on which they will block incoming long range attacks, improving their flight plan efficiency by 20%.
On Init Crew Talents
Crew Combat Talents that fire "On Init" have gained a major upgrade as they now impart their Init bonuses on the turn they fire. As almost every On Init Talent gives a +Init bonus, this is a big boon and guarantees at least one of your combatants to get an Init bonus on the first round of combat (assuming you're wisely using these power talents) and then more bonuses to come if you have more Talents. Of course, the enemy gets the same. And they are wise to use these Talents as well :D
Component Rebalancing Sweep!
A lot of balance changes have been rolled up into this release. A huge thanks to all the community members, including @prime_resistor for posting such great suggestions. With Update #157, we've adjusted all Combat Hyperwarp drives to tweak their allocation of Skill Points, putting more into Navigation over Electronics. Smaller ship Combat HW Drives -- for Mass 2400 and 3400 hulls -- have gained additional Skill points. The large slot Hull Plating components now add to Ship Ops as well as contributing better Electronics and Void and Radiation Resist. For such an investment in an armor-focused large slot, these components are now far more competitive and also have reduced Jump Cost across the boards. The medium slot Deflector Arrays have gained improved Electronics Skill Pool as well as new Void Resist to help their long range defense contribution, shifting them into a more advantageous position within the Elo-defense meta. Finally, we've added +15 Fuel Storage to Micro Launch Bays to help offset their Jump Cost. There is always more! Be sure to check the full release notes below and leave a review!
v2.5.45 - 6/8/2019
- Added new component capability - reduce encounter rate in void travel by %, up to 20% maximum (starport "Ship" filter) - Added new 2 new small slot Sig Dampener components (2, 3) to join original Sig Dampener in granting reduction in encounter rate, grant Elo, small Nav, Void Res - Added new Rychart only small slot Sig Veil Field as top tier Sig Dampener type component - Added new medium slot Sig Concealment Field which reduces encounter rate, grants Rad/Void Res, Elo/Nav Skill - Wing specialist pilots now gain XP for each successful flight plan run keeping active wing pilots better leveled - Interdictors on defensive flight plans now land after the final turn instead of waiting one last turn to only land (just like offensive flight plans) - Big buff to all On Init Talents: now correctly granting the Initiative bonuses on the first Turn they are used - Adjusted all size Combat Hyperwarp Drives to rebalance Electronics and Navigation, improved Skill Pools for Mass 2400 and Mass 3400 drives - Adjusted large comp Hull Plating to include Ship Ops, better Electronics, moderate Void and Radiation Res on all tiers and lower jump cost - Adjusted medium comp Deflector Array to give slightly better Electronics bonus and Void Res - Added +15 Fuel Storage to Micro Launch bay - Adjusted Wing Tech's "Recovery Pod" Talent to use Repair to determine health of saved wing pilot - Improved language in ship encounter to explain current disposition / hostility versus base disposition / hostility - Fixed some bugs with certain play loops causing game date to skip backwards - Fixed bug with Wing Tech's "Hangar Triage" Talent not using Repair Skill correctly
Update #156: Steel Song Way
The new priority D ship weighs in at a clean $200,000 and is custom-fitted for long distance void travel and covert spying operations. Delivered with built-in spying components, a single weapon and a Longhaul engine, the Longbolt packs a crew of 24 for long distance trips. Locked behind the Big Network achievement, this new ship gives a traveler, spy and mission runner or any captain who is looking to use the Electronics meta and avoid combat, a new starting option in the D slot. You can see its starting configuration above, including its ridiculous fuel range and low jump cost thanks to the Water-Fuel Reclamation Tank. Watch out, it has very light weaponry.
Steel Song has a reputation to uphold, and its doing so with the newest round of new ship components. The medium slot Interrogation Chamber and the large slot Interrogation Ward both hold prisoners in special "luxury" care. When a new prisoner is taken aboard the ship and one of these Interrogation Cells is available, up to 10 Intel is immediately generated. De Valtos may have their luxury, but as the Song say -- maybe you'll come back as one of us.
With this update, we've slowed down the access of Terrox xeno to tier 2 and 3 components, and especially let difficulty take a bigger hand in this progression. Some of the up-balance of the xeno got ahead of where we wanted it to be and we've been listening to players and making tweaks over the weekend. We've also directly reduced the power -- especially Gunnery bonuses -- of some of the Terrox components. Also, the Void Contortions Crippling Effect from torpedoes has received a nerf. For being a tier 1 type of Crippling Effect it was simply too strong and its -20% Defense and -20% Escape chance sounded the death knell for too many captains. We've dropped this to -10% Defense, -10% Escape, -10% Armor to ensure that it doesn't completely undo the buff you just dropped or the bonus your engine is granting in a single hit.
We've added a section covering both the legal and illegal Talents of trade. Quick reference can help you see what types of bonuses they offer and what is available at any given moment.
There is always more, these notes go on for a while! Spice Hall Talent activation has been changed to ensure Talents with a % chance to run will not block other Talents from running if they fail. Over all, this will see an increase in Talents running during spicing. We've fixed an issue with the "Distress Signal" card that was allowing you to get some $2 or $3 paybacks for helping to tow in a disabled ship. We've also added 2 new art boards to the orbital card game for refuel and extorting bribes. If you get a stash from winning a combat -- such as in Salvage -- the crew victory screen now includes the details. Also, we fixed the coloration of the text in ship comparison to help avoid red-brown (gold) issues.
- Added 2 new Steel Song prison cells -- Interrogation Chamber and Interrogation Ward, each create up to 10 Intel when taking on a new prisoner during a mission - Added new priority D starting ship, the Longbolt is 3400 Mass, fast travel and spy-ready ship, requires Big Network unlock - Added new Exchange and Black Market section to the Talent manifest including all trading bonus and trade into conflict talents - Improved De Valtos faction ship "Corsair Interceptor" -- upgraded to Cargo Hold 2, Nav Assist Module 2, added 13th small slot with Sensory Array 1 - Improved rules for how Spice Hall Talents run -- Talents with a % to fire that do not no longer block other Talents from running - Reduce power of tier 1 Crippling Effect "Void Contortions" created by torps (now -10% Defense, -10% Escape, -10% Armor) - Reduced power of some of the Terrox xeno tier 3 components - Fixed Orbital Ops result of Distress Signal that could sometimes result in $2 or $3 credits when towing - Improved description of stashes won via crew combat to include the type and count of the stashed resources - Added new card art for orbital operations for extortion bribes and refueling - Clarified rules description for both Wing Bomber's "Intimidating Fly Over" and Wing Commando's "Grandiose Arrival" -- both require piloting craft - Reduce cool down for Wing Commando's "Grandiose Arrival" to 9 weeks - Fixed bug where Talents that require character to be piloting a craft might not appear in ship or crew victory if there was one crew member out of a craft - Updated font color in ship comparison tooltip and report to avoid red and gold looking to close - Improved new game crew generator to ensure better number of starting crew dogs
[ 2019-06-04 20:01:35 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #156 comes roaring to life with a new starting ship, new terrifying Steel Song ship components, a new section added to the Talent manifest, upgrades to the De Valtos faction ship and some down balance for Xeno and Void Contortions Crippling effect. And ... lots more too! Check the full release notes for everything and enjoy it!
If you're loving the relentless pace of updates and new content, please drop a review and tell a friend.
Priority D Ship: Longbolt
The new priority D ship weighs in at a clean $200,000 and is custom-fitted for long distance void travel and covert spying operations. Delivered with built-in spying components, a single weapon and a Longhaul engine, the Longbolt packs a crew of 24 for long distance trips. Locked behind the Big Network achievement, this new ship gives a traveler, spy and mission runner or any captain who is looking to use the Electronics meta and avoid combat, a new starting option in the D slot. You can see its starting configuration above, including its ridiculous fuel range and low jump cost thanks to the Water-Fuel Reclamation Tank. Watch out, it has very light weaponry.
Interrogation Chambers
Steel Song has a reputation to uphold, and its doing so with the newest round of new ship components. The medium slot Interrogation Chamber and the large slot Interrogation Ward both hold prisoners in special "luxury" care. When a new prisoner is taken aboard the ship and one of these Interrogation Cells is available, up to 10 Intel is immediately generated. De Valtos may have their luxury, but as the Song say -- maybe you'll come back as one of us.
Xeno and Void Contortions
With this update, we've slowed down the access of Terrox xeno to tier 2 and 3 components, and especially let difficulty take a bigger hand in this progression. Some of the up-balance of the xeno got ahead of where we wanted it to be and we've been listening to players and making tweaks over the weekend. We've also directly reduced the power -- especially Gunnery bonuses -- of some of the Terrox components. Also, the Void Contortions Crippling Effect from torpedoes has received a nerf. For being a tier 1 type of Crippling Effect it was simply too strong and its -20% Defense and -20% Escape chance sounded the death knell for too many captains. We've dropped this to -10% Defense, -10% Escape, -10% Armor to ensure that it doesn't completely undo the buff you just dropped or the bonus your engine is granting in a single hit.
Trade Section of Talent Manifest
We've added a section covering both the legal and illegal Talents of trade. Quick reference can help you see what types of bonuses they offer and what is available at any given moment.
And More
There is always more, these notes go on for a while! Spice Hall Talent activation has been changed to ensure Talents with a % chance to run will not block other Talents from running if they fail. Over all, this will see an increase in Talents running during spicing. We've fixed an issue with the "Distress Signal" card that was allowing you to get some $2 or $3 paybacks for helping to tow in a disabled ship. We've also added 2 new art boards to the orbital card game for refuel and extorting bribes. If you get a stash from winning a combat -- such as in Salvage -- the crew victory screen now includes the details. Also, we fixed the coloration of the text in ship comparison to help avoid red-brown (gold) issues.
v2.5.41 - 6/4/2019
- Added 2 new Steel Song prison cells -- Interrogation Chamber and Interrogation Ward, each create up to 10 Intel when taking on a new prisoner during a mission - Added new priority D starting ship, the Longbolt is 3400 Mass, fast travel and spy-ready ship, requires Big Network unlock - Added new Exchange and Black Market section to the Talent manifest including all trading bonus and trade into conflict talents - Improved De Valtos faction ship "Corsair Interceptor" -- upgraded to Cargo Hold 2, Nav Assist Module 2, added 13th small slot with Sensory Array 1 - Improved rules for how Spice Hall Talents run -- Talents with a % to fire that do not no longer block other Talents from running - Reduce power of tier 1 Crippling Effect "Void Contortions" created by torps (now -10% Defense, -10% Escape, -10% Armor) - Reduced power of some of the Terrox xeno tier 3 components - Fixed Orbital Ops result of Distress Signal that could sometimes result in $2 or $3 credits when towing - Improved description of stashes won via crew combat to include the type and count of the stashed resources - Added new card art for orbital operations for extortion bribes and refueling - Clarified rules description for both Wing Bomber's "Intimidating Fly Over" and Wing Commando's "Grandiose Arrival" -- both require piloting craft - Reduce cool down for Wing Commando's "Grandiose Arrival" to 9 weeks - Fixed bug where Talents that require character to be piloting a craft might not appear in ship or crew victory if there was one crew member out of a craft - Updated font color in ship comparison tooltip and report to avoid red and gold looking to close - Improved new game crew generator to ensure better number of starting crew dogs
June Community Challenge: Legendary Hunter
In this challenge, you must start the game as a Bounty Hunter. You can start the game on any difficulty, but props clearly going to permadeath players. During early play, you can do anything you want to accrue wealth and experience. First, you must achieve Edict 9 with a faction of your choice. Then, you must complete a $500,000 mission kill or capture bounty mission which requires an Edict. To get that size of a payment for your Mission, you're likely to need your Edict, high Military rank, a Contact with the right Traits and/or a high power mission payment boosting Talent. Please post in this discussion thread if you're picking up this challenge! Then post some screenshots and brag about your difficulty and at what date you completed your mission :D If you missed the May Community Challenge: Small Ship to Prize Ship you may still want to jump in and join the fun.
[ 2019-06-02 00:27:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
Another community challenge has arisen from our Discord's STF channel (https://discord.gg/tresebrothers), and we're throwing it out there for the June challenge! Can you follow in the footsteps of the recently released famous Bounty Hunters and rise to legendary status?
Join in the discussion here!
Legendary Hunter
In this challenge, you must start the game as a Bounty Hunter. You can start the game on any difficulty, but props clearly going to permadeath players. During early play, you can do anything you want to accrue wealth and experience. First, you must achieve Edict 9 with a faction of your choice. Then, you must complete a $500,000 mission kill or capture bounty mission which requires an Edict. To get that size of a payment for your Mission, you're likely to need your Edict, high Military rank, a Contact with the right Traits and/or a high power mission payment boosting Talent. Please post in this discussion thread if you're picking up this challenge! Then post some screenshots and brag about your difficulty and at what date you completed your mission :D If you missed the May Community Challenge: Small Ship to Prize Ship you may still want to jump in and join the fun.
Update #155: Scales of Justice
A Bounty Hunter who has been operating since the pre Exodus period, Draiv Solregard is two centuries ancient but just as deadly and ruthless as ever. Unlike the other hunters, if a contact sends him after you, he will come bearing a capture warrant for your arrest and imprisonment. Be careful if you cross him, you might die regretting it!
This ^^ looks bad ... with Update #155, we've changed what numbers are being compared in the ship report. Now, instead of comparing their accuracy vs. your accuracy, we're comparing their accuracy vs. your defense so that you can get a much clearer view of whether or not they'll hit you and if you have a chance to hit them. We've also updated the fonts in the ship report to be red (outclassed by enemy) and gold (outclass your enemy) to help make them clear with just a glance.
Improvements to the Water-Fuel Reclamation Tank component and a second tier 2 version of the component are going to make these both of high interest to those captains who travel far and jump often. Both components now include small Navigation bonuses, as well as larger fuel storage(+18 and +32) as well as more significant reductions to jump cost (-5 and -12). You can only install a Water-Fuel Reclamation 2 system at a Javat starport, so be sure to stay friendly with this industrious clan.
We've added rules clarification to the Civil Unrest confirmation that Tactics saving Talents do not have an effect during these attempts to reach Contacts. Also, we've clarified the Trade War Conflict tooltip to be clear that selling goods to a faction who made them doesn't incur Rep penalty (selling Mok goods at a Mok Exchange does not incur penalty with Rychart if they are in a Trade War). We've resolved an issue reported by some Steam players that certain Rifle or Pistol attack Talents could be incorrectly used with the wrong weapon types. We've changed some of the dialog and characters in the Werewolf story to better match the KickStarter backer's vision. And, there was an issue where when you hired an Exo-Scout under Xeno Spores Rumor, they'd morph into a doctor. No more! If you enjoy the updates, content, stories and fixes please leave a review!
- Added new Bounty Hunter story vignette - determined and ancient hunter "Draiv Solregard" comes hunting with a Capture Warrant - Finished the 4th legendary Bounty Hunter to be added in v2.5.x dev roadmap family -- many thanks to the KickStarter backers! - Adjusted ship comparison in Encounter and in ship combat tooltip to compare attack vs. defense (not attack vs. attack), improved fonts for clarity - Rebalanced Water-Fuel Reclamation Tank to include small +Nav bonus, reduce Jump Cost by -5, +18 Fuel - Added Javat-only Water-Fuel Reclamation Tank 2, more Electronic/Nav, -12 Jump Cost, +32 Fuel - Clarified rules for Trade War in Conflict tooltips -- no Reputation loss for trading of cargo manufactured by a faction at that faction's own Exchange - Clarified rules for "Civil Unrest" -- Tactics saving Talents do not apply here, fixed bug with Rep loss - Fixed bug in Talent Manifest causing Skip Off the Void not to show - Fixed issue with Valencia's story where results could be crossed (left, but then joins your ship) - Fixed reported issues with "Werewolf" Bounty Hunter story - Fixed engine placement for some ships - Fixed issue allowing some rifle or pistol attacks to be used with the wrong type of weapon - Chased out the Doctors hiding as Exo-Scouts in the Spice Hall during "Xeno Spores" rumors and let the real Exo-Scouts in
[ 2019-06-01 16:36:03 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #155 completes the adds the fourth and final legendary bounty hunters in the v2.5.x family. We've also improved the ship comparison report to be more directly helpful and easier to read, rebalanced Water-Fuel Reclamation component and added a second level Javat-only version of the component. We've clarified rules for both Trade War Conflict and Civil Unrest in the game and fixed a pile of community reported issues and suggestions.
We're on stride, hitting an update every 3 days for the month of May with 6 new story arcs added in the last 30 days. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, features, and new content please leave a review and tell a friend about Star Traders: Frontiers!
Ancient Draiv Solregard
A Bounty Hunter who has been operating since the pre Exodus period, Draiv Solregard is two centuries ancient but just as deadly and ruthless as ever. Unlike the other hunters, if a contact sends him after you, he will come bearing a capture warrant for your arrest and imprisonment. Be careful if you cross him, you might die regretting it!
Ship Comparison Report
This ^^ looks bad ... with Update #155, we've changed what numbers are being compared in the ship report. Now, instead of comparing their accuracy vs. your accuracy, we're comparing their accuracy vs. your defense so that you can get a much clearer view of whether or not they'll hit you and if you have a chance to hit them. We've also updated the fonts in the ship report to be red (outclassed by enemy) and gold (outclass your enemy) to help make them clear with just a glance.
Far Travelers
Improvements to the Water-Fuel Reclamation Tank component and a second tier 2 version of the component are going to make these both of high interest to those captains who travel far and jump often. Both components now include small Navigation bonuses, as well as larger fuel storage(+18 and +32) as well as more significant reductions to jump cost (-5 and -12). You can only install a Water-Fuel Reclamation 2 system at a Javat starport, so be sure to stay friendly with this industrious clan.
And More
We've added rules clarification to the Civil Unrest confirmation that Tactics saving Talents do not have an effect during these attempts to reach Contacts. Also, we've clarified the Trade War Conflict tooltip to be clear that selling goods to a faction who made them doesn't incur Rep penalty (selling Mok goods at a Mok Exchange does not incur penalty with Rychart if they are in a Trade War). We've resolved an issue reported by some Steam players that certain Rifle or Pistol attack Talents could be incorrectly used with the wrong weapon types. We've changed some of the dialog and characters in the Werewolf story to better match the KickStarter backer's vision. And, there was an issue where when you hired an Exo-Scout under Xeno Spores Rumor, they'd morph into a doctor. No more! If you enjoy the updates, content, stories and fixes please leave a review!
v2.5.37 - 6/1/2019
- Added new Bounty Hunter story vignette - determined and ancient hunter "Draiv Solregard" comes hunting with a Capture Warrant - Finished the 4th legendary Bounty Hunter to be added in v2.5.x dev roadmap family -- many thanks to the KickStarter backers! - Adjusted ship comparison in Encounter and in ship combat tooltip to compare attack vs. defense (not attack vs. attack), improved fonts for clarity - Rebalanced Water-Fuel Reclamation Tank to include small +Nav bonus, reduce Jump Cost by -5, +18 Fuel - Added Javat-only Water-Fuel Reclamation Tank 2, more Electronic/Nav, -12 Jump Cost, +32 Fuel - Clarified rules for Trade War in Conflict tooltips -- no Reputation loss for trading of cargo manufactured by a faction at that faction's own Exchange - Clarified rules for "Civil Unrest" -- Tactics saving Talents do not apply here, fixed bug with Rep loss - Fixed bug in Talent Manifest causing Skip Off the Void not to show - Fixed issue with Valencia's story where results could be crossed (left, but then joins your ship) - Fixed reported issues with "Werewolf" Bounty Hunter story - Fixed engine placement for some ships - Fixed issue allowing some rifle or pistol attacks to be used with the wrong type of weapon - Chased out the Doctors hiding as Exo-Scouts in the Spice Hall during "Xeno Spores" rumors and let the real Exo-Scouts in
Update #154: Savage Hunters
With Update #154, a third unique story Bounty Hunter may be sent after you by an enemy Contact. Working to Steel Song, the legendary Werewolf won't take a bribe so you're going to have to find another way out of trouble of face him and his gang of hunters in deadly crew combat. This new danger also comes along with an opportunity to score new unique story reward armor. We've got one of more Bounty Hunter vignette planned in the v2.5.x family before we move on to some of the larger arcs that are brewing and then into the first of the two Eras.
Word of xeno spores raining down on a system is now enough to draw Exo-Scouts into the spice hall. During the "Xeno Spores" system rumor, you can recruit these hunters, anti-xeno fighters and expert explorers.
The components on your ship that grant Radiation Resistance now block are better linked to blocking damage from Ion Storm and Radiation Storm Rumors. A ship decked with better Rad Res will be better able to prevent both component damage as well as crew health damage.
We're always working to improve the difficulty balance of the frontier and to ensure that we're giving meaningful choice and challenge. We've bumped the Pirates who were flying Palace Interceptors into a higher level slot so that they don't appear so early in the game and also reduced the rating on an orbital ops Distress Signal card to -3. With this update, we've ensured that "Retreat" is an available option next to "Acknowledge". While Acknowledge will gain you Rep and Rep across Alliances, it could also cause Rep loss (M. Officer + Solar War) which harmed some players looking to stay peaceful with everyone. This new change helps give you as a captain more choice where needed.
We've cleaned up a bunch of community reported issues this release. Thanks to everyone posting and helping us improve the game. If you happen into a Rychart spice hall during a mission, you'll now get their special 90 max Morale rule. The longstanding bugs with Callous Justice quest log are now fixed -- it will go away at the right time and should not appear randomly where it was showing up badly. The Zealot's "Retribution Justice" now properly goes into cool down when used in a Mission context and we've fixed the case where two cross Rumors (Trade Blockade and Xeno Fleet) could create xeno faction, human, military officers! What does it even mean!?
- Added new Bounty Hunter story vignette - barbaric assassin the "Werewolf" comes hunting with a Death Warrant - New unique story reward and armor available - Exo-Scouts are now recruitable at spice hall during system-wide "Xeno Spores" rumors - When meeting a friendly ship in the void, Acknowledge as well as Retreat are now options -- skip Rep gain avoid Rep loss through Conflicts with Retreat - Radiation Resistance from ship components reduces ship and crew damage during Radiation and Ion Storms - Adjusted Orbital Ops Distress Signal card to be a -3 due to depth of possible negative results - Adjusted enemy AI's hull availability to remove the Palace Interceptor from the early game (too hard) - Finishing missions in a Rychart spice hall now include the Rychart bonus to max morale (90 instead of standard 80) - Fixed incorrect description listing "Passenger Suites" as luxury accommodations, instead adding it correctly to "Luxury Suites" - Fixed bug preventing Zealot's "Retribution Justice" Talent from going into cool down when activated from a Mission - Fixed bug with crossing Xeno Fleet and Trade Blockade Rumors causing xeno Military Officers to appear - Fixed two bugs with "Callous Justice" personal objective -- once where it stayed around too long, once it appeared without reason
[ 2019-05-30 02:40:52 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #154, we're rolling out the fifth new story since we got going on the v2.5.x family in the development roadmap. The third legendary bounty hunter can now come to call. We've also added a Rumor link to recruit Exo-Scouts in the spice hall, enabled the Retreat option alongside Acknowledge, better linked your ship's Radiation Resistance components help against Ion and Radiation storms, bumped the Palace Interceptor out of the AI's hands in the early game and fixed a ton of reported community issues.
It's another night, another packed update! If you're enjoying the updates, new content, new features and more please share the game with a friend and leave a review!
New Bounty Hunter Vignette: The Werewolf
With Update #154, a third unique story Bounty Hunter may be sent after you by an enemy Contact. Working to Steel Song, the legendary Werewolf won't take a bribe so you're going to have to find another way out of trouble of face him and his gang of hunters in deadly crew combat. This new danger also comes along with an opportunity to score new unique story reward armor. We've got one of more Bounty Hunter vignette planned in the v2.5.x family before we move on to some of the larger arcs that are brewing and then into the first of the two Eras.
Draw of Xeno Spores
Word of xeno spores raining down on a system is now enough to draw Exo-Scouts into the spice hall. During the "Xeno Spores" system rumor, you can recruit these hunters, anti-xeno fighters and expert explorers.
Storm Shielding
The components on your ship that grant Radiation Resistance now block are better linked to blocking damage from Ion Storm and Radiation Storm Rumors. A ship decked with better Rad Res will be better able to prevent both component damage as well as crew health damage.
Difficulty Tuning
We're always working to improve the difficulty balance of the frontier and to ensure that we're giving meaningful choice and challenge. We've bumped the Pirates who were flying Palace Interceptors into a higher level slot so that they don't appear so early in the game and also reduced the rating on an orbital ops Distress Signal card to -3. With this update, we've ensured that "Retreat" is an available option next to "Acknowledge". While Acknowledge will gain you Rep and Rep across Alliances, it could also cause Rep loss (M. Officer + Solar War) which harmed some players looking to stay peaceful with everyone. This new change helps give you as a captain more choice where needed.
Community Reports!
We've cleaned up a bunch of community reported issues this release. Thanks to everyone posting and helping us improve the game. If you happen into a Rychart spice hall during a mission, you'll now get their special 90 max Morale rule. The longstanding bugs with Callous Justice quest log are now fixed -- it will go away at the right time and should not appear randomly where it was showing up badly. The Zealot's "Retribution Justice" now properly goes into cool down when used in a Mission context and we've fixed the case where two cross Rumors (Trade Blockade and Xeno Fleet) could create xeno faction, human, military officers! What does it even mean!?
v2.5.35 - 5/29/2019
- Added new Bounty Hunter story vignette - barbaric assassin the "Werewolf" comes hunting with a Death Warrant - New unique story reward and armor available - Exo-Scouts are now recruitable at spice hall during system-wide "Xeno Spores" rumors - When meeting a friendly ship in the void, Acknowledge as well as Retreat are now options -- skip Rep gain avoid Rep loss through Conflicts with Retreat - Radiation Resistance from ship components reduces ship and crew damage during Radiation and Ion Storms - Adjusted Orbital Ops Distress Signal card to be a -3 due to depth of possible negative results - Adjusted enemy AI's hull availability to remove the Palace Interceptor from the early game (too hard) - Finishing missions in a Rychart spice hall now include the Rychart bonus to max morale (90 instead of standard 80) - Fixed incorrect description listing "Passenger Suites" as luxury accommodations, instead adding it correctly to "Luxury Suites" - Fixed bug preventing Zealot's "Retribution Justice" Talent from going into cool down when activated from a Mission - Fixed bug with crossing Xeno Fleet and Trade Blockade Rumors causing xeno Military Officers to appear - Fixed two bugs with "Callous Justice" personal objective -- once where it stayed around too long, once it appeared without reason
Update #153: Lux Across the Void
The on-going May 2019 community challenge "Small Ship to Prize Ship" will be wrapping up in the next week. If you haven't had a chance to see if you can run a Juror or other tiny ship all the way up to taking a 8000 or 9000 Mass ship over with a Prize Ship Talent, get in on this one now! Post your glorious victories. The June challenge will be posted soon!
Your passengers can now travel in luxury across the galaxy. The two luxury offerings -- the medium slot Luxury Cabin (1 spot) and the large slot Luxury Suite (3 spots) -- offer this splendor and comfort to your passengers. Whenever a passenger comes aboard during a mission, they fill up your luxury space first and promptly add +15% profit to every step for the rest of the mission. Based on the length of the mission (Diplomat Tours!) this can be a significant improvement in profits, especially as it stacks with Talents. If your luxury space is fully, the passenger may grumble a bit but they will take a standard cabin and grant no pay bonus. To be a luxury passenger liner takes additional dedication of larger ship slots, this isn't as simple as just upgrading your existing passenger cabins. But, for those mission runners criss-crossing the galaxy with passengers, pilgrims and spies this can be a huge profit booster.
Teaching the AI to build a good ship, a good crew, to pick the right Talents, to allocate the right component upgrades -- this has been an on-going process throughout all of 2019. And then for the last two months, we've been mixing the craft requirements into the same soup. This update addresses some issues we've been seeing with the AI in general as well as with those AI trying to build effective carriers. The AI is now better at planning out its final Ship Skill Pools (Pilot, Electronics, etc) to ensure it is well staffed but not over staffed and that it can make space for additional specialist crew. This has a critical impact on its future ability to correct snag wing specialist pilots and will have an impact in the more short term by allowing the AI to better pick other specialists like Mechanics, Pirates and others to join the crew. The on-going rounds of AI upgrades may seem cyclical, but we're making improvements, watching the metrics, measuring, replanning and then making another round. We've also spent a lot of time tuning exactly *how* smart the AI ship builder should be given the game date and the game difficulty settings. And, *shudder* once again, the xeno ship builder got a boost in smarts. Same components, new strains of logic.
Another big round of stories of legendary captains has been injected into the spice hall Storyteller Trait tonight. This covers the last of the stories from the KickStarter "Join the Lore" reward, except two more that will manifest as famous Bounty Hunters -- coming soon!
Much like a capital ship, if a wing specialist pilot has the Skill to match their craft, they gain a bonus. If they exceed the Skill Pool of their craft, they are losing out on some potential bonus. Every point of Pilot Skill matched between craft and wing pilot grants a +2% chance to evade. With this update, we've increased the Pilot maximum for all Interdictors, increasing the option for higher level pilots or dual Job pilots to shine. We've done the same to Bomber's Electronics, as each matched point there adds +2% chance to hit the enemy capital ship. In the end analysis, it has come out that Interdictor attack plans were weak. To help balance this out, we've improved the power of the debuffs they deliver. They already had high Crippling Effect chance which means you could possibly land 2 debuffs in a single go. Finally, we modified Interdictor rocket weapons to cause Void Damage now, taking some of the Standard Damage and shifting it over for each weapon.
We've balanced the price and install time of large slot and small slot Fuel Bays as well as increasing the fuel bonus on all types of Hangars and Launch Bays.
We've improved the rules for Trait mutation during conscripting enemy crew from a defeated ship. The variety of possible negative Traits that can spawn is more larger and far more exciting, now giving enough variance to have really bad, just bad and even lucky conscription events. In this, we've also clarified the rules of Malcontent, making it clear that the crew will rise up against the captain in any Mutiny regardless of their own personal Morale.
- Luxury Cabins / Luxury Suites now increase entire mission payment by 15% if a luxury bunk is open when passenger comes aboard - Enemy AI improves planning of Ship Skill Pool %s as difficulty increases and game progresses - Enemy Xeno ship builder AI makes better choices to focus builds (same components, smarter choices) - Added 8 new tales of legendary captains to spice hall Storyteller Trait (thanks KickStarter backers!) - Improved negative Trait mutation options when conscripting enemy crew, added more variety and fun Traits - Clarified rules for Trait "Malcontent" -- always joins Mutiny regardless of personal Morale - Improved power of Interdictor debuffs to make their lower damage attack runs more viable, also very high Crippling Effect changes - Shifted Interdictor rocket's damage from standard damage to void damage, up to 40 to 80 points - Increased the Pilot Skill Pool for all Interdictors -- higher Pilot on wing specialist crew member results in better dodge % - Increased the Electronics Skill Pool for all Bombers -- higher Electronics on wing specialist crew member results in better hit chance % - Increased fuel bonuses for Launch Bays and Hangars - Rebalanced prices for small slot and large slot Fuel Tanks, improved Alta Mesa Reinforced Fuel Pod (+2 Fuel, +1 Armor) - Improved team composition for Troy "The Blade" Circin -- more likely to be a good setup - Added new names to the name generator (thanks @For_Science!) - Fixed location bug with Plague Era mission "Research Protection"
[ 2019-05-26 03:32:51 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #152, we've rolled out a new way to specialize as a mission-running captain with the full Luxury Passenger experience, added another blast of storyteller tales to the spice hall and further improved the standard AI and xeno AI in preparation for the upcoming release of carriers and craft. We've also include another big round of balance improvements for craft, this time focusing on the Pilot and Electronics Skill Pools of craft, as well as Interdictors attack flight plans. Of course, there is always more -- so check the full release notes for every detail.
If you're enjoying the pace of updates and new content, please leave a review and tell a friend!
May Community Challenge Wrapping Up!
The on-going May 2019 community challenge "Small Ship to Prize Ship" will be wrapping up in the next week. If you haven't had a chance to see if you can run a Juror or other tiny ship all the way up to taking a 8000 or 9000 Mass ship over with a Prize Ship Talent, get in on this one now! Post your glorious victories. The June challenge will be posted soon!
Full Lux Experience
Your passengers can now travel in luxury across the galaxy. The two luxury offerings -- the medium slot Luxury Cabin (1 spot) and the large slot Luxury Suite (3 spots) -- offer this splendor and comfort to your passengers. Whenever a passenger comes aboard during a mission, they fill up your luxury space first and promptly add +15% profit to every step for the rest of the mission. Based on the length of the mission (Diplomat Tours!) this can be a significant improvement in profits, especially as it stacks with Talents. If your luxury space is fully, the passenger may grumble a bit but they will take a standard cabin and grant no pay bonus. To be a luxury passenger liner takes additional dedication of larger ship slots, this isn't as simple as just upgrading your existing passenger cabins. But, for those mission runners criss-crossing the galaxy with passengers, pilgrims and spies this can be a huge profit booster.
Further AI Prep
Teaching the AI to build a good ship, a good crew, to pick the right Talents, to allocate the right component upgrades -- this has been an on-going process throughout all of 2019. And then for the last two months, we've been mixing the craft requirements into the same soup. This update addresses some issues we've been seeing with the AI in general as well as with those AI trying to build effective carriers. The AI is now better at planning out its final Ship Skill Pools (Pilot, Electronics, etc) to ensure it is well staffed but not over staffed and that it can make space for additional specialist crew. This has a critical impact on its future ability to correct snag wing specialist pilots and will have an impact in the more short term by allowing the AI to better pick other specialists like Mechanics, Pirates and others to join the crew. The on-going rounds of AI upgrades may seem cyclical, but we're making improvements, watching the metrics, measuring, replanning and then making another round. We've also spent a lot of time tuning exactly *how* smart the AI ship builder should be given the game date and the game difficulty settings. And, *shudder* once again, the xeno ship builder got a boost in smarts. Same components, new strains of logic.
Across the Spice Plate
Another big round of stories of legendary captains has been injected into the spice hall Storyteller Trait tonight. This covers the last of the stories from the KickStarter "Join the Lore" reward, except two more that will manifest as famous Bounty Hunters -- coming soon!
Interdictor and Skill Pool Buffs
Much like a capital ship, if a wing specialist pilot has the Skill to match their craft, they gain a bonus. If they exceed the Skill Pool of their craft, they are losing out on some potential bonus. Every point of Pilot Skill matched between craft and wing pilot grants a +2% chance to evade. With this update, we've increased the Pilot maximum for all Interdictors, increasing the option for higher level pilots or dual Job pilots to shine. We've done the same to Bomber's Electronics, as each matched point there adds +2% chance to hit the enemy capital ship. In the end analysis, it has come out that Interdictor attack plans were weak. To help balance this out, we've improved the power of the debuffs they deliver. They already had high Crippling Effect chance which means you could possibly land 2 debuffs in a single go. Finally, we modified Interdictor rocket weapons to cause Void Damage now, taking some of the Standard Damage and shifting it over for each weapon.
Fuel Components
We've balanced the price and install time of large slot and small slot Fuel Bays as well as increasing the fuel bonus on all types of Hangars and Launch Bays.
Conscription Woes
We've improved the rules for Trait mutation during conscripting enemy crew from a defeated ship. The variety of possible negative Traits that can spawn is more larger and far more exciting, now giving enough variance to have really bad, just bad and even lucky conscription events. In this, we've also clarified the rules of Malcontent, making it clear that the crew will rise up against the captain in any Mutiny regardless of their own personal Morale.
v2.5.33 - 5/25/2019
- Luxury Cabins / Luxury Suites now increase entire mission payment by 15% if a luxury bunk is open when passenger comes aboard - Enemy AI improves planning of Ship Skill Pool %s as difficulty increases and game progresses - Enemy Xeno ship builder AI makes better choices to focus builds (same components, smarter choices) - Added 8 new tales of legendary captains to spice hall Storyteller Trait (thanks KickStarter backers!) - Improved negative Trait mutation options when conscripting enemy crew, added more variety and fun Traits - Clarified rules for Trait "Malcontent" -- always joins Mutiny regardless of personal Morale - Improved power of Interdictor debuffs to make their lower damage attack runs more viable, also very high Crippling Effect changes - Shifted Interdictor rocket's damage from standard damage to void damage, up to 40 to 80 points - Increased the Pilot Skill Pool for all Interdictors -- higher Pilot on wing specialist crew member results in better dodge % - Increased the Electronics Skill Pool for all Bombers -- higher Electronics on wing specialist crew member results in better hit chance % - Increased fuel bonuses for Launch Bays and Hangars - Rebalanced prices for small slot and large slot Fuel Tanks, improved Alta Mesa Reinforced Fuel Pod (+2 Fuel, +1 Armor) - Improved team composition for Troy "The Blade" Circin -- more likely to be a good setup - Added new names to the name generator (thanks @For_Science!) - Fixed location bug with Plague Era mission "Research Protection"
Update #152: Warm Spice Plate
When your crew with "Storyteller" Trait get going, they can tell some amazing tales. With this update, we've added another large set of legendary stories, all thanks to our KickStarter backers who chose to "Join the Lore." We have one more large set to add to close out the KickStarter reward tier completely and then we'll work on adding more related to story characters, eras and history of the frontiers. The exact rules of Storyteller Trait are now included in its text, showing that it has a 30% + Charisma chance to fire on each visit to the spice hall.
The "Smooth" Trait for Diplomats now gives a powerful starting bonus to all Introductions as well as discounting the price by 15%. Now adding +20 Personal Rep with every Introduction, this Trait makes it easy for Diplomats to make friends and to ensure those friends are willing to offer at least starting services right out of the gate. Notably as well, in many cases this means introduced Contacts will offer 2 Missions at a time.
With Update #152, we checked into a recent captain's report that Hullbuster wasn't adding its bonus Damage correctly and were surprise to see it was true. Having been bumped during the early round of fixes for carriers and craft, your wing pilot's flight plan Talents weren't correctly adding either bonus Damage or Critical %! This is a huge bump to some flight plan Talents more than others, but is another power level raise for your carriers. On the other side, we've added a bonus % to hit craft to a number of capital ship Talents including Coordinated Fire and Broadside. Bombardment's debuff now reduces chance to hit craft as well, helping to give cover for your bombers. Finally, we've fixed a set of bugs that could cause crashes when a craft was destroyed or in the case when the Wing Tech's "Recovery Pod" Talent fired.
With well over 500 ship components, there are always more small tweaks and improvements to make. With this update, we've differntiated medium slot Adv. Mass Dampeners (now boosting Ship Ops and Nav) from Mass Reducers (still boosting Ship Ops and Electronics). We've straightened out some issues with the price of medium slot Fuel Tanks and tweaked Basic Medical Bay, Medical Bay. Balanced Combat Medical Clinic (removed Armor) and Advanced Medical Bay.
- Added new set of tales of legendary captains to spice hall Storyteller Trait - Diplomat's "Smooth" Trait now adds a +16 Personal Reputation bonus with any Introductions - Fixed significant craft attack Talent bug preventing bonus damage from Talents like "Hull Buster" from being applied (more boom boom!) - Added a -10% Chance to Hit Craft to "Bombardment" Debuff, added +10% Chance to Hit Craft to "Coordinated Fire" Buff and +20% Chance to Hit Craft to "Broadside" buff - Clarified "Storyteller" Trait with rules for 30% + Charisma chance to increase Morale at spice hall - Balanced prices of Basic Medical Bay, Medical Bay. Balanced Combat Medical Clinic (removed Armor) and Advanced Medical Bay - Improved price spread and minimum install requirements for medium slot Fuel Tanks - Differentiated Skill bonuses between medium slot Adv. Mass Dampeners (Ship Ops, Nav) and Mass Reducers (Ship Ops, Electronics) - Fixed bug with Xeno Hunter "Exalted Hunter" firing twice or sometimes firing on prisoner missions - Fixed confusing language in Interdictor defensive launch Talents - Fixed bug causing crash with the use of "Recovery Pod" Talent when craft was destroyed - Fixed faction in "Military Sweepers" card in orbital salvage - Fixed "Major Setback" card in orbital salvage to ensure it reduces Contact Influence - Fixed bug where craft buffs were printing '0 Turns' duration to the combat log incorrectly
[ 2019-05-23 17:52:33 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #152, we've expanded the legends and stories told by your Storyteller characters, improved the power of the Diplomat's "Smooth" Trait, made a significant fix to bombers and interdictors flight plans which increases their power, shared the wealth a bit with different ship combat buffs helping to hit small craft, tweaked the balance on a wide array of ship components, and fixed a pile of player reported issues.
Over the Spice Plate
When your crew with "Storyteller" Trait get going, they can tell some amazing tales. With this update, we've added another large set of legendary stories, all thanks to our KickStarter backers who chose to "Join the Lore." We have one more large set to add to close out the KickStarter reward tier completely and then we'll work on adding more related to story characters, eras and history of the frontiers. The exact rules of Storyteller Trait are now included in its text, showing that it has a 30% + Charisma chance to fire on each visit to the spice hall.
Smooth Diplomat
The "Smooth" Trait for Diplomats now gives a powerful starting bonus to all Introductions as well as discounting the price by 15%. Now adding +20 Personal Rep with every Introduction, this Trait makes it easy for Diplomats to make friends and to ensure those friends are willing to offer at least starting services right out of the gate. Notably as well, in many cases this means introduced Contacts will offer 2 Missions at a time.
Craft Bonuses and Improved Capital Ship Defenses
With Update #152, we checked into a recent captain's report that Hullbuster wasn't adding its bonus Damage correctly and were surprise to see it was true. Having been bumped during the early round of fixes for carriers and craft, your wing pilot's flight plan Talents weren't correctly adding either bonus Damage or Critical %! This is a huge bump to some flight plan Talents more than others, but is another power level raise for your carriers. On the other side, we've added a bonus % to hit craft to a number of capital ship Talents including Coordinated Fire and Broadside. Bombardment's debuff now reduces chance to hit craft as well, helping to give cover for your bombers. Finally, we've fixed a set of bugs that could cause crashes when a craft was destroyed or in the case when the Wing Tech's "Recovery Pod" Talent fired.
Ship Comopnents
With well over 500 ship components, there are always more small tweaks and improvements to make. With this update, we've differntiated medium slot Adv. Mass Dampeners (now boosting Ship Ops and Nav) from Mass Reducers (still boosting Ship Ops and Electronics). We've straightened out some issues with the price of medium slot Fuel Tanks and tweaked Basic Medical Bay, Medical Bay. Balanced Combat Medical Clinic (removed Armor) and Advanced Medical Bay.
v2.5.31 - 5/23/2019
- Added new set of tales of legendary captains to spice hall Storyteller Trait - Diplomat's "Smooth" Trait now adds a +16 Personal Reputation bonus with any Introductions - Fixed significant craft attack Talent bug preventing bonus damage from Talents like "Hull Buster" from being applied (more boom boom!) - Added a -10% Chance to Hit Craft to "Bombardment" Debuff, added +10% Chance to Hit Craft to "Coordinated Fire" Buff and +20% Chance to Hit Craft to "Broadside" buff - Clarified "Storyteller" Trait with rules for 30% + Charisma chance to increase Morale at spice hall - Balanced prices of Basic Medical Bay, Medical Bay. Balanced Combat Medical Clinic (removed Armor) and Advanced Medical Bay - Improved price spread and minimum install requirements for medium slot Fuel Tanks - Differentiated Skill bonuses between medium slot Adv. Mass Dampeners (Ship Ops, Nav) and Mass Reducers (Ship Ops, Electronics) - Fixed bug with Xeno Hunter "Exalted Hunter" firing twice or sometimes firing on prisoner missions - Fixed confusing language in Interdictor defensive launch Talents - Fixed bug causing crash with the use of "Recovery Pod" Talent when craft was destroyed - Fixed faction in "Military Sweepers" card in orbital salvage - Fixed "Major Setback" card in orbital salvage to ensure it reduces Contact Influence - Fixed bug where craft buffs were printing '0 Turns' duration to the combat log incorrectly
Update #151: Qualified Graduates
On grav worlds, academy graduations are constant but every now and again an especially large and especially well-trained waves passes through the academies. These culminate in an Academy Graduation Rumor which leaves a zone flush with skilled recruits. The most notable bonus is that some of these grads would be willing to take up life as a spacer and so you can find Doctors, Quartermasters, Military Officers, Wing Leaders, Wing Techs and Engineers from the spice hall, all willing to sign on with a captain. As the graduations are also a great cause for celebration, the spice hall gains +2 Spice rating during such a series of events and all recruits -- from the hall or contacts -- gain +1 bonus levels. Especially early on as you are seeking to fill out a crew with specialist recruits, this Rumor can be a great boon to fill empty bunks without needing to invest in a wide network of Contacts. In addition to adding the Academy Grad Rumor, we've also improved the Spice Festival Rumor so that the Spice rating of the zone jumps to 7 at a minimum during such a celebration. In final Rumor news, we've increased the impact that high Tactics Skill can have on avoiding fights during Civil Unrest. Congats to all the grads out there this weekend!
With Update #151, we've opened another "next level" for Terrox xeno ships, releasing a wave of new and high level components to their more powerful ships. While these components won't be factored in below level 20, they allow xeno ship builder at higher levels to better focus and produce even more challenging ship combats. The changes also allow Terrox to change their build strategy to take advantage of the Electronics meta depending on their ship and engine setup. We've also tuned the AI and the ship builder for more deadly results at all levels.
Interest in Quatermasters is at an all time high lol. Buy stock now! With this update, we've improved their availability to recruit from Contacts by allowing Prison Wardens to recruit them. We've also added Spy recruits to the Court Seer Contact type. In addition, Quartermasters have now joined the rare ranks of Jobs that have 3 saving Talents -- gaining "Baleful Grimace" to be able to put down Intimidation save failures.
For a long time, the Zealot and Quartermaster Jobs have had Talents to prevent desertion. But only one of these Talents could fire at a time, leaving your precious crew always at risk if more than one decided to jump ship. With this update, we've allowed more than one Talent to fire -- up to 5 if you have them all ready -- to prevent desertion. Notably, this would rapidly raise the salary rates across your crew, but there are more options now to pin down crew members and bribe them to stay. We also tweaked some ship components, added some lines of missing dialog to the Valencia Faen story arc, tweaked the Xeno Ruins and Pinned Smuggler story cards to only appear after the 5 year mark, and fixed many other player-reported or player-suggested things. Check the full release notes below!
- Added next tier components for Terrox xeno, making late game xeno ships more challenging - Improved xeno AI for ship building and combat - Added new zone Rumor "Academy Graduation" - especially large and well-trained class graduating across multiple academies - During "Academy Graduation" Rumor, +1 level to recruits, +2 Spice Rating - During "Academy Graduation" Rumor can recruit Doctors, Quartermasters, Military Officers, Wing Leaders, Wing Techs and Engineers from the hall - Added new rank 1 Talent for Quartermaster "Baleful Grimace" prevents Intimidation failures - Quartermasters join the rare ranks with Hyperwarp Navigators of Jobs with 3 saving Talents - Added new recruits to Contacts -- Prison Warden Contact now recruits Quartermasters, Court Seers now recruit Spies - Improved Spice Festival Rumor to increase Spice rating to 7, spice never runs out - Improved rules for Talents like Zealot "Unbending Law" to allow multiple desertion prevention Talents to run - Improved story dialog in Valencia's Faen's storyline to make movement of events more clear - Increased ability of Tactics Skill to help avoid violent confrontations during Civil Unrest Rumor - Rebalanced install time for Armored Bulkhead components 1 thru 5 - Prevented unique story cards in mini-games from appearing too early in captain's career - Fixed issue with starport repair detail screen showing that repairs will take "no time" - Fixed issue where sometimes indie zones could show services incorrectly disabled in star atlas - Improved description of Prize Ship Talents
[ 2019-05-18 17:06:13 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #151, we're excited to add the newest Rumor to the galaxy -- the Academy Graduation -- as well as dropping all new and terrifying tier 3 Terrox xeno ship builds. Beyond that, we've further empowered the Quartermaster Job, improve the Spice Festival Rumor, enhanced Tactics Skill impact on Civil Unrest, allowed multiple desertion Talents to fire at once and rebalanced, fixed and improved a whole pile of other things based on the community feedback. It's a momentary break from new stories as we march toward releases of some larger story arcs.
If you're enjoy the pace of new content, new features and improvements all for free, please consider telling a friend or leaving an update.
Rumor: Academy Graduation
On grav worlds, academy graduations are constant but every now and again an especially large and especially well-trained waves passes through the academies. These culminate in an Academy Graduation Rumor which leaves a zone flush with skilled recruits. The most notable bonus is that some of these grads would be willing to take up life as a spacer and so you can find Doctors, Quartermasters, Military Officers, Wing Leaders, Wing Techs and Engineers from the spice hall, all willing to sign on with a captain. As the graduations are also a great cause for celebration, the spice hall gains +2 Spice rating during such a series of events and all recruits -- from the hall or contacts -- gain +1 bonus levels. Especially early on as you are seeking to fill out a crew with specialist recruits, this Rumor can be a great boon to fill empty bunks without needing to invest in a wide network of Contacts. In addition to adding the Academy Grad Rumor, we've also improved the Spice Festival Rumor so that the Spice rating of the zone jumps to 7 at a minimum during such a celebration. In final Rumor news, we've increased the impact that high Tactics Skill can have on avoiding fights during Civil Unrest. Congats to all the grads out there this weekend!
Next Tier Terrox
With Update #151, we've opened another "next level" for Terrox xeno ships, releasing a wave of new and high level components to their more powerful ships. While these components won't be factored in below level 20, they allow xeno ship builder at higher levels to better focus and produce even more challenging ship combats. The changes also allow Terrox to change their build strategy to take advantage of the Electronics meta depending on their ship and engine setup. We've also tuned the AI and the ship builder for more deadly results at all levels.
Venerable Quartermaster
Interest in Quatermasters is at an all time high lol. Buy stock now! With this update, we've improved their availability to recruit from Contacts by allowing Prison Wardens to recruit them. We've also added Spy recruits to the Court Seer Contact type. In addition, Quartermasters have now joined the rare ranks of Jobs that have 3 saving Talents -- gaining "Baleful Grimace" to be able to put down Intimidation save failures.
Improved Desertion Protection
For a long time, the Zealot and Quartermaster Jobs have had Talents to prevent desertion. But only one of these Talents could fire at a time, leaving your precious crew always at risk if more than one decided to jump ship. With this update, we've allowed more than one Talent to fire -- up to 5 if you have them all ready -- to prevent desertion. Notably, this would rapidly raise the salary rates across your crew, but there are more options now to pin down crew members and bribe them to stay. We also tweaked some ship components, added some lines of missing dialog to the Valencia Faen story arc, tweaked the Xeno Ruins and Pinned Smuggler story cards to only appear after the 5 year mark, and fixed many other player-reported or player-suggested things. Check the full release notes below!
v2.5.29 - 5/18/2019
- Added next tier components for Terrox xeno, making late game xeno ships more challenging - Improved xeno AI for ship building and combat - Added new zone Rumor "Academy Graduation" - especially large and well-trained class graduating across multiple academies - During "Academy Graduation" Rumor, +1 level to recruits, +2 Spice Rating - During "Academy Graduation" Rumor can recruit Doctors, Quartermasters, Military Officers, Wing Leaders, Wing Techs and Engineers from the hall - Added new rank 1 Talent for Quartermaster "Baleful Grimace" prevents Intimidation failures - Quartermasters join the rare ranks with Hyperwarp Navigators of Jobs with 3 saving Talents - Added new recruits to Contacts -- Prison Warden Contact now recruits Quartermasters, Court Seers now recruit Spies - Improved Spice Festival Rumor to increase Spice rating to 7, spice never runs out - Improved rules for Talents like Zealot "Unbending Law" to allow multiple desertion prevention Talents to run - Improved story dialog in Valencia's Faen's storyline to make movement of events more clear - Increased ability of Tactics Skill to help avoid violent confrontations during Civil Unrest Rumor - Rebalanced install time for Armored Bulkhead components 1 thru 5 - Prevented unique story cards in mini-games from appearing too early in captain's career - Fixed issue with starport repair detail screen showing that repairs will take "no time" - Fixed issue where sometimes indie zones could show services incorrectly disabled in star atlas - Improved description of Prize Ship Talents
Update #150: Swift in Battle
Most recently, we added a storyline that could result from a unique card in Explorer mini-game. Now we've added a storyline that can be triggered by hitting a unique card in the Patrol or Blockade mini-game whenever a "Trade Blockade" Rumor is active. Trade Blockades are especially profitable opportunities for smugglers, but with the system so full of naval vessels trying to keep anyone landing with marketable goods, it is also a very risky time. Sometimes a Smuggler just needs a hand!
With Update #150, we've increased the pace of both Shuttles, Bombers and Interdictors as they finish their flight plans. Previously, after making their attack or boarding run, craft would take an entire turn to retreat to the space near their own capital ship. Then, they would spend an entire turn landing. The swifter flight plans change combines these two turns into one -- on the turn after making their attack run or boarding, the craft will return to their capital ship and land in a single Turn. It's a 20% increase in speed and your ability to deliver crushing blows to your enemy with your craft!
Before Update #150, when you went to repair a craft, its damage, time and cost were all tucked under the Hangar in which it was docked. This led to some confusing values and when combined with a bug about repair time and cost, made for a real mess. With Update #150, we've split craft out into their own rows so that their individual cost is very clear. This also allows you to separately repair the hangar, launch bay or craft if you have limited time or budget. Finally, we fixed a bug with the repair times of craft that were making them additive instead of only using the longest repair time, and therefore making repair times far too long. Craft will cost both less time and credits to maintain and now it should be very clear what you're paying for. We also fixed a bug with discount Talents that could result in a situation where the starport refused to take your money or repair anything.
We're always working to add more character to the card mini-games and with this update we've added 4 new art boards to make the explorer and orbital ops mini-game cards stick out more -- covering cards like Lost, Smuggler Cache, and Rare Trade Discovery.
All fatal wounds are now logged directly into your ship combat log. Those that are prevented by Death Saves are marked with the Death Save and those that result in a final death are also include. We're conitnuing to work on improving the availability of the captain's intel on this screen and in the log and this is another great step forward. A big thanks to the players suggesting it.
Quartermaster recruit availability keeps coming up! We're working on improving it, and we're looking across the entire game to do so. With this update, we've added QMs to the list of possible crew or officers that can be rescued from a Distress Signal card in any of the orbital operations.
We've also improved the stats and cost of the Alta Mesa fuel components and fixed a bug that allowed them to count as cargo holds. If you're looking for a Micro Launch Bay, it now appears in the small craft filter in starport correctly. And so many other smaller items, see the full list below!
- "Smuggler Escort" unique card story vignette can now appear in orbital Patrol Blockade during a "Trade Blockade" Rumor - Risky opportunity to rake in big profits and make a new black market friend - Added 4 new art boards for wide variety of card rewards -- time lost, smuggler cache, rare trade goods cache, story cards - Major bomber and interdictor improvement - all attack flight plans are 1 Turn faster, craft now retreat & land in the same turn - Improved starport repair list to include a separate row for any damaged craft so that its cost is clearly separate from hangar/launch bay - Improved combat log for small craft death saving Talent "Recovery Pod" - Added death save and death of any crew during ship combat directly to the combat log for easiest checking - Increased fuel allocation and price of Alta Mesa Reinforced Fuel Tank and Reinforced Fuel Pod - Added Quartermaster to the type of crew or officers who can be rescued from orbital ops "Distress Signal" card - Fixed issue allowing Alta Mesa Fuel Pod and Fuel Tank to count as cargo holds - Fixed issue with craft buffing Talents causing Interdictors to stay out longer, fixed bug with Mechanic's "Peak Reactor Burn" - Fixed issues allowing Wing Tech "Hangar Triage" Talent to repair craft more than described - Fixed disconnect with Repair discounts in starport that could lead to inability to repair in very niche cases - Fixed bug with starport repair times for craft causing sum of repair time as opposed to taking longest - Fixed "Craft" filter in starport replace component to ensure "Micro Launch Bay" is visible - Fixed bug where Xeno Hunter "Macabre Harvest" could used after defeating Troy 'The Blade' Circin - Fixed incorrect flag with universal pardons you can't afford - Fixed bug allowing Indie contact to be created during Orbital Salvage - Fixed missing SFX for Wing Commando's "Knife Work" Talent - Fixed placement of some ship combat UI elements on large screens
[ 2019-05-15 16:48:07 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #150, we're rolling out the fourth new story since we entered the v2.5.x development roadmap family, as well as new art, a major improvement to craft attack plans, a major improvement to how starport repair handles craft, new combat log entries for crew deaths and death saves, some component improvements, a new way to get a Quartermaster recruit and a huge pile of community-driven bug fixes.
It's another day, another update full of goodies! If you enjoy the relentless pace of new content, new improvements and seeing what you suggested make its way into the game, please tell a friend and leave a review to help Cory and I keep it up!
Pinned Smuggler Story
Most recently, we added a storyline that could result from a unique card in Explorer mini-game. Now we've added a storyline that can be triggered by hitting a unique card in the Patrol or Blockade mini-game whenever a "Trade Blockade" Rumor is active. Trade Blockades are especially profitable opportunities for smugglers, but with the system so full of naval vessels trying to keep anyone landing with marketable goods, it is also a very risky time. Sometimes a Smuggler just needs a hand!
Swifter Flight Plans
With Update #150, we've increased the pace of both Shuttles, Bombers and Interdictors as they finish their flight plans. Previously, after making their attack or boarding run, craft would take an entire turn to retreat to the space near their own capital ship. Then, they would spend an entire turn landing. The swifter flight plans change combines these two turns into one -- on the turn after making their attack run or boarding, the craft will return to their capital ship and land in a single Turn. It's a 20% increase in speed and your ability to deliver crushing blows to your enemy with your craft!
Repairing Craft
Before Update #150, when you went to repair a craft, its damage, time and cost were all tucked under the Hangar in which it was docked. This led to some confusing values and when combined with a bug about repair time and cost, made for a real mess. With Update #150, we've split craft out into their own rows so that their individual cost is very clear. This also allows you to separately repair the hangar, launch bay or craft if you have limited time or budget. Finally, we fixed a bug with the repair times of craft that were making them additive instead of only using the longest repair time, and therefore making repair times far too long. Craft will cost both less time and credits to maintain and now it should be very clear what you're paying for. We also fixed a bug with discount Talents that could result in a situation where the starport refused to take your money or repair anything.
New Card Art
We're always working to add more character to the card mini-games and with this update we've added 4 new art boards to make the explorer and orbital ops mini-game cards stick out more -- covering cards like Lost, Smuggler Cache, and Rare Trade Discovery.
Deaths and Near Deaths
All fatal wounds are now logged directly into your ship combat log. Those that are prevented by Death Saves are marked with the Death Save and those that result in a final death are also include. We're conitnuing to work on improving the availability of the captain's intel on this screen and in the log and this is another great step forward. A big thanks to the players suggesting it.
Quartermaster Rescue
Quartermaster recruit availability keeps coming up! We're working on improving it, and we're looking across the entire game to do so. With this update, we've added QMs to the list of possible crew or officers that can be rescued from a Distress Signal card in any of the orbital operations.
Alta Mesa Fuel Components
We've also improved the stats and cost of the Alta Mesa fuel components and fixed a bug that allowed them to count as cargo holds. If you're looking for a Micro Launch Bay, it now appears in the small craft filter in starport correctly. And so many other smaller items, see the full list below!
v2.5.27 - 5/15/2019
- "Smuggler Escort" unique card story vignette can now appear in orbital Patrol Blockade during a "Trade Blockade" Rumor - Risky opportunity to rake in big profits and make a new black market friend - Added 4 new art boards for wide variety of card rewards -- time lost, smuggler cache, rare trade goods cache, story cards - Major bomber and interdictor improvement - all attack flight plans are 1 Turn faster, craft now retreat & land in the same turn - Improved starport repair list to include a separate row for any damaged craft so that its cost is clearly separate from hangar/launch bay - Improved combat log for small craft death saving Talent "Recovery Pod" - Added death save and death of any crew during ship combat directly to the combat log for easiest checking - Increased fuel allocation and price of Alta Mesa Reinforced Fuel Tank and Reinforced Fuel Pod - Added Quartermaster to the type of crew or officers who can be rescued from orbital ops "Distress Signal" card - Fixed issue allowing Alta Mesa Fuel Pod and Fuel Tank to count as cargo holds - Fixed issue with craft buffing Talents causing Interdictors to stay out longer, fixed bug with Mechanic's "Peak Reactor Burn" - Fixed issues allowing Wing Tech "Hangar Triage" Talent to repair craft more than described - Fixed disconnect with Repair discounts in starport that could lead to inability to repair in very niche cases - Fixed bug with starport repair times for craft causing sum of repair time as opposed to taking longest - Fixed "Craft" filter in starport replace component to ensure "Micro Launch Bay" is visible - Fixed bug where Xeno Hunter "Macabre Harvest" could used after defeating Troy 'The Blade' Circin - Fixed incorrect flag with universal pardons you can't afford - Fixed bug allowing Indie contact to be created during Orbital Salvage - Fixed missing SFX for Wing Commando's "Knife Work" Talent - Fixed placement of some ship combat UI elements on large screens
Update #149: Wayfinder's Command
We've moved quickly after Update #148 to finish the remaining rebalances to the base Jobs that were planned. With Gunners gaining a pool of Tactics over Ship Ops, they've helped add additional attack and range change dice to every ship in the galaxy. Now, with Update #149, we're finishing this sweep by splitting the Hyperwarp Navigators Tactics Skill into Command and Tactics. With Command taking their secondary Skill slot, Navs are now more helpful in defense and escape during ship combat while still retaining some value in range change and attack. Of course, their actual Navigation Skill plays a larger role if the ship is at long range in every type of maneuver. On the bridge of a ship, your hyperwarp navigators often work together as a team, plotting and pathfinding through the void. They carry an important burden -- keeping the entire ship on course -- and it is especially heavy when they are called on to navigate a hyperwarp gate. And so, the voice and opinions of a Navigator are respected among the crew as everyone knows that their lives are in their hands at some point during the journey. And so, Command fits as a perfect secondary Skill for the Navs.
The final additions in this rebalance are two new Talents -- a Tactics saving Talent for your Gunners at rank 1 and a Command saving Talent for your Hyperwarp Navigators at rank 11. These new Talents provide new options for covering these critical Skill saves with protective Talents. The new "Bullseye Certainty" is the first saving Talent for Gunners, helping them fill a more rounded out role within the ship and the rank 11 "Pathfinder's Lead" makes Navigators one of the most unique and highly demanded Jobs in having a whooping 3 saving Talents. All of the changes to the Gunner and Navigator Jobs have some subtle impacts to the ship combat meta which will play out in the following weeks. Excited to hear everyone's feedback about these changes to the ability to get Tactics and Command dice pool through standard crew.
We've fixed two issues with crew combat Talent descriptions missing an important clause that they nuke enemy Morale. Both Commander's Scorn and the Combat Medic's Toxin Terror were missing these clauses. They reduce the target's Morale by 10 + Intimidate or 10 + Doctor respectively.
We've adjusted the Xeno Ruins story to be easier to find, now allowing it to also turn up during wilderness zone "Discovery" Rumors as well as the quadrant-wide "Artifact Finds". The Plague Ward component was a bit OP and has been re-tuned with changes to its Medical Rating, cost and jump cost. Wrapping up some late arrival craft bugs, we've fixed an issue with how Interdictor Buffs were being wrongly applied to the ship instead of launched craft as well as resolving an issue where certain enemy AI types refused to shoot at craft. This new round of fixes is bringing us much closer to the carrier AI being released. We've also fixed bugs with Slippery Trader, Winning Compromise and Loyalty Rousing.
- "Xeno Ruins" explorer unique card story vignette can now appear during "Discovery" wilderness zone rumor as well as quadrant "Artifact Find" - Rebuilt Hyperwarp Navigator Skill progression to add Command as a secondary Skill and bump Tactics to tertiary -- more valuable in defense and escape - Added new Command Saving Talent for Hyperwarp Navigators at rank 11 - Added new Tactics Saving Talent for Gunners at rank 1 - Tweaked progression of Tactics for Gunner Job to start slower - Adjusted price, medical rating and jump cost of "Plague Ward" component - Added important missing description to Combat Medic's "Toxin Terror" and Commander's "Scorn" both cause (10+Skill) Morale Loss - Fixed bug preventing enemy ship from firing on small craft with certain weapon types - Fixed issue with "Tip of the Spear" and "Screening Swarm" causing the buffs to be transferred to the capital ship instead of craft - Fixed bug preventing "Winning Compromise" and other price increasing Talents from firing reliably - Fixed bug with Commander's "Loyalty Rousing" Talent causing it to heal more Morale than described - Fixed bug allowing Smuggler's "Slippery Trade" to fire even if Rep loss was 0 - Fixed bug preventing credits display from updating immediately upon selling a ship in Dry Dock - Fixed missing skill listing in Spice Hall Recruit
[ 2019-05-12 16:00:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #149 comes hot on the heels of #148 and issues in the final set of changes to the base Jobs that have been in planning and testing for a while now. In addition to Navs gaining some Command, both Gunners and Navs have gained a new saving Talent as well. We've improved the ease of finding the "Xeno Ruins" story, rebalanced new ship component, improved details on 2 crew combat Talents that nuke enemy Morale and fixed a host of community reported issues.
Thanks to everyone for sharing feedback, posting suggestions and bugs! If you're enjoying the game and the relentless pace of updates, we hope you will take a moment to post a review!
Wrapping Base Job Rebalance
We've moved quickly after Update #148 to finish the remaining rebalances to the base Jobs that were planned. With Gunners gaining a pool of Tactics over Ship Ops, they've helped add additional attack and range change dice to every ship in the galaxy. Now, with Update #149, we're finishing this sweep by splitting the Hyperwarp Navigators Tactics Skill into Command and Tactics. With Command taking their secondary Skill slot, Navs are now more helpful in defense and escape during ship combat while still retaining some value in range change and attack. Of course, their actual Navigation Skill plays a larger role if the ship is at long range in every type of maneuver. On the bridge of a ship, your hyperwarp navigators often work together as a team, plotting and pathfinding through the void. They carry an important burden -- keeping the entire ship on course -- and it is especially heavy when they are called on to navigate a hyperwarp gate. And so, the voice and opinions of a Navigator are respected among the crew as everyone knows that their lives are in their hands at some point during the journey. And so, Command fits as a perfect secondary Skill for the Navs.
The final additions in this rebalance are two new Talents -- a Tactics saving Talent for your Gunners at rank 1 and a Command saving Talent for your Hyperwarp Navigators at rank 11. These new Talents provide new options for covering these critical Skill saves with protective Talents. The new "Bullseye Certainty" is the first saving Talent for Gunners, helping them fill a more rounded out role within the ship and the rank 11 "Pathfinder's Lead" makes Navigators one of the most unique and highly demanded Jobs in having a whooping 3 saving Talents. All of the changes to the Gunner and Navigator Jobs have some subtle impacts to the ship combat meta which will play out in the following weeks. Excited to hear everyone's feedback about these changes to the ability to get Tactics and Command dice pool through standard crew.
Morale Nukers
We've fixed two issues with crew combat Talent descriptions missing an important clause that they nuke enemy Morale. Both Commander's Scorn and the Combat Medic's Toxin Terror were missing these clauses. They reduce the target's Morale by 10 + Intimidate or 10 + Doctor respectively.
Follow Up Balance
We've adjusted the Xeno Ruins story to be easier to find, now allowing it to also turn up during wilderness zone "Discovery" Rumors as well as the quadrant-wide "Artifact Finds". The Plague Ward component was a bit OP and has been re-tuned with changes to its Medical Rating, cost and jump cost. Wrapping up some late arrival craft bugs, we've fixed an issue with how Interdictor Buffs were being wrongly applied to the ship instead of launched craft as well as resolving an issue where certain enemy AI types refused to shoot at craft. This new round of fixes is bringing us much closer to the carrier AI being released. We've also fixed bugs with Slippery Trader, Winning Compromise and Loyalty Rousing.
v2.5.25 - 5/12/2019
- "Xeno Ruins" explorer unique card story vignette can now appear during "Discovery" wilderness zone rumor as well as quadrant "Artifact Find" - Rebuilt Hyperwarp Navigator Skill progression to add Command as a secondary Skill and bump Tactics to tertiary -- more valuable in defense and escape - Added new Command Saving Talent for Hyperwarp Navigators at rank 11 - Added new Tactics Saving Talent for Gunners at rank 1 - Tweaked progression of Tactics for Gunner Job to start slower - Adjusted price, medical rating and jump cost of "Plague Ward" component - Added important missing description to Combat Medic's "Toxin Terror" and Commander's "Scorn" both cause (10+Skill) Morale Loss - Fixed bug preventing enemy ship from firing on small craft with certain weapon types - Fixed issue with "Tip of the Spear" and "Screening Swarm" causing the buffs to be transferred to the capital ship instead of craft - Fixed bug preventing "Winning Compromise" and other price increasing Talents from firing reliably - Fixed bug with Commander's "Loyalty Rousing" Talent causing it to heal more Morale than described - Fixed bug allowing Smuggler's "Slippery Trade" to fire even if Rep loss was 0 - Fixed bug preventing credits display from updating immediately upon selling a ship in Dry Dock - Fixed missing skill listing in Spice Hall Recruit
Update #148: Xeno Ruins
One of the biggest exciting changes in Update #148 is the ability for story cards to appear in the card mini-games. The first example of this is in Explorer where a "Artifact Find" Rumor at the quadrant level can cause a chance for a story card, "Xeno Ruins" to appear within the hand. If you draw the card, it will open up a new storyline, new story rewards and the chance to meet a mysterious character. The storyline comes with potentially 2 unique gear rewards, both at level 6 and the high risk challenges to earn it. Now that the system is in place for story cards to appear in certain circumstances, we're eagerly eyeing Spy, Patrol, Blockade and even Black Market for the next round of story arcs.
With Update #148, we've made a significant change to the Gunner Job. Long relegated to Gunnery and Ship Ops, Gunners now bring Tactics to the table as their secondary Skill and push Ship Ops down to tertiary. Immediately, this may mean that some ships and crews may need to consider how to make up for the lost Ship Ops Skill, but as Jobs like Electronics, Mechanic, Wing Tech, and Quartermaster all provide it this is the less impactful part of the change. In order to balance this best for starting ships, the first 2 ranks of E-Tech Job has reduced a point of Electronics (4 instead of 5 now) for Ship Ops (2 instead of 1 now). More importantly, Gunners now bring both additional bonuses in Standard Dice to both ship combat accuracy and ship combat range change. Gunners now join Jobs like Military Officer, Hyerpwarp Navigator, Pilot, Commander and others who can all help build up this critical Skill pool. In total, for the ship meta this change empowers attackers and puts more pressure on full defensive builds.
Across the board, bomber craft have gained additional minimum Standard Damage for their bombs as well as a 5-10% increase in Crippling Effect chance. This was a request made by the AI in training ;) Time for more boom!
This starting ship received a small change around its weapons build out and saw a weapon dropped for a Fuel Tank. It now boasts some amazing off-the-starport-deck fuel range to better match its description.
The first ship component to be directly linked to an Era, the Plague Ward is a specialized advanced medical ward with bonus shielding and the ability to keep a quarantined prisoner. Now that we have finished the work to enhance the ship component system and the AI ship builder to respect story-triggered ship components, we're going to be rolling out a lot more of these. Future components will be linked to eras, storylines and even provided as rewards to storylines. We've added 2 new faction specific Mass Reducer 4 options with this release -- a Pilot focused one from Alta Mesa and an Electronics focused on from Thulun. If you have the bank roll, these will be interesting options in the later game. In addition, we've made some price changes to the high end Sensor Arrays. Finally, the Accuracy % bonuses for Targeting Matrix have been raised slightly to help meet with Gunners increase in Tactics.
- Added new Exploration story vignette - Xeno Ruins story card can appear in Exploration when a quadrant-wide "Artifact Find" Rumor is on - Risky opportunity to rake in big profits and make new allies - Includes two new pieces of unique story reward gear - New unique card-game storylines can now be started from any card game under special circumstances -- more coming! - Rebuilt Gunner Job Skill progression to add Tactics as secondary Skill and bump Ship Ops to tertiary -- more valuable in combat but need other Ship Ops sources - Tweaked Electronics Tech rank 1 and 2 to have 4 Electronics and 2 Ship Ops helping low level crew staff ships better - Clarified Gunner's Talent "Disarming Sabotage" to clearly stated "disables highest level enemy weapon" - Increased base Damage and Crippling Chance % of all Bomber attacks - Added new "Plague Ward" ship component which becomes available during the Plague Era -- high medical, bonus shielding and holds 1 prisoner - Enhanced story and era system will now be releasing new technology, ship components and craft based on story events regularly - Added new Thulun and Alta Mesa variations on Mass Reducer 4 -- slightly more mass reduction, bonus Electronics/Pilot - Increased Accuracy % bonus for Targeting Matrix 2, 3 and 4 - Increased price of high end Sensor Arrays - Modified "Frontier Liner" starting ship to have more balanced weapon set and additional Fuel Tank - Craft type filtering in starport (bomber, shuttle interdictor) now works as 'OR' - Added final captain's log entry with reason for captain's death - Fixed price of Advanced Medical Clinic
[ 2019-05-11 02:00:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #148, we've rolled out another new way for storylines to filter into the sandbox of Star Traders: Frontiers. Now with storylines capable of coming out of specialized and unique card draws, we've cracked open a whole new frontier. In addition, we've made a major shake up to the Gunner Job by introducing Tactics as a secondary Skill, improved the power of bombers weaponry and added new ship components. Along with the new ship components, we've rolled out the first Era-locked ship component. Another new frontier ready to be explored, ship components are ready to be unlocked by story events and Eras.
This is another big one with a lot of exciting twists so check out the full release notes below. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, new content and new stories (3 stories, 3 updates back to back!) please leave a review and tell a friend.
Xeno Runs Card Story
One of the biggest exciting changes in Update #148 is the ability for story cards to appear in the card mini-games. The first example of this is in Explorer where a "Artifact Find" Rumor at the quadrant level can cause a chance for a story card, "Xeno Ruins" to appear within the hand. If you draw the card, it will open up a new storyline, new story rewards and the chance to meet a mysterious character. The storyline comes with potentially 2 unique gear rewards, both at level 6 and the high risk challenges to earn it. Now that the system is in place for story cards to appear in certain circumstances, we're eagerly eyeing Spy, Patrol, Blockade and even Black Market for the next round of story arcs.
Gunner and Combat Meta Shifts
With Update #148, we've made a significant change to the Gunner Job. Long relegated to Gunnery and Ship Ops, Gunners now bring Tactics to the table as their secondary Skill and push Ship Ops down to tertiary. Immediately, this may mean that some ships and crews may need to consider how to make up for the lost Ship Ops Skill, but as Jobs like Electronics, Mechanic, Wing Tech, and Quartermaster all provide it this is the less impactful part of the change. In order to balance this best for starting ships, the first 2 ranks of E-Tech Job has reduced a point of Electronics (4 instead of 5 now) for Ship Ops (2 instead of 1 now). More importantly, Gunners now bring both additional bonuses in Standard Dice to both ship combat accuracy and ship combat range change. Gunners now join Jobs like Military Officer, Hyerpwarp Navigator, Pilot, Commander and others who can all help build up this critical Skill pool. In total, for the ship meta this change empowers attackers and puts more pressure on full defensive builds.
Destructive Bombers
Across the board, bomber craft have gained additional minimum Standard Damage for their bombs as well as a 5-10% increase in Crippling Effect chance. This was a request made by the AI in training ;) Time for more boom!
Frontier Liner
This starting ship received a small change around its weapons build out and saw a weapon dropped for a Fuel Tank. It now boasts some amazing off-the-starport-deck fuel range to better match its description.
Plague Ward and Other Components
The first ship component to be directly linked to an Era, the Plague Ward is a specialized advanced medical ward with bonus shielding and the ability to keep a quarantined prisoner. Now that we have finished the work to enhance the ship component system and the AI ship builder to respect story-triggered ship components, we're going to be rolling out a lot more of these. Future components will be linked to eras, storylines and even provided as rewards to storylines. We've added 2 new faction specific Mass Reducer 4 options with this release -- a Pilot focused one from Alta Mesa and an Electronics focused on from Thulun. If you have the bank roll, these will be interesting options in the later game. In addition, we've made some price changes to the high end Sensor Arrays. Finally, the Accuracy % bonuses for Targeting Matrix have been raised slightly to help meet with Gunners increase in Tactics.
v2.5.23 - 5/10/2019
- Added new Exploration story vignette - Xeno Ruins story card can appear in Exploration when a quadrant-wide "Artifact Find" Rumor is on - Risky opportunity to rake in big profits and make new allies - Includes two new pieces of unique story reward gear - New unique card-game storylines can now be started from any card game under special circumstances -- more coming! - Rebuilt Gunner Job Skill progression to add Tactics as secondary Skill and bump Ship Ops to tertiary -- more valuable in combat but need other Ship Ops sources - Tweaked Electronics Tech rank 1 and 2 to have 4 Electronics and 2 Ship Ops helping low level crew staff ships better - Clarified Gunner's Talent "Disarming Sabotage" to clearly stated "disables highest level enemy weapon" - Increased base Damage and Crippling Chance % of all Bomber attacks - Added new "Plague Ward" ship component which becomes available during the Plague Era -- high medical, bonus shielding and holds 1 prisoner - Enhanced story and era system will now be releasing new technology, ship components and craft based on story events regularly - Added new Thulun and Alta Mesa variations on Mass Reducer 4 -- slightly more mass reduction, bonus Electronics/Pilot - Increased Accuracy % bonus for Targeting Matrix 2, 3 and 4 - Increased price of high end Sensor Arrays - Modified "Frontier Liner" starting ship to have more balanced weapon set and additional Fuel Tank - Craft type filtering in starport (bomber, shuttle interdictor) now works as 'OR' - Added final captain's log entry with reason for captain's death - Fixed price of Advanced Medical Clinic
Update #147: Famous Blades
With Update #147, a second unique story Bounty Hunter may be sent after you by an enemy Contact. We've adjusted the rules on how, when and which Contacts can afford story bounty hunters with this release, simultaneously expanding and limiting the scope. We've restricted the type of Contacts who can hire such Hunters to those with a higher power position, so you won't see a Spicetender hiring Troy 'The Blade' Circin. On the other hand, we've improved the proc gen rules that allow these story Hunters to be hired, so you are more likely to see them in your games as we understand they were not appearing promptly for some captains. While I won't go into it any farther, the famous bladesman and assassin, Troy 'The Blade' Circin is now on the list of story Hunters who can be hired to exact deadly retribution justice. He comes along with an opportunity at unique story reward weapon.
We fixed a few bugs in the Talent Manifest and also added a new section dedicated to Travel and Hyperwarp that includes Meteor, Ion and Radiation storms, landing Talents and Jump Talents. We've got a great list of suggestions from players on this front and will keep working to add more here!
With Update #147 we've made some important changes to how looters handle your surrender in ship combat. There are 4 notable cases -- you've surrendered to a looter and are (1) covered by a Trade Alliance, (2) covered by your own Trade Permit, (3) have loot to steal or (4) have an empty cargo hold. Each case is now handled separately and has better weighted results. Surrendering with under a Trade Alliance or with a Permit results in far less Morale loss while surrendering with an empty cargo hold results in more as the frustrated looters take some of their anger out on your crew.
A few important changes to crew combat have bee included in Update #147. Fortitude has always played a large role in damage soak, reducing incoming damage by 50% of your Fortitude as a %. So, 20 Fortitude chopped 10% off all incoming damage. Now, if an attack is Piercing, your Fortitude reduction is cut down to 25%, so in the example you'd only reduce damage by 5%. Then of course, Armor is added to that to get the final soak %. We've fixed Sniper Talent "Bullet Trace" to make it clear that it removes enemy buffs. Now it looks even more appealing :D All Sniper Rifles have gained a small bump in Piercing %.
Unfortunately these Talents were broken recently. Now, they are all working again as of this release, including Talents like "Close Observation". On the Contact front, we've increased the chance to learn Contact Traits if you have more than 100 Personal Rep with a Contact. That close of a relationship, it is hard to hide anything. If a Contact has no more Introductions to give, a note has been added specifically stating that. Also, UC Contacts no longer offer the Prime Pilgrimage Mission in error. We've fixed a ton of other things -- so check out the release notes for every detail. A huge thanks to everyone posting :D Some of these fixes are from threads in late 2018, so we're "cleaning up" as they say. If you enjoy the updates and the new content, please tell a friend and leave a review.
- Added new Bounty Hunter story vignette - the famous assassin Troy 'The Blade' Circin comes hunting with a Death Warrant - New unique story reward and weapon available - Removed proc gen conditions that reduce chances Contact would send story Bounty Hunter (instead of standard BH) - Adjusted rules so that only more powerful Contacts can afford to send story Bounty Hunters (no Spicetenders, etc) - Added "Travel and Hyperwarp" section to the Talent Manifest with a quick look at these Talent types - Surrendering to Pirates (looting) without cargo causes more Morale loss, surrendering with Trade Permit or Trade Alliance less - Corrected text formatter for Sniper's "Bullet Trace" Talent to clearly indicate that it removes enemy Buffs - Further increased Piercing % of all Sniper Rifles - Piercing hits now reduce Fortitude reduction to damage to 25% Fortitude (instead of 50% Fortitude) - Applied same strict sorting rules to Talents displayed in Ship Encounter, Draw and Victory to ensure does not change as they are used - Increased chance to learn Contact Trait once your Personal Rep with a Contact goes above 100 - Fixed bug with "Close Observation" and other Contact Trait discovery Talents - When a Contact can offer no more Introductions this fact is added to their service offering - Coalition Contacts will no longer give "Coalition Pilgrimage" mission in error - Ensured best ops ship component (Mechi-Reaper, Multi-Signal Array etc) is always used first in ops card games - Fixed bugs with Soldier Job at rank 29 and 30 - Fixed bug allowing Talents that increase price to run on story missions offered at $0 - Fixed bug allowing Templar Pirates to appear during Orbital Salvage operations - Fixed bug with E-Tech's "Signature Jammer" Talent sometimes firing when no Rep to reduce - Fixed bug preventing proper mousewheel scrolling in New Ship, New Craft and Drydock screens - Fixed story bug where Kaewall and Torca conversation would occur even if their mission is canceled
[ 2019-05-07 15:33:12 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #147 continues to release new and unique story bounty hunters onto the galaxy as well as improving balance, rules and logging across the game. For those aggressive captains making enemies, beware as a new famous assassin may come calling with your death warrant in hand. A huge thanks to everyone posting suggestions and issues -- this release includes a huge package of community-driven enhancements.
New Story Vignette: 'The Blade'
With Update #147, a second unique story Bounty Hunter may be sent after you by an enemy Contact. We've adjusted the rules on how, when and which Contacts can afford story bounty hunters with this release, simultaneously expanding and limiting the scope. We've restricted the type of Contacts who can hire such Hunters to those with a higher power position, so you won't see a Spicetender hiring Troy 'The Blade' Circin. On the other hand, we've improved the proc gen rules that allow these story Hunters to be hired, so you are more likely to see them in your games as we understand they were not appearing promptly for some captains. While I won't go into it any farther, the famous bladesman and assassin, Troy 'The Blade' Circin is now on the list of story Hunters who can be hired to exact deadly retribution justice. He comes along with an opportunity at unique story reward weapon.
Expanding Talent Manifest
We fixed a few bugs in the Talent Manifest and also added a new section dedicated to Travel and Hyperwarp that includes Meteor, Ion and Radiation storms, landing Talents and Jump Talents. We've got a great list of suggestions from players on this front and will keep working to add more here!
Disappointed Pirates
With Update #147 we've made some important changes to how looters handle your surrender in ship combat. There are 4 notable cases -- you've surrendered to a looter and are (1) covered by a Trade Alliance, (2) covered by your own Trade Permit, (3) have loot to steal or (4) have an empty cargo hold. Each case is now handled separately and has better weighted results. Surrendering with under a Trade Alliance or with a Permit results in far less Morale loss while surrendering with an empty cargo hold results in more as the frustrated looters take some of their anger out on your crew.
Crew Combat Balance
A few important changes to crew combat have bee included in Update #147. Fortitude has always played a large role in damage soak, reducing incoming damage by 50% of your Fortitude as a %. So, 20 Fortitude chopped 10% off all incoming damage. Now, if an attack is Piercing, your Fortitude reduction is cut down to 25%, so in the example you'd only reduce damage by 5%. Then of course, Armor is added to that to get the final soak %. We've fixed Sniper Talent "Bullet Trace" to make it clear that it removes enemy buffs. Now it looks even more appealing :D All Sniper Rifles have gained a small bump in Piercing %.
Contact Trait Talents
Unfortunately these Talents were broken recently. Now, they are all working again as of this release, including Talents like "Close Observation". On the Contact front, we've increased the chance to learn Contact Traits if you have more than 100 Personal Rep with a Contact. That close of a relationship, it is hard to hide anything. If a Contact has no more Introductions to give, a note has been added specifically stating that. Also, UC Contacts no longer offer the Prime Pilgrimage Mission in error. We've fixed a ton of other things -- so check out the release notes for every detail. A huge thanks to everyone posting :D Some of these fixes are from threads in late 2018, so we're "cleaning up" as they say. If you enjoy the updates and the new content, please tell a friend and leave a review.
v2.5.21 - 5/7/2019
- Added new Bounty Hunter story vignette - the famous assassin Troy 'The Blade' Circin comes hunting with a Death Warrant - New unique story reward and weapon available - Removed proc gen conditions that reduce chances Contact would send story Bounty Hunter (instead of standard BH) - Adjusted rules so that only more powerful Contacts can afford to send story Bounty Hunters (no Spicetenders, etc) - Added "Travel and Hyperwarp" section to the Talent Manifest with a quick look at these Talent types - Surrendering to Pirates (looting) without cargo causes more Morale loss, surrendering with Trade Permit or Trade Alliance less - Corrected text formatter for Sniper's "Bullet Trace" Talent to clearly indicate that it removes enemy Buffs - Further increased Piercing % of all Sniper Rifles - Piercing hits now reduce Fortitude reduction to damage to 25% Fortitude (instead of 50% Fortitude) - Applied same strict sorting rules to Talents displayed in Ship Encounter, Draw and Victory to ensure does not change as they are used - Increased chance to learn Contact Trait once your Personal Rep with a Contact goes above 100 - Fixed bug with "Close Observation" and other Contact Trait discovery Talents - When a Contact can offer no more Introductions this fact is added to their service offering - Coalition Contacts will no longer give "Coalition Pilgrimage" mission in error - Ensured best ops ship component (Mechi-Reaper, Multi-Signal Array etc) is always used first in ops card games - Fixed bugs with Soldier Job at rank 29 and 30 - Fixed bug allowing Talents that increase price to run on story missions offered at $0 - Fixed bug allowing Templar Pirates to appear during Orbital Salvage operations - Fixed bug with E-Tech's "Signature Jammer" Talent sometimes firing when no Rep to reduce - Fixed bug preventing proper mousewheel scrolling in New Ship, New Craft and Drydock screens - Fixed story bug where Kaewall and Torca conversation would occur even if their mission is canceled
Update #146: Famous Hunters
With Update #146, we've added two new female faces to your crew roster. You can see them above in our animation environment, getting ready to be loaded into the game.
The new Aurelius Hunter vignette launches with #146 and lays out a model for future Bounty Hunter stories to overlay on top of the existing Contact and Hunter simulation. First, we've improved the visibility of the spice hall news entries when a Contact does send a Bounty Hunter after you. These are now visible galaxy-wide, regardless of the quadrant you and the Contact are in. Second, it is possible that a Contact who hates you will hire out your Death Warrant to a famed Bounty Hunter! Beware of the heir to the Aurelius bloodline of Hunters, she may come knocking holding a death warrant with your name on it. While only Aureilus Hunter has been added at this time, this new type of story vignette opens up a bright (and dangerous) future for Contacts to be able to send other famed hunters after you to gain their revenge.
With Update #146, we've modified both the Bio-Poison and Smoke Bomb grenades to allow use from slot 2, making them better in line with other grenades a more versatile for their high Initiative cost. We've improved the missions to faction Prime worlds when they are assigned by another High Prince. We've also improved the logging about Contacts who are angered by your hostile missions, in addition to those directly affected.
We've made a few nice changes in Update #146. First up, a strict sorting is now applied to the Talent list in all card game ops, including Explorer, Salvage, etc. This means that Talent list will never suddenly re-order when you finish using one of the stacks. Second, Hyperwarp Jumps now include a short blurb about the readiness of your Navigation and Hyperwarp Jump efficiency Talents. You can see -- right before making the jump -- if you're covered. We've fixed a few issues with the new Talent Summary screen, fixed a bug that prevented Captain from training as a Wing Tech, and fixed a loophole that allowed you to escape hostile story military captains using the Stiff Salute Talent -- that was never intended! Thanks to everyone for leaving a review.
- Added 2 new character faces - Added new Bounty Hunter story vignette - heir to the Aurelius bloodline comes hunting with a Death Warrant - New unique Bounty Hunter storylines can start when Contacts with negative Rep send bounty hunters (instead of standard BH) - Improved visibility of Contacts sending standard BHs after your Captain, now always visible in any Spice Hall News, regardless of quadrant - Rebalanced Combat Medic "Bio-Poison Grenade" and Assassin "Smoke Bomb" to be used at slot 1 or 2 - Improved Mission type of diplomatic envoy to faction Prime world when given from a High Prince or Princess - Improved display of Contacts angered by your actions during missions - Improved faction of recruits for any United Coalition Contacts -- recruits are now of the local faction - Prevented any re-ordering of Talents between runs of card games (Explorer, Black Market, Orbital Ops) - Hyperwarp Jump now includes notice of readiness of Navigation Skill Save Talent as well as HW efficiency Talents - Fixed issue where "Stiff Salute" could be used to dodge story Bounty Hunters - Fixed issue where "Flash Charge" Talent was counted as "Skip Off the Void" in Talent Summary - Fixed issue that prevented Captain from training in the Wing Tech Job
[ 2019-05-03 04:13:49 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #146 starts to walk the path of the v2.5.x family of the development roadmap -- it will be story heavy, bringing all sorts of new tales, vignettes and Eras to the frontier. With Update #146, we've added new character faces, a new type of vignette focusing on an enemy Contact and their bounty hunters, improved the standard behavior of enemy Contacts who send bounty hunters, rebalanced Talents and Contact rules, made some quality of life changes to all card game operations and fixed some bugs to boot.
If you're enjoying the updates, please leave a review and tell a friend!
New Faces On Board
With Update #146, we've added two new female faces to your crew roster. You can see them above in our animation environment, getting ready to be loaded into the game.
Bounty Hunter Vignettes
The new Aurelius Hunter vignette launches with #146 and lays out a model for future Bounty Hunter stories to overlay on top of the existing Contact and Hunter simulation. First, we've improved the visibility of the spice hall news entries when a Contact does send a Bounty Hunter after you. These are now visible galaxy-wide, regardless of the quadrant you and the Contact are in. Second, it is possible that a Contact who hates you will hire out your Death Warrant to a famed Bounty Hunter! Beware of the heir to the Aurelius bloodline of Hunters, she may come knocking holding a death warrant with your name on it. While only Aureilus Hunter has been added at this time, this new type of story vignette opens up a bright (and dangerous) future for Contacts to be able to send other famed hunters after you to gain their revenge.
Balance
With Update #146, we've modified both the Bio-Poison and Smoke Bomb grenades to allow use from slot 2, making them better in line with other grenades a more versatile for their high Initiative cost. We've improved the missions to faction Prime worlds when they are assigned by another High Prince. We've also improved the logging about Contacts who are angered by your hostile missions, in addition to those directly affected.
Quality of Frontier Life
We've made a few nice changes in Update #146. First up, a strict sorting is now applied to the Talent list in all card game ops, including Explorer, Salvage, etc. This means that Talent list will never suddenly re-order when you finish using one of the stacks. Second, Hyperwarp Jumps now include a short blurb about the readiness of your Navigation and Hyperwarp Jump efficiency Talents. You can see -- right before making the jump -- if you're covered. We've fixed a few issues with the new Talent Summary screen, fixed a bug that prevented Captain from training as a Wing Tech, and fixed a loophole that allowed you to escape hostile story military captains using the Stiff Salute Talent -- that was never intended! Thanks to everyone for leaving a review.
v2.5.19 - 5/2/2019
- Added 2 new character faces - Added new Bounty Hunter story vignette - heir to the Aurelius bloodline comes hunting with a Death Warrant - New unique Bounty Hunter storylines can start when Contacts with negative Rep send bounty hunters (instead of standard BH) - Improved visibility of Contacts sending standard BHs after your Captain, now always visible in any Spice Hall News, regardless of quadrant - Rebalanced Combat Medic "Bio-Poison Grenade" and Assassin "Smoke Bomb" to be used at slot 1 or 2 - Improved Mission type of diplomatic envoy to faction Prime world when given from a High Prince or Princess - Improved display of Contacts angered by your actions during missions - Improved faction of recruits for any United Coalition Contacts -- recruits are now of the local faction - Prevented any re-ordering of Talents between runs of card games (Explorer, Black Market, Orbital Ops) - Hyperwarp Jump now includes notice of readiness of Navigation Skill Save Talent as well as HW efficiency Talents - Fixed issue where "Stiff Salute" could be used to dodge story Bounty Hunters - Fixed issue where "Flash Charge" Talent was counted as "Skip Off the Void" in Talent Summary - Fixed issue that prevented Captain from training in the Wing Tech Job
Update #145: Commanding Eye
The Talent Manifest can be accessed from the crew list and provides a quick way to see many of the major Talent groups within your crew, the number of Talents you have in these groups and whether or not they are on cooldown. As seen above, the first major group is Skill Saving Talents which covers the 12 Skill Saving Talent types. In that screenshot, you can see a starting Captain with 3/3 Electronics Skill Saves (3 Talents ready, none on cooldown) as well as 0/1 Command Skill Saves (1 Talent on cooldown, none ready) and no Tactics Skill Save Talents. The same pattern is repeat for the second most important Talent group, Encounter Talents, listing the different Talents at ready to help manage encounters with Pirates, Military Officers, Bounty Hunters or any type of captain. Then the list moves down to Crew and Starport management from there. This new Talent Manifest gives you a quick way to check your crew and Talent setup at any time -- at the start of the game, when leveling or after losing a few crew for any reason. We've added the first 4 major groupings and will be excited to hear suggestions from players about other ones we should include.
We've made 2 changes to the Interdictor defense plans, both in their benefit. First, Interdictors only leap to action when a torpedo or missile is going to directly hit their capital ship. This changes the order of logic and prevents them from wasting their block against a potential miss. This does mean that sometimes Interdictors will sit idle during a turn if the enemy ship is firing wildly. Paired with this, we've ensured that Interdictors will land at the expiration of their flight plan. In some situations (if the capital ship closed range after launching them), they would simply stay launched all battle.
We've improved the handling of Alliances and Trade Alliances during the Patrol orbital op. These will now be far more interested to hunt, as you will gain a small Rep bonus with the other faction in the Alliance or Trade Alliance. We've fixed the bug where this could cause a loss of a Permit and now added a very awesome incentive to Patrol on Alliances.
With the May Community Challenge on to go from a small ship to a 8000 Mass plus ship with only a Prize Ship Talent, we've done some work to improve the description of Prize Ship Talents to make sure their limitations are know. Also, as always check the right hand bar of the Talent screen to see all of a Talent's rules. We've fixed a bug where the Zuden Techno Trade Concords were accidentally adding an Objective called "Grounded Star Trader." If you have it, just pick Actions > Cancel Mission to make it go away. Finally, we've added Rare Trade Goods and the sale of weapons/armor/gear to the new game contact summary screen. If you're enjoying the upgrades, please leave a review and tell a friend!
- Added new Talent Manifest which gives a summary of your crew's most important Talents, whether they have them or not and their cooldown status - Quickly check your Skill Saving Talents, Ship Encounter Talents, Crew Management Talents and Starport Talents from the new Talent Manifest - Talent Manifest is available from Crew List, next to Trait List - Improved Interdictor torp and missile defense to be able to ignore misses, only blocks attacks that truly hit - Fixed issue where Interdictors on defense flight plans with nothing to block would stay launched forever - Improved handing of Alliance and Trade Alliance Conflicts during Patrol - patrolling can now grant small Rep bonuses with other faction during these Conflict types - Improved description of all Prize Ship Talents to be more clear about special requirements (limited ship types by Conflicts, Rank, Edict) - Fixed issue where Rychart Spice Hall (restores up to 90 Morale) and Ill-Tempered Trait (max 80 Morale) caused an everlasting spicing loop - Fixed bug where Zuden Techno Trade Concord was adding an objective for "Grounded Star Trader" incorrectly - Added Rare Trade Goods and Weapon/Armor/Gear Sales to Contact selection summary in new game template - Fixed issue where starport prevent Hangar upgrade when at max craft count
[ 2019-04-28 19:58:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #144 we unleashed the trained military eye of the Star Trader captain to gain comparison details against any other ship met in the void. With Update #145, we're turning to the captains' seasoned and veteran Commanding Eye. With a glance over the crew, the captain can see what Talents are missing, what is needed and where the risks are. Update #145 adds a major new screen, the Talent Manifest as well as improving Interdictor logic for defense plans, fixing Alliances in Patrol, the endless spice vaccum that was Ill-Tempered crew at Rychart Spice Halls and improving new game contact summary.
The Talent Manifest
The Talent Manifest can be accessed from the crew list and provides a quick way to see many of the major Talent groups within your crew, the number of Talents you have in these groups and whether or not they are on cooldown. As seen above, the first major group is Skill Saving Talents which covers the 12 Skill Saving Talent types. In that screenshot, you can see a starting Captain with 3/3 Electronics Skill Saves (3 Talents ready, none on cooldown) as well as 0/1 Command Skill Saves (1 Talent on cooldown, none ready) and no Tactics Skill Save Talents. The same pattern is repeat for the second most important Talent group, Encounter Talents, listing the different Talents at ready to help manage encounters with Pirates, Military Officers, Bounty Hunters or any type of captain. Then the list moves down to Crew and Starport management from there. This new Talent Manifest gives you a quick way to check your crew and Talent setup at any time -- at the start of the game, when leveling or after losing a few crew for any reason. We've added the first 4 major groupings and will be excited to hear suggestions from players about other ones we should include.
Interdictor Defense
We've made 2 changes to the Interdictor defense plans, both in their benefit. First, Interdictors only leap to action when a torpedo or missile is going to directly hit their capital ship. This changes the order of logic and prevents them from wasting their block against a potential miss. This does mean that sometimes Interdictors will sit idle during a turn if the enemy ship is firing wildly. Paired with this, we've ensured that Interdictors will land at the expiration of their flight plan. In some situations (if the capital ship closed range after launching them), they would simply stay launched all battle.
Alliances and Patrol
We've improved the handling of Alliances and Trade Alliances during the Patrol orbital op. These will now be far more interested to hunt, as you will gain a small Rep bonus with the other faction in the Alliance or Trade Alliance. We've fixed the bug where this could cause a loss of a Permit and now added a very awesome incentive to Patrol on Alliances.
Prize Ship Talents
With the May Community Challenge on to go from a small ship to a 8000 Mass plus ship with only a Prize Ship Talent, we've done some work to improve the description of Prize Ship Talents to make sure their limitations are know. Also, as always check the right hand bar of the Talent screen to see all of a Talent's rules. We've fixed a bug where the Zuden Techno Trade Concords were accidentally adding an Objective called "Grounded Star Trader." If you have it, just pick Actions > Cancel Mission to make it go away. Finally, we've added Rare Trade Goods and the sale of weapons/armor/gear to the new game contact summary screen. If you're enjoying the upgrades, please leave a review and tell a friend!
v2.5.17 - 4/28/2019
- Added new Talent Manifest which gives a summary of your crew's most important Talents, whether they have them or not and their cooldown status - Quickly check your Skill Saving Talents, Ship Encounter Talents, Crew Management Talents and Starport Talents from the new Talent Manifest - Talent Manifest is available from Crew List, next to Trait List - Improved Interdictor torp and missile defense to be able to ignore misses, only blocks attacks that truly hit - Fixed issue where Interdictors on defense flight plans with nothing to block would stay launched forever - Improved handing of Alliance and Trade Alliance Conflicts during Patrol - patrolling can now grant small Rep bonuses with other faction during these Conflict types - Improved description of all Prize Ship Talents to be more clear about special requirements (limited ship types by Conflicts, Rank, Edict) - Fixed issue where Rychart Spice Hall (restores up to 90 Morale) and Ill-Tempered Trait (max 80 Morale) caused an everlasting spicing loop - Fixed bug where Zuden Techno Trade Concord was adding an objective for "Grounded Star Trader" incorrectly - Added Rare Trade Goods and Weapon/Armor/Gear Sales to Contact selection summary in new game template - Fixed issue where starport prevent Hangar upgrade when at max craft count
Update #144: Militant Eye
With Update #144, whenever you encounter a ship in the void you now have easy access to a comparison of your ship versus the enemy. Check the "Ship Report" tab (as shown at the top) to see the run down comparison between the two ships on accuracy, defense, range change, chance to escape, boarding as well as Speed and Agility. A veteran of the void who has seen a thousand ships, even a peaceful Star Trader can gain this quick comparison between two ships with a careful read of the arc scanners. In addition, this comparison is available mid-battle by hovering over the enemy ship. It updates constantly with the trade of ship weaponry fire and perhaps swings most dramatically with the application of buffs, debuffs and crippling effects.
Above and beyond the comparison with the enemy ship, we've also made the exact dice pools for every ship operation -- attack, defense, range change, escape attempt and boarding -- clearly visible with their totals, broken out stats and Skills that contribute to those totals as well as all applicable bonuses percentages. Hover over your own ship for a wealth of information which also updates with every shot, buff or debuff mid combat!
With this release, we've addressed a gap in the Interdictor support. Their defensive flight plans now include a Buff for either your capital ship or for any launched craft. Each plan's buff is fired as they launch so therefore affects the Interdictor itself if it is a craft buff. With 3 new options now available, you can improve your ship's defense or your launched crafts' offense or defense. Launch more than one defensive Interdictor and watch the buffs stack! Like their cousins the bombers, Interdictors provide another path to use more Talents a turn than you can without craft.
If you are salvaging at orbitals, you may discover one of the 4 new high level gear pieces designed for wing specialist pilots. These new gear can only be retrieved from the orbital operations mini-game, so go hunting!
We've adjust all Contacts who give military missions to do less passenger and diplomatic missions and focus more on kill, capture, destroy. We've rebalanced how Contact Traits affect Faction Reputation weighting and ensured that they stack properly. We've improved the value of all Ion and Radiation Storm Talents -- they can even further mitigate damage. We've shorted the cooldown for Explorer's "Tag the Beast" by 50%. A number of craft-related Talents -- Knock from the Void, Ransom Escort -- have been fixed. Also, craft bonus logging was broken and all bonuses from Buffs were not appearing in the logs. They are now! It's a big one, so check the rest of the release notes for other details!
- Rebuilt tooltips for capital ships in ship combat to include wealth of additional valuable information - Hovering over your own ship now displays all important ship dice pools (accuracy, defense, range change, escape, boarding) - Hovering over the enemy ship now provides a comparison between all important dice pools as to whether or not the enemy outclasses you - During a ship encounter, check the "Ship Report" for your preliminary comparison between your ship and the enemy's - Interdictor defensive launch plans "Aegis Pattern", "Screening Swarm" and "Tip of the Spear" correctly apply buffs to ship and friendly craft at launch - Added 4 new Relic Gear types to Orbital Salvage operations for wing specialists - Adjusted balance for all Contacts who give Military Missions, will be more patrol, blockade, violence and less passengers - Improved Contact Traits that change weight of Faction Rep in Effective Rep -- now stack correctly (Well Connected +10% and Warhawk +50% = +60%) - Resolved bugs with Zunden Techno Trade Concord dialog not appearing in some games - Craft accrued Maintenance Points are now displayed alongside damage (+1 MP) - Improved effectiveness of Talents that mitigate damage from Radiation and Ion Storms - Fixed bug where bombers and interdictors were not applying Crippling Effects when attacking - Fixed bug where "Knock from the Void" was used by the AI but did not ground a craft - Fixed Wing Leader "Long Patrol" Talent and "Ransom Escort" - Fixed issues with Craft bonuses not being included in ship combat logging - Reduced cooldown of Explorer's "Tag the Beast" to 9 weeks from 18 weeks - Fixed level inconsistencies when recruiting some Jobs from Contacts with bonuses
[ 2019-04-26 01:13:52 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #144 unleashes the trained and military eye of the Star Trader captain when staring down an enemy ship in the void -- granting both new comparative details between your ship and the enemies as well as highly detailed specs on your own dice pools. In addition, we've enhanced all 3 of the Interdictor defensive launch plans to include a buff as the craft come out of the launch bays, added 4 new wing specialist gear to the Salvage mini-game, rebalanced Ion and Radiation Storm Talents and fixed a whole host of reported issues.
It's Update #144 and its a big one! Let's go!
Ship Comparison and Exact Stats
With Update #144, whenever you encounter a ship in the void you now have easy access to a comparison of your ship versus the enemy. Check the "Ship Report" tab (as shown at the top) to see the run down comparison between the two ships on accuracy, defense, range change, chance to escape, boarding as well as Speed and Agility. A veteran of the void who has seen a thousand ships, even a peaceful Star Trader can gain this quick comparison between two ships with a careful read of the arc scanners. In addition, this comparison is available mid-battle by hovering over the enemy ship. It updates constantly with the trade of ship weaponry fire and perhaps swings most dramatically with the application of buffs, debuffs and crippling effects.
Above and beyond the comparison with the enemy ship, we've also made the exact dice pools for every ship operation -- attack, defense, range change, escape attempt and boarding -- clearly visible with their totals, broken out stats and Skills that contribute to those totals as well as all applicable bonuses percentages. Hover over your own ship for a wealth of information which also updates with every shot, buff or debuff mid combat!
Interdictors Launch!
With this release, we've addressed a gap in the Interdictor support. Their defensive flight plans now include a Buff for either your capital ship or for any launched craft. Each plan's buff is fired as they launch so therefore affects the Interdictor itself if it is a craft buff. With 3 new options now available, you can improve your ship's defense or your launched crafts' offense or defense. Launch more than one defensive Interdictor and watch the buffs stack! Like their cousins the bombers, Interdictors provide another path to use more Talents a turn than you can without craft.
Orbital Relics
If you are salvaging at orbitals, you may discover one of the 4 new high level gear pieces designed for wing specialist pilots. These new gear can only be retrieved from the orbital operations mini-game, so go hunting!
All the Balances
We've adjust all Contacts who give military missions to do less passenger and diplomatic missions and focus more on kill, capture, destroy. We've rebalanced how Contact Traits affect Faction Reputation weighting and ensured that they stack properly. We've improved the value of all Ion and Radiation Storm Talents -- they can even further mitigate damage. We've shorted the cooldown for Explorer's "Tag the Beast" by 50%. A number of craft-related Talents -- Knock from the Void, Ransom Escort -- have been fixed. Also, craft bonus logging was broken and all bonuses from Buffs were not appearing in the logs. They are now! It's a big one, so check the rest of the release notes for other details!
v2.5.13 - 4/25/2019
- Rebuilt tooltips for capital ships in ship combat to include wealth of additional valuable information - Hovering over your own ship now displays all important ship dice pools (accuracy, defense, range change, escape, boarding) - Hovering over the enemy ship now provides a comparison between all important dice pools as to whether or not the enemy outclasses you - During a ship encounter, check the "Ship Report" for your preliminary comparison between your ship and the enemy's - Interdictor defensive launch plans "Aegis Pattern", "Screening Swarm" and "Tip of the Spear" correctly apply buffs to ship and friendly craft at launch - Added 4 new Relic Gear types to Orbital Salvage operations for wing specialists - Adjusted balance for all Contacts who give Military Missions, will be more patrol, blockade, violence and less passengers - Improved Contact Traits that change weight of Faction Rep in Effective Rep -- now stack correctly (Well Connected +10% and Warhawk +50% = +60%) - Resolved bugs with Zunden Techno Trade Concord dialog not appearing in some games - Craft accrued Maintenance Points are now displayed alongside damage (+1 MP) - Improved effectiveness of Talents that mitigate damage from Radiation and Ion Storms - Fixed bug where bombers and interdictors were not applying Crippling Effects when attacking - Fixed bug where "Knock from the Void" was used by the AI but did not ground a craft - Fixed Wing Leader "Long Patrol" Talent and "Ransom Escort" - Fixed issues with Craft bonuses not being included in ship combat logging - Reduced cooldown of Explorer's "Tag the Beast" to 9 weeks from 18 weeks - Fixed level inconsistencies when recruiting some Jobs from Contacts with bonuses
Update #143: Spare No Expense
Many of the craft-focused Contacts are now offering a new service -- selling gear specifically for your wing pilots. With slick bonuses to your Hit Chance and Evasion these new gear options are perfect for any officer who is risking it all by piloting a craft. You can find the new gear under the Contacts > Gear Filter as well as just seeking out Contacts like Squadron Mechanic, Flight Academy Officers or Provost or Naval Recruiters. More options will be coming over time, and it's also rumored across the spice hall that other unique wing specialist gear may have been seen in future Salvage cards.
With INTERDICTION now a week behind us, we're still cleaning up some issues before we release the enemy craft AIs. A huge thanks goes out to everyone who has sent in crash reports and posted to the forums. We had a spike in stability issues right after INTERDICTION and we are excited to see that the crash counts have almost returned to pre-craft levels now! This release will help even more. We've fixed a crash with the Wing Bomber's Ruthless Destruction Talent. We've also fixed an issue that was causing Ransom Escort not to work in ship combat victory. Finally, with help from @veyer we've tracked down a sneaky bug that was causing Wing Commando boarding victory Talents not to appear as options sometimes. We've also resolved some issues with the faction of the enemies you fight in the Black Market. The security forces are now correctly factioned. In ship component land, we've fixed the install time on Interlocking Sensor Matrix 4. We've improved the combat log entries about closing in, retreating and attempting to escape so that they are more clear about which direction your ship is heading. We've included a third summary line at times to help make the results as clear as possible. Thanks to everyone leaving a review!
- Added new Contact service to sell "Wing Specialist Gear" -- see your Squadron Mechanic, Flight Academy Contacts, Naval Recruiters - Now for sale, 7 types of Gear ranging from level 1 to 6 to improve your ace wing pilots - Fixed Black Market cards for Faction Security providing Indie enemies, now correct local faction - Fixed crash when using Wing Bomber's "Ruthless Destruction" Talent - Fixed issue with Wing Commando "Long Range Support" Talent needing an Interdictor instead of a shuttle - Fixed issue with Wing Commando boarding victory Talents not appearing in some crew-craft setups - Adjusted text in ship combat log to differentiate between attempted range changes and escapes - Clarified rules about Trade Permits preventing looting from faction pirates - Fixed install time on Interlocking Sensor Matrix 4
[ 2019-04-23 02:42:54 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #143 comes screaming out of the gate with a new Contact service, new types of gear, balance changes, craft Talent fixes and improvements to the ship combat log.
We also want to extend a huge welcome to all the new captains who joined us last week. We've met some of you on the Steam forums and look forward to hearing from more of you. If you're enjoying the game and the pace of updates, please tell a friend and leave a review!
Wing Specialist Gear
Many of the craft-focused Contacts are now offering a new service -- selling gear specifically for your wing pilots. With slick bonuses to your Hit Chance and Evasion these new gear options are perfect for any officer who is risking it all by piloting a craft. You can find the new gear under the Contacts > Gear Filter as well as just seeking out Contacts like Squadron Mechanic, Flight Academy Officers or Provost or Naval Recruiters. More options will be coming over time, and it's also rumored across the spice hall that other unique wing specialist gear may have been seen in future Salvage cards.
Balance, Talents and More
With INTERDICTION now a week behind us, we're still cleaning up some issues before we release the enemy craft AIs. A huge thanks goes out to everyone who has sent in crash reports and posted to the forums. We had a spike in stability issues right after INTERDICTION and we are excited to see that the crash counts have almost returned to pre-craft levels now! This release will help even more. We've fixed a crash with the Wing Bomber's Ruthless Destruction Talent. We've also fixed an issue that was causing Ransom Escort not to work in ship combat victory. Finally, with help from @veyer we've tracked down a sneaky bug that was causing Wing Commando boarding victory Talents not to appear as options sometimes. We've also resolved some issues with the faction of the enemies you fight in the Black Market. The security forces are now correctly factioned. In ship component land, we've fixed the install time on Interlocking Sensor Matrix 4. We've improved the combat log entries about closing in, retreating and attempting to escape so that they are more clear about which direction your ship is heading. We've included a third summary line at times to help make the results as clear as possible. Thanks to everyone leaving a review!
v2.5.11 - 4/22/2019
- Added new Contact service to sell "Wing Specialist Gear" -- see your Squadron Mechanic, Flight Academy Contacts, Naval Recruiters - Now for sale, 7 types of Gear ranging from level 1 to 6 to improve your ace wing pilots - Fixed Black Market cards for Faction Security providing Indie enemies, now correct local faction - Fixed crash when using Wing Bomber's "Ruthless Destruction" Talent - Fixed issue with Wing Commando "Long Range Support" Talent needing an Interdictor instead of a shuttle - Fixed issue with Wing Commando boarding victory Talents not appearing in some crew-craft setups - Adjusted text in ship combat log to differentiate between attempted range changes and escapes - Clarified rules about Trade Permits preventing looting from faction pirates - Fixed install time on Interlocking Sensor Matrix 4
Update #142: Zuden Concord
We've been working toward this exciting breaking point for a long time. With Update #142, any story event can now impact the availability of ship components and craft. With this update, we've only linked a single story to a single set of new craft, but the possibilities here are clearly very exciting and near endless. New Eras can usher in new advanced components, new story arcs can result in Faction's being able to sell advanced weaponry and more. The ability for the Era and Story system to push the dynamics of the galaxy, as well as your captains ability to have a hand in that, have never been stronger. For Update #142, the Triple Alliance story event is a quick and interest event that will take place sometime after the Second Founding. It's presents potential for profit for some types of captains as well as the arrival of grade 6 Craft with one new Interdictor, Bomber and Shuttle. You'll be hearing a lot more about these types of Era and Story driven availability types in releases to come!
The Strikecarrier is a fast attack craft optimized for deploying boarding shuttles. Minimally appointed for trading and non-combat patrols, the Strikecarrier is popular with Pirates and Bounty Hunters who want to bring the fight directly to the enemy, often and early. While it lacks Armor to support long engagements and trading pounding barrages of ship weapons, the Strikecarrier is suited for quick wins, devastating boarding runs, and keeping the enemy heavily debuffed.
With Update #142, we've made a few other big changes to the combat and craft meta. To help players who are launching multiple Shuttles a round, we've changed the rules so that only one Shuttle will attempt to board a round. This prevents multiple Shuttles from jamming and resulting in a single boarding, and instead lets you stack Shuttles who will board turn-after-turn. With all the changes to Electronics place in the ship combat meta, it was only a matter of time before we rebalanced the pricing for Electronics heavy components, including Signature Damper and Sensor Array. In preparation for the AI's carriers and to help the AI better fight off your carriers, we've improved components like Targeting Matrix to include a bonus to hitting craft. We've also rebuilt the rules around the cost to repair craft, ensuring that hte cost never exceeds the base cost of purchasing the craft itself.
- New Ship: Strikecarrier (Mass 5000, Fast Attack Carrier) - Enhanced story and era system to be able to release new technology, ship components and craft based on story events - Added new story event, the "Triple Alliance" which releases craft grade 6 - Added 3 new grade 6 craft - the Faulker D5 (De Valtos), Red Lion Mk2 (Thulun) and Whiteknife Ultra (Rychart) - Improved handling of turns where multiple Shuttle craft are waiting to board, now the second Shuttle will wait and board on next turn - Rebalanced Ship Component Pricing for Electronics heavy components, including Sig Damper, Sensor Array - Rebalanced some Ship Components to include bonuses to hit enemy craft, including Targeting Matrix set - Rebalanced and reduce repair cost for all craft - Added New Rule: Craft Repair cost cannot exceed Craft Cost - Fixed bug with Combat Medic "Flatline" Talent which removed characters' Buffs - Improved card rendering for a number of Salvage and Spy cards - Fixed reported crashes, text issues, typos and minor bugs (thanks, Steam Discussion Forum!)
[ 2019-04-18 19:40:43 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #142 introduces a new lighter carrier build and a very exciting and very powerful enhancement to the Era and story system -- story events of all kinds are now capable of unleashing new ship component upgrades and craft into the galaxy. And with that, grade 6 Craft can become available in all captain's games with the new "Triple Alliance" story event. We've also made some more balance changes to craft, started adjusting more standard ship component prices and stats for the new post-craft era.
If you're enjoying the pace of updates, new content and big changes, please tell a friend and leave a review!
Without further delay, lets look in detail!
The Story Behind Grade 6 Craft
We've been working toward this exciting breaking point for a long time. With Update #142, any story event can now impact the availability of ship components and craft. With this update, we've only linked a single story to a single set of new craft, but the possibilities here are clearly very exciting and near endless. New Eras can usher in new advanced components, new story arcs can result in Faction's being able to sell advanced weaponry and more. The ability for the Era and Story system to push the dynamics of the galaxy, as well as your captains ability to have a hand in that, have never been stronger. For Update #142, the Triple Alliance story event is a quick and interest event that will take place sometime after the Second Founding. It's presents potential for profit for some types of captains as well as the arrival of grade 6 Craft with one new Interdictor, Bomber and Shuttle. You'll be hearing a lot more about these types of Era and Story driven availability types in releases to come!
Strikecarrier
The Strikecarrier is a fast attack craft optimized for deploying boarding shuttles. Minimally appointed for trading and non-combat patrols, the Strikecarrier is popular with Pirates and Bounty Hunters who want to bring the fight directly to the enemy, often and early. While it lacks Armor to support long engagements and trading pounding barrages of ship weapons, the Strikecarrier is suited for quick wins, devastating boarding runs, and keeping the enemy heavily debuffed.
Combat and Craft Balance
With Update #142, we've made a few other big changes to the combat and craft meta. To help players who are launching multiple Shuttles a round, we've changed the rules so that only one Shuttle will attempt to board a round. This prevents multiple Shuttles from jamming and resulting in a single boarding, and instead lets you stack Shuttles who will board turn-after-turn. With all the changes to Electronics place in the ship combat meta, it was only a matter of time before we rebalanced the pricing for Electronics heavy components, including Signature Damper and Sensor Array. In preparation for the AI's carriers and to help the AI better fight off your carriers, we've improved components like Targeting Matrix to include a bonus to hitting craft. We've also rebuilt the rules around the cost to repair craft, ensuring that hte cost never exceeds the base cost of purchasing the craft itself.
v2.5.7 - 4/18/2019
- New Ship: Strikecarrier (Mass 5000, Fast Attack Carrier) - Enhanced story and era system to be able to release new technology, ship components and craft based on story events - Added new story event, the "Triple Alliance" which releases craft grade 6 - Added 3 new grade 6 craft - the Faulker D5 (De Valtos), Red Lion Mk2 (Thulun) and Whiteknife Ultra (Rychart) - Improved handling of turns where multiple Shuttle craft are waiting to board, now the second Shuttle will wait and board on next turn - Rebalanced Ship Component Pricing for Electronics heavy components, including Sig Damper, Sensor Array - Rebalanced some Ship Components to include bonuses to hit enemy craft, including Targeting Matrix set - Rebalanced and reduce repair cost for all craft - Added New Rule: Craft Repair cost cannot exceed Craft Cost - Fixed bug with Combat Medic "Flatline" Talent which removed characters' Buffs - Improved card rendering for a number of Salvage and Spy cards - Fixed reported crashes, text issues, typos and minor bugs (thanks, Steam Discussion Forum!)
Daily Deal - Star Traders: Frontiers, 30% Off
[ 2019-04-17 17:15:00 CET ] [ Original post ]
Today's Deal: Save 30% on Star Traders: Frontiers!*
Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!
*Offer ends Friday at 10AM Pacific Time
Update #141: Launch All Wings!
With Update #141, we've introduced a wide variety of different craft visuals for shuttles, interdictors and carriers. On the component side, we've fixed the missing +Armor bonus of Reinforced Hangars. We've also fixed all the reported crashes that came in, so please keep reporting and posting any bugs you find. We've added a protection against launching too many craft at a time on your side (4 max), fixed crashes when attempting to assign pilots and crashes that could sometimes happen when a craft was destroyed in ship battle. Also, we addressed the issue where sometimes "No Pilot" was being incorrectly shown in the Crafts tab of Ship Combat. Also, a laundry list of Wing Tech, Leader and Bomber Talents all had cooldowns that needed tweaking or fixing. The Wing Commando "Knifework" Talent has been increased to 12 Initiative.
The Wolf Vector launches as an all new Mass 3400 option for those who demand extreme range from their spaceship. Optimized for fuel storage and speed, the Wolf Vector is perfect for a faction's high-value couriers and passengers ships. Sometimes outfitted as a secure luxury cruising yacht this craft is popular among Star Traders who appreciate a fast engine and only refueling rarely. This ship is a variation of a design found in a player's saved game, submitted to our team. Cory played the game, fell in love with the design and modified it to create the Wolf Vector.
- Added variation of craft art for interdictors, bombers and shuttles - Increased large, medium and small slot counts for Mace, Basalt and Harbinger Carrier ships (newly purchased) - Added missing bonus to armor for Reinforced Hangar Bay - Improved handling of mission failure in friendly territory - Fixed Talent cooldowns on Wing Bomber's "Synchronized Strikes", Wing Leader's "Ransom Escort", Wing Tech's "Rapid Refurb", "Sharp Wing" and "Emergency Grounding" - Increased Initiative cost of Knifework to 12 - Fixed logging with craft combat and wing pilot Trait bonuses - Fixed crash when attempting to assign a craft no pilot - Fixed crash when attempting to launch 5 craft in the same turn - Fixed infrequent crash when craft was destroyed - Fixed bug where "No Pilot" warning was incorrectly being shown for some craft in ship combat
[ 2019-04-17 02:38:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
It feels very good to have come leaping over the INTERDICTOR milestone and finally be back to regular order -- constant, relentless improvement, new features and content. We dropped 2 hotfixes yesterday to address important issues with carriers and craft but now we're back to updates. Update #141 releases a wave of new awesome art for the craft you can get and starts showing off Faction-specific styles. It also adds a new Mass 3400 ship that isn't a carrier, rebalances and increases the counts of slots on the Basalt, Fallen and Harbinger Carriers. Finally, alongside the new art and content, we've got a raft of small balance changes to Talent cooldowns, Initiative costs, handling of missions in friendly territory, and more.
If you're just seeing this update, you should first check out Update #140 for the news of the major milestone INTERDICTION that introduces and details craft -- interdictors, bombers and shuttles!
https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/3464866264432530978
On to the details!
New Craft Art and Fixes
With Update #141, we've introduced a wide variety of different craft visuals for shuttles, interdictors and carriers. On the component side, we've fixed the missing +Armor bonus of Reinforced Hangars. We've also fixed all the reported crashes that came in, so please keep reporting and posting any bugs you find. We've added a protection against launching too many craft at a time on your side (4 max), fixed crashes when attempting to assign pilots and crashes that could sometimes happen when a craft was destroyed in ship battle. Also, we addressed the issue where sometimes "No Pilot" was being incorrectly shown in the Crafts tab of Ship Combat. Also, a laundry list of Wing Tech, Leader and Bomber Talents all had cooldowns that needed tweaking or fixing. The Wing Commando "Knifework" Talent has been increased to 12 Initiative.
Wolf Vector
The Wolf Vector launches as an all new Mass 3400 option for those who demand extreme range from their spaceship. Optimized for fuel storage and speed, the Wolf Vector is perfect for a faction's high-value couriers and passengers ships. Sometimes outfitted as a secure luxury cruising yacht this craft is popular among Star Traders who appreciate a fast engine and only refueling rarely. This ship is a variation of a design found in a player's saved game, submitted to our team. Cory played the game, fell in love with the design and modified it to create the Wolf Vector.
v2.5.5 - 4/16/2019
- Added variation of craft art for interdictors, bombers and shuttles - Increased large, medium and small slot counts for Mace, Basalt and Harbinger Carrier ships (newly purchased) - Added missing bonus to armor for Reinforced Hangar Bay - Improved handling of mission failure in friendly territory - Fixed Talent cooldowns on Wing Bomber's "Synchronized Strikes", Wing Leader's "Ransom Escort", Wing Tech's "Rapid Refurb", "Sharp Wing" and "Emergency Grounding" - Increased Initiative cost of Knifework to 12 - Fixed logging with craft combat and wing pilot Trait bonuses - Fixed crash when attempting to assign a craft no pilot - Fixed crash when attempting to launch 5 craft in the same turn - Fixed infrequent crash when craft was destroyed - Fixed bug where "No Pilot" warning was incorrectly being shown for some craft in ship combat
Update #140: Major Milestone "INTERDICTION"
The INTERDICTION milestone completes the 4 major goals we had for the 2.4.x development group. The tombstone will read that they were awesome features -- RELIC, TERROX, the Xeno Hunter and finally INTERDICTION. With the feature-heavy 2.4.x family behind us, we're turning our attention to story-heavy 2.5.x family next. Stay tuned for more eras, more story arcs, recurring characters and major shifts in the story that will ripple across the galaxy. To see more detail about what is coming next, check out our development roadmap which details the next major features and content expansions as well as our on-going content expansion initiatives.
The major carrier and craft expansion only adds to the game -- it introduces new ways to play, new utility Talents, new combat strategies, new jobs and exciting ship builds to explore. However, it does not reset the bar for the best builds nor invalidate any of the awesome builds out there. It fits hand and glove with the existing game as a new way to play. Carriers and craft are new mid to late-game content due to their cost of craft and requirement for skilled specialist pilots. Building and maintaining a fleet of bombers, inderdictors and shuttles will require a bank roll to support the additional investment, helpful Contacts, extra repair cost and possibility of a total craft loss. You can either purchase one of the three new carrier ships -- the Fallen, the Basalt or the Harbinger -- or convert your ship to a carrier. A carrier is defined by having at least one launch bay (large slot) and one hangar for a craft. You can install additional hanger (medium slot) components to increase the number of craft you can field at any given time. There are no starting carrier ships as the cost of operating a wing fleet is beyond a starting captain. Craft come in 3 varieties -- bombers, interdictors and shuttles. Each requires a specialist Wing job as a pilot. You can assign pilots when purchasing new craft or from your ship status screen. Once assigned, a wing specialist is always ready to launch their craft. A Wing Commando flies shuttles and brings extremely powerful boarding victory Talents and debuffs to bear. A Wing Leader flies interdictors and can employ both powerful defensive flight plans as well as offensive flight plans to drop big buffs. Wing Bombers fly bombers to deal devastating damage and drop massive debuffs on the enemey. Most of the Wing Commando, Wing Leader or Wing Bomber Talents require that the pilot is assigned to a craft in order to be used. The most important type of new Talent for the wing specialists are the Flight Plan Talents, which define the series of actions a craft will take during ship combat. An Interdictor might use a defensive Flight Plan which will position their craft near the carrier and intercept and shoot down incoming torpedoes or missiles.
A bomber's flight plan will embark on a multi-turn bombing run to drop ordnance on the enemy capital ship, a risky maneuver as you get so close to their autocannon fire. Interdictors can also engage in multi-turn attack runs. Shuttles on the other hand use flight plans that result in a boarding run, even if your carrier ship is hanging at range 5. Your craft and their pilots are at risk once they launch into the void. Relying on their Evasion Chance % to dodge incoming fire, they can take hull and health damage independently and die out there. Whenever a capital ship fires a weapon, it has a Craft Hit Chance %, indicating whether it will also tag one launched craft. Therefore, by firing weapons, you're automatically targeting enemy craft. In the case of autocannons, once a craft has closed with your ship and is close-in, you can fire autocannons specifically at the enemy craft. These new challenges may demand that some captains reconsider how their ships are built out to be able to defend against enemy craft, considering adding an autocannon or adjusting some of their weapon choices to ensure they have some high accuracy weapons against craft. As always, the INTERDICTION major milestone does NOT require new saved games. It will not invalidate saved games. We never invalidate saved games, full stop. Recruit a wing specialist, upgrade your ship, start a wing fleet. Wing Specialist Jobs can be found in spice halls with high ratings. Wing Commandos appear when Military is above 8. Wing Bombers and Wing Leaders require 6 Military and 8 Starport. Wing Techs appear with Starport above 5 on High Tech or Orbital zones. In addition, new and old Contacts offer Wing recruits -- Alta Mesa Flight Provost, the new Naval Recruiter, Squadron Mechanic, Wing Vet, Ex-Spec Ops and Flight Academy Officers all join the fun as well. Also, the new Contact Trait "Naval Vet" Trait pays better for missions, grants +1 recruit level, recruits Wing Leaders. Character Traits will also help you find and select the best ace pilots. Traits like Spatial, Mindful, Focused, Traveler, Scrounger, Mechsync and Device Freak all help set your crew apart as potentially top wing pilots. We are very excited to have released INTERDICTION. We will now resume standard pace of relentless updates, so please know this is only the beginning. There will be a lot more coming on top of the mighty foundation laid out here today. Except updates and exepect them fast.
We have decided not to roll out enemy carriers at this time. With the extensive changes to the standard combat ship meta and the potential need for captains to adjust their own ship and crew builds to be prepared to face enemy bombers, interdictors and shuttles we've put the enemy AI on the shelf for this release. This will not last long. We'll be gathering data and talking to players for up to a week and then expect to roll out the enemy carrier builds in the mid to late game. Oh and the xeno carriers... yes those too :D
The INTERDICTION major milestone also comes with a host of important ship combat meta changes. These changes are the result of months of talking to players, gathering data and testing. Together, they help increase your captains ability to hone in on different strategies and add more choice and variation to the viable builds within the frontier. First -- ship combat now has a working officer consult button that explains the basic rules of Turns, Talent use, range change and escape, weapons firing and craft launching. We'll grow from here. Strong and Standard dice pools have beenc changed for almost every operation. We've rebalanced Defense Dice Pools to give more options -- now, whichever of Pilot or Electronics is higher is used as Strong dice and whichever is lower is used as Standard Dice. The powerhouse combo of Tactics and Command has also been broken up. For Escape Pools, your standard dice are now Electronics and Command while for Range Change, your standard dice pools are Electronics and Tactics. To help ease these changes, we've ensured that the hovers over all of these Skills in ship status include these specific rule detail in the new blue text sections. We've also made some big changes to how Crippling Effects work. Now all weapon types can cause up to 3 Crippling Effects. Two are considered base and one is considered prime. If the two base effects are not present, they will be added first in a random order. If they are present, then the prime Crippling Effect is always added. These new Crippling Effect pyraminds create groups of weapons that work well together, crossing over and helping each other achieve prime effects. To this end, we've added 4 new Crippling Effect types, 3 of which are ship effects (Ruptured Bulkheads, Secondary Explosions, Void Contortions) and one new crew effect (System Blackout). This change also mixes up your need to use more crew and ship purge Talents, making it less easy to rely on a single type. Also, to help with this change, we've ensured the tooltips over any ship weapon include all of the details about their 2 base and 1 prime Crippling Effects.
The INTERDICTION major milestone is not short on other changes as well. We've dedicated an entire section of the change log to "other stuff". We've added an exciting new Trait "Scrupulous" which increases Mission payments. We've tuned the Trait mutator to do better when running lots of missions and to avoid some more nonesensical combinations. A new card has been added to the Blockade orbital ops -- angry Zealots defending their home system. New Contact Trait "Warhawk" is a faction loyalist who recruits Zealots. New Contact Trait "Tinkerer" adds +1 recruit level and recrutis mechanics. And, we've fixed a ton of bugs and pushed more information into tooltips across the game.
The list here is so long, we've broken it down into different categories:
- Ship can now install Launch Bays to launch Craft during ship combat and orbital operations - Install additional Hangar components to station more Craft on your carrier ship - Added 3 new ship types that come pre-built as carriers -- the Fallen Carrier, Basalt Carrier and Harbinger Carrier - Added 3 types of craft -- bombers (attack only), interdictors (attack and defense) and shuttles (boarding) - Added 3 new wing pilot Jobs -- Wing Bombers fly bombers, Wing Leaders fly interdictors, Wing Commandos fly shuttles - Added new Job Wing Tech -- the flight-deck mechanic and support for a carrier's wing fleet - Added 60 new Talents across 4 new jobs and existing Jobs like E-Tech, Pirate, Commander, Gunner, Navigator to help buff or hinder craft - Adjusted Contact recruit types -- Gestalt Explorer recruits Exo-Scouts, Spicetender recruits Smugglers, Contact Trait Saboteur recruits Wing Commandos - Added new Contact Trait "Naval Vet" Trait pays better for missions, grants +1 recruit level, recruits Wing Leaders - Added 5 new Contact types Naval Recruiter, Squadron Mechanic, Wing Vet, Ex-Spec Ops and Flight Academy Officers who offer valuable services as well as recruiting Wing specialist jobs
- Added new Officer Consults to Ship Combat, covering the basics of Turn options, defeat conditions, range change rules, weapon firing, Talents and launching craft - Rebalanced Defense Dice Pools in ship combat, whichever of Pilot or Electronics is used as Strong dice and whichever is lower is used as Standard Dice - Rebalanced Range Change and Escape Pools in combat, standard dice pools are now Electronics + Command for Escape and Electronics + Tactics for range change - Added rules for ship combat dice pools to all Skill Pool hovers in status - Added 4 new Crippling Effect Types: 3 new ship effects (Ruptured Bulkheads, Secondary Explosions, Void Contortions) and 1 new crew effect (System Blackout) - All weapon classes now have 3 Crippling Effect types -- 2 base and one prime Effects. Prime is deployed only if both base Effects are already present - Tooltips over ship weapon components now display their 3 Crippling Effects, their exact stats and which are base and which is prime - Rebalanced all Crippling Effects, some reduction in power in base effects and especially long range weapon types Crippling Effects - Rebalanced and lowered the Rep penalties for claiming Prize Ships through Talents, Wing Commando includes new Prize Ship Talent at rank 15 - Reduced Crippling Chance on all Missiles by 5%, traded for slightly increased accuracy - Improved enemy ship AI intelligence about using Escape Talents early to flee -- be sure not to let your merchant targets escape easily!
- Redced time required to complete starport repairs -- even more dependent on higher starport ratings - Added new "Scrupulous" Trait which increases all mission payments by 5%, maximum 3 at a time - Improved Trait mutation paths for completing and failing missions - Added new "Zealot" card to blockade -- watch out for faction defenders, they are highly hostile - Improved Crew Combat Log, fixed typos, added more details about enemy weaponry, cleaned up bad math - Improved tooltip over Conflicts to list the types of ships that can be captured by Prize Ship Talents in Solar War, Info War or Trade War - Improved sort of Offered Missions, now always sorted in the order that they were offered - Ending a Quarantine through Patrol orbital actions now grants a Rep bonus - Added rules description for Trade Blockade, Plague Blockade, Pirates and Xeno Spores System Rumors -- these Rumors prevent Pilot saving Talents from working during landing - Added new Contact Trait "Warhawk" which prizes faction rep and recruits Zealots, renamed Contact Trait "Zealot" to "Faction Hardliner" - Added new Contact Trait "Tinkerer" Trait increases cost of all services by 10%, grants +1 recruit level, recruits Mechanics - Added new Captain's Log entry when saving a crew or officer from a ship going down with a distress signal in Orbital Ops - Combined HUD entries for empty crew bunks and empty officer cabins into a single entry - Crew Report post combat now includes level and job of injured and demoralized crew - Fixed bug with "Flawless Reset" Talent preventing it from purging debuffs - Fixed bug that allowed Auto Refuel to function even with Starport - Fixed bug with Combat Medic "Flatline" Talent which removed characters' Buffs - Fixed bug with Xeno Hunter's "Triumphant Predator" that was prevent it from being used on destroy xeno ships - Fixed bug with name generation not working right for Coalition Emissary and Coalition Commander Contacts from missions - Fixed bug with Contact Traits that could cause services to require more than 100 Influence
[ 2019-04-15 19:07:55 CET ] [ Original post ]
The INTERDICTION major milestone issues in a completely new type of ship, new style of play and and an all new frontier for ship combat meta. By installing launch bays and hangars into your ship, you can now achieve a carrier build. From there, recruit Wing specialists to staff the flight deck and pilot your craft and send the bombers, interdictors and shuttles screaming into battle or use them for utility in orbital operations, missions and in ship combat victory.
This major new expansion adds 4 new Jobs, 60 new Talents, 15 unique craft across the spectrum of bombers, interdictors and boarding shuttles, 3 new ships, a pile of new ship components, new Contacts, new Contact Traits, character Trait expansions to make for ace pilots, changes to the ship meta and so much more.
Carriers and craft are not for the lowly -- they are definite mid and late game content. They require a serious bank roll to get started, with a launch bay installing to the tune of a half million and the purchaseable carriers all starting around one million.
Tombstone for 2.4.x
The INTERDICTION milestone completes the 4 major goals we had for the 2.4.x development group. The tombstone will read that they were awesome features -- RELIC, TERROX, the Xeno Hunter and finally INTERDICTION. With the feature-heavy 2.4.x family behind us, we're turning our attention to story-heavy 2.5.x family next. Stay tuned for more eras, more story arcs, recurring characters and major shifts in the story that will ripple across the galaxy. To see more detail about what is coming next, check out our development roadmap which details the next major features and content expansions as well as our on-going content expansion initiatives.
Launch All Zigs!
The major carrier and craft expansion only adds to the game -- it introduces new ways to play, new utility Talents, new combat strategies, new jobs and exciting ship builds to explore. However, it does not reset the bar for the best builds nor invalidate any of the awesome builds out there. It fits hand and glove with the existing game as a new way to play. Carriers and craft are new mid to late-game content due to their cost of craft and requirement for skilled specialist pilots. Building and maintaining a fleet of bombers, inderdictors and shuttles will require a bank roll to support the additional investment, helpful Contacts, extra repair cost and possibility of a total craft loss. You can either purchase one of the three new carrier ships -- the Fallen, the Basalt or the Harbinger -- or convert your ship to a carrier. A carrier is defined by having at least one launch bay (large slot) and one hangar for a craft. You can install additional hanger (medium slot) components to increase the number of craft you can field at any given time. There are no starting carrier ships as the cost of operating a wing fleet is beyond a starting captain. Craft come in 3 varieties -- bombers, interdictors and shuttles. Each requires a specialist Wing job as a pilot. You can assign pilots when purchasing new craft or from your ship status screen. Once assigned, a wing specialist is always ready to launch their craft. A Wing Commando flies shuttles and brings extremely powerful boarding victory Talents and debuffs to bear. A Wing Leader flies interdictors and can employ both powerful defensive flight plans as well as offensive flight plans to drop big buffs. Wing Bombers fly bombers to deal devastating damage and drop massive debuffs on the enemey. Most of the Wing Commando, Wing Leader or Wing Bomber Talents require that the pilot is assigned to a craft in order to be used. The most important type of new Talent for the wing specialists are the Flight Plan Talents, which define the series of actions a craft will take during ship combat. An Interdictor might use a defensive Flight Plan which will position their craft near the carrier and intercept and shoot down incoming torpedoes or missiles.
A bomber's flight plan will embark on a multi-turn bombing run to drop ordnance on the enemy capital ship, a risky maneuver as you get so close to their autocannon fire. Interdictors can also engage in multi-turn attack runs. Shuttles on the other hand use flight plans that result in a boarding run, even if your carrier ship is hanging at range 5. Your craft and their pilots are at risk once they launch into the void. Relying on their Evasion Chance % to dodge incoming fire, they can take hull and health damage independently and die out there. Whenever a capital ship fires a weapon, it has a Craft Hit Chance %, indicating whether it will also tag one launched craft. Therefore, by firing weapons, you're automatically targeting enemy craft. In the case of autocannons, once a craft has closed with your ship and is close-in, you can fire autocannons specifically at the enemy craft. These new challenges may demand that some captains reconsider how their ships are built out to be able to defend against enemy craft, considering adding an autocannon or adjusting some of their weapon choices to ensure they have some high accuracy weapons against craft. As always, the INTERDICTION major milestone does NOT require new saved games. It will not invalidate saved games. We never invalidate saved games, full stop. Recruit a wing specialist, upgrade your ship, start a wing fleet. Wing Specialist Jobs can be found in spice halls with high ratings. Wing Commandos appear when Military is above 8. Wing Bombers and Wing Leaders require 6 Military and 8 Starport. Wing Techs appear with Starport above 5 on High Tech or Orbital zones. In addition, new and old Contacts offer Wing recruits -- Alta Mesa Flight Provost, the new Naval Recruiter, Squadron Mechanic, Wing Vet, Ex-Spec Ops and Flight Academy Officers all join the fun as well. Also, the new Contact Trait "Naval Vet" Trait pays better for missions, grants +1 recruit level, recruits Wing Leaders. Character Traits will also help you find and select the best ace pilots. Traits like Spatial, Mindful, Focused, Traveler, Scrounger, Mechsync and Device Freak all help set your crew apart as potentially top wing pilots. We are very excited to have released INTERDICTION. We will now resume standard pace of relentless updates, so please know this is only the beginning. There will be a lot more coming on top of the mighty foundation laid out here today. Except updates and exepect them fast.
Enemy Carriers in Waiting
We have decided not to roll out enemy carriers at this time. With the extensive changes to the standard combat ship meta and the potential need for captains to adjust their own ship and crew builds to be prepared to face enemy bombers, interdictors and shuttles we've put the enemy AI on the shelf for this release. This will not last long. We'll be gathering data and talking to players for up to a week and then expect to roll out the enemy carrier builds in the mid to late game. Oh and the xeno carriers... yes those too :D
Ship Combat Meta Changes
The INTERDICTION major milestone also comes with a host of important ship combat meta changes. These changes are the result of months of talking to players, gathering data and testing. Together, they help increase your captains ability to hone in on different strategies and add more choice and variation to the viable builds within the frontier. First -- ship combat now has a working officer consult button that explains the basic rules of Turns, Talent use, range change and escape, weapons firing and craft launching. We'll grow from here. Strong and Standard dice pools have beenc changed for almost every operation. We've rebalanced Defense Dice Pools to give more options -- now, whichever of Pilot or Electronics is higher is used as Strong dice and whichever is lower is used as Standard Dice. The powerhouse combo of Tactics and Command has also been broken up. For Escape Pools, your standard dice are now Electronics and Command while for Range Change, your standard dice pools are Electronics and Tactics. To help ease these changes, we've ensured that the hovers over all of these Skills in ship status include these specific rule detail in the new blue text sections. We've also made some big changes to how Crippling Effects work. Now all weapon types can cause up to 3 Crippling Effects. Two are considered base and one is considered prime. If the two base effects are not present, they will be added first in a random order. If they are present, then the prime Crippling Effect is always added. These new Crippling Effect pyraminds create groups of weapons that work well together, crossing over and helping each other achieve prime effects. To this end, we've added 4 new Crippling Effect types, 3 of which are ship effects (Ruptured Bulkheads, Secondary Explosions, Void Contortions) and one new crew effect (System Blackout). This change also mixes up your need to use more crew and ship purge Talents, making it less easy to rely on a single type. Also, to help with this change, we've ensured the tooltips over any ship weapon include all of the details about their 2 base and 1 prime Crippling Effects.
All Other Changes
The INTERDICTION major milestone is not short on other changes as well. We've dedicated an entire section of the change log to "other stuff". We've added an exciting new Trait "Scrupulous" which increases Mission payments. We've tuned the Trait mutator to do better when running lots of missions and to avoid some more nonesensical combinations. A new card has been added to the Blockade orbital ops -- angry Zealots defending their home system. New Contact Trait "Warhawk" is a faction loyalist who recruits Zealots. New Contact Trait "Tinkerer" adds +1 recruit level and recrutis mechanics. And, we've fixed a ton of bugs and pushed more information into tooltips across the game.
v2.5.1 - 4/15/20195
The list here is so long, we've broken it down into different categories:
INTERDICTION Craft Changes
- Ship can now install Launch Bays to launch Craft during ship combat and orbital operations - Install additional Hangar components to station more Craft on your carrier ship - Added 3 new ship types that come pre-built as carriers -- the Fallen Carrier, Basalt Carrier and Harbinger Carrier - Added 3 types of craft -- bombers (attack only), interdictors (attack and defense) and shuttles (boarding) - Added 3 new wing pilot Jobs -- Wing Bombers fly bombers, Wing Leaders fly interdictors, Wing Commandos fly shuttles - Added new Job Wing Tech -- the flight-deck mechanic and support for a carrier's wing fleet - Added 60 new Talents across 4 new jobs and existing Jobs like E-Tech, Pirate, Commander, Gunner, Navigator to help buff or hinder craft - Adjusted Contact recruit types -- Gestalt Explorer recruits Exo-Scouts, Spicetender recruits Smugglers, Contact Trait Saboteur recruits Wing Commandos - Added new Contact Trait "Naval Vet" Trait pays better for missions, grants +1 recruit level, recruits Wing Leaders - Added 5 new Contact types Naval Recruiter, Squadron Mechanic, Wing Vet, Ex-Spec Ops and Flight Academy Officers who offer valuable services as well as recruiting Wing specialist jobs
Ship Combat Meta Changes
- Added new Officer Consults to Ship Combat, covering the basics of Turn options, defeat conditions, range change rules, weapon firing, Talents and launching craft - Rebalanced Defense Dice Pools in ship combat, whichever of Pilot or Electronics is used as Strong dice and whichever is lower is used as Standard Dice - Rebalanced Range Change and Escape Pools in combat, standard dice pools are now Electronics + Command for Escape and Electronics + Tactics for range change - Added rules for ship combat dice pools to all Skill Pool hovers in status - Added 4 new Crippling Effect Types: 3 new ship effects (Ruptured Bulkheads, Secondary Explosions, Void Contortions) and 1 new crew effect (System Blackout) - All weapon classes now have 3 Crippling Effect types -- 2 base and one prime Effects. Prime is deployed only if both base Effects are already present - Tooltips over ship weapon components now display their 3 Crippling Effects, their exact stats and which are base and which is prime - Rebalanced all Crippling Effects, some reduction in power in base effects and especially long range weapon types Crippling Effects - Rebalanced and lowered the Rep penalties for claiming Prize Ships through Talents, Wing Commando includes new Prize Ship Talent at rank 15 - Reduced Crippling Chance on all Missiles by 5%, traded for slightly increased accuracy - Improved enemy ship AI intelligence about using Escape Talents early to flee -- be sure not to let your merchant targets escape easily!
All Other Changes
- Redced time required to complete starport repairs -- even more dependent on higher starport ratings - Added new "Scrupulous" Trait which increases all mission payments by 5%, maximum 3 at a time - Improved Trait mutation paths for completing and failing missions - Added new "Zealot" card to blockade -- watch out for faction defenders, they are highly hostile - Improved Crew Combat Log, fixed typos, added more details about enemy weaponry, cleaned up bad math - Improved tooltip over Conflicts to list the types of ships that can be captured by Prize Ship Talents in Solar War, Info War or Trade War - Improved sort of Offered Missions, now always sorted in the order that they were offered - Ending a Quarantine through Patrol orbital actions now grants a Rep bonus - Added rules description for Trade Blockade, Plague Blockade, Pirates and Xeno Spores System Rumors -- these Rumors prevent Pilot saving Talents from working during landing - Added new Contact Trait "Warhawk" which prizes faction rep and recruits Zealots, renamed Contact Trait "Zealot" to "Faction Hardliner" - Added new Contact Trait "Tinkerer" Trait increases cost of all services by 10%, grants +1 recruit level, recruits Mechanics - Added new Captain's Log entry when saving a crew or officer from a ship going down with a distress signal in Orbital Ops - Combined HUD entries for empty crew bunks and empty officer cabins into a single entry - Crew Report post combat now includes level and job of injured and demoralized crew - Fixed bug with "Flawless Reset" Talent preventing it from purging debuffs - Fixed bug that allowed Auto Refuel to function even with Starport - Fixed bug with Combat Medic "Flatline" Talent which removed characters' Buffs - Fixed bug with Xeno Hunter's "Triumphant Predator" that was prevent it from being used on destroy xeno ships - Fixed bug with name generation not working right for Coalition Emissary and Coalition Commander Contacts from missions - Fixed bug with Contact Traits that could cause services to require more than 100 Influence
Just Hype!
Keep one ear open the spice hall, captains. Rumors are starting to whirl around worse than at the Faen court. Something's gotta give!
[ 2019-03-30 19:10:28 CET ] [ Original post ]
This is a hype post only -- there is no immediate update here. It has been a long month at Trese Brothers HQ as we have hammered out and worked to perfect all of the systems related to small craft. Above you can see some of the draft animation work of a bomber swooping over a capital ship.
In the next Frontiers update, we will be hitting a major milestone and adding the last KickStarter stretch goal -- the ability for carrier ships to launch multiple small craft of different specialties to join in the ship-on-ship battle.
As the Nightbot on our Discord would say:
"I have been hyped about things 605 times. NO ETAS."
We wanted to post this news as its been a long 10 days again without updates -- we can assure you it is only because we're working on some very big stuff.
A few key things whet the appetite:
- The small craft design is completely additive. It introduces new ways to play, new utility Talents, new combat strategies, new jobs and exciting ship builds to explore. However, it not reset the bar for the best builds nor invalidate any of the awesome builds out there. It fits hand and glove with the existing game as a new way to play.
- However, even if you don't employ small craft yourself, you may face carriers in ship combat. All captains will need to adjust their strategies to have some defenses against enemy carriers, just as they need to consider the risk of enemy boarders or any other power strat. Weapons, Talents and special components will all be available to help defend against small craft swarms.
- Carriers and craft are new mid and late-game content due to their cost of craft and specialist pilots. Building and maintaining a fleet of bombers, inderdictors and shuttles will require a bank roll to support the additional investment, helpful Contacts, extra repair cost and possibility of a total craft loss.
- The small craft milestone will not require new saved games. It will not invalidate saved games. We never invalidate saved games, full stop.
Keep one ear open the spice hall, captains. Rumors are starting to whirl around worse than at the Faen court. Something's gotta give!
Update #139: Radiation Burns
Watch out because the new Radiation Storms can really burn! The storms now match with Radiation World systems in a way that is really nasty -- together the two increase the risk of all orbital operations, orbital salvage and any exploring on that system. Also, sailing the void without Water-Fuel to provide a containment field for your engine is even more dangerous and levies event more substantial penalties. If you're crossing Radiation Storms, but we sure to pick up Talents like Storm Navigator to protect your crew and ship.
We've fixed a mistake in the Trait Mutation tables that allowed Officers to gain the Loyal Trait. Since Officers never desert this Trait was not very useful and it is no longer an option.
Update #140 applies some needed balance to "At Starport" Talent set, bringing all of them up to the standard cool down of 13 weeks. This includes "Generous in Service", "Listening Port", "Port Maintenance", "Makeshift Repairs" and "Secrets Unbound". We've also put some rules clarifications into the description of "Makeshift Repairs" so that it better matches "Port Maintenance" in detailing exactly how many components are fixed. And "Generous in Service" has received a long needed clarification to how its rules work, pointing out its maximum Rep gain per event as well as the point where returns start to really drop off. You can only become so well loved by faction leadership for running a free hospital ship. Around 40 Rep, things slow down quickly. To avoid odd situations, we've prevent two more Boarding Victory Talents from being used against xeno. "Cold-Blooded Threats" and "Call for Surrender" both nuke Morale and the xeno now ignore either and therefore they are simply removed from the list of options.
- Fixed bug where some enemy ships automatically lose or have no crew - Radiation Storms are much more dangerous on Radiation Planets - Radiation Storms increase risk of Exploration, major increase in risk on Radiation Planets - Radiation Storms increase risk of Salvage operation doing damage to ship and crew - Increased penalties for running out of fuel during a Radiation Storm - Officers, who by rule never Desert the ship, can no longer gain the Loyal Trait - Boarding Victory Talents "Cold-Blooded Threats" and "Call for Surrender" can no longer be used against xeno - Extended Cool down of all "At Starport" Talents - "Generous in Service", "Listening Port", "Port Maintenance", "Makeshift Repairs" and "Secrets Unbound" now have 13 week cooldowns - Clarified rules for how damage is repaired for "Makeshift Repairs" - Clarified Rep rules for "Generous in Service" - max Rep gain is 10 per event and diminishing returns at 40 Rep - Fixes bug with Dart Jammer and Dart Liner ship components
[ 2019-03-18 23:45:55 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to Update #139 where Radiation Storms go to play. This update includes a big buff for Radiation Storm Rumors, fixes a critical bug with the enemy ship builder (auto-defeat) and adjusts a number of Talents, Traits and ship components for bug fixes, clarification and balance issues..
First up, we've fixed the bug where some enemy ships lose the battle automatically or lose automatically upon the first attempt board. In both cases, this was caused by a mistake in the enemy ship builder AI that would at times -- probably against the advice of all of the officers -- toss out the Void Engine and/or the crew Barracks in an attempt to get more weapons, defense etc. This is now fixed!
Empowered Radiation Storms
Watch out because the new Radiation Storms can really burn! The storms now match with Radiation World systems in a way that is really nasty -- together the two increase the risk of all orbital operations, orbital salvage and any exploring on that system. Also, sailing the void without Water-Fuel to provide a containment field for your engine is even more dangerous and levies event more substantial penalties. If you're crossing Radiation Storms, but we sure to pick up Talents like Storm Navigator to protect your crew and ship.
Officers Loyalty
We've fixed a mistake in the Trait Mutation tables that allowed Officers to gain the Loyal Trait. Since Officers never desert this Trait was not very useful and it is no longer an option.
Talent Updates
Update #140 applies some needed balance to "At Starport" Talent set, bringing all of them up to the standard cool down of 13 weeks. This includes "Generous in Service", "Listening Port", "Port Maintenance", "Makeshift Repairs" and "Secrets Unbound". We've also put some rules clarifications into the description of "Makeshift Repairs" so that it better matches "Port Maintenance" in detailing exactly how many components are fixed. And "Generous in Service" has received a long needed clarification to how its rules work, pointing out its maximum Rep gain per event as well as the point where returns start to really drop off. You can only become so well loved by faction leadership for running a free hospital ship. Around 40 Rep, things slow down quickly. To avoid odd situations, we've prevent two more Boarding Victory Talents from being used against xeno. "Cold-Blooded Threats" and "Call for Surrender" both nuke Morale and the xeno now ignore either and therefore they are simply removed from the list of options.
v2.4.95 - 3/18/2019
- Fixed bug where some enemy ships automatically lose or have no crew - Radiation Storms are much more dangerous on Radiation Planets - Radiation Storms increase risk of Exploration, major increase in risk on Radiation Planets - Radiation Storms increase risk of Salvage operation doing damage to ship and crew - Increased penalties for running out of fuel during a Radiation Storm - Officers, who by rule never Desert the ship, can no longer gain the Loyal Trait - Boarding Victory Talents "Cold-Blooded Threats" and "Call for Surrender" can no longer be used against xeno - Extended Cool down of all "At Starport" Talents - "Generous in Service", "Listening Port", "Port Maintenance", "Makeshift Repairs" and "Secrets Unbound" now have 13 week cooldowns - Clarified rules for how damage is repaired for "Makeshift Repairs" - Clarified Rep rules for "Generous in Service" - max Rep gain is 10 per event and diminishing returns at 40 Rep - Fixes bug with Dart Jammer and Dart Liner ship components
Update #138: Light of a Thousand Suns
With Update #138, missiles finally go boom as they deserve! The new animation helps them stand out from the other types of weapons and helps give that split second warning so your officer can shout "missiles incoming!" Also with Update #138, the ship combat UI is starting to get the needed stream of improvements that will prepare it for carriers and fighters release. In this update, we've made some changes to the main control scheme, added animation and improved player cues. The biggest change is the shifting of the move and range change orders out of the center lists. These have now been promoted to a constantly available set of buttons on the left side of the combat HUD, giving the option to escape, retreat, advance or board. Their tooltips have been improved to be more dynamic and list RP cost as well as target range. You can now get to these with fewer clicks as well as using the newly added keyboard shortcuts (default to Q for retreat / escape and A for advance / board). And of course, setup your own customization for the fastest play. Finally, to match the weapon counter in the HUD tabs, we've added a checkmark to the Talents tab. If you've selected a Talent to run for the turn, the checkmark appears, so that if you return to your weapons tab you can still see that you've picked a Talent for the turn and are ready to go.
In the last update, the enemy ship builder AI got a little carried away with itself. In the early game, it was gaining accessing to some components that were out of band. We've made another round of improvements to the AI, both softening up its access to more powerful components earlier but also helping it to be more focused in its ship upgrade strategy in the later game. Early game captains will probably see a bit of a reprieve from last update, while late game captains may find their enemies have upped their design game once again. This update also ties the intelligence of the ship builder to game difficulty more closely which is a trend we'll keep pushing as we continue to make improvements.
In the endless quest to smooth out pace of play and reduce clicks, we've made an important change to how the orbital ops card games play. If you end up in a ship combat due to a card draw, after the encounter and or combat is resolved you now return directly to the orbital ops screen you were on, instead of the system orbit screen. It is a small change, but for those captains who rely on these operations in their career, it is a big one. Combined with the fast speed option, orbital ops now fly!
After a great discussion on the Steam boards, we've improved medium slot Torpedos. These heavier torps are still best at softening up and crippling the enemy, but for their 3 RP cost they have gained additional points of Accuracy and more Void Damage. The Dart Jammer comes out of the starport with one additional Officer Cabin and one less Mass Dampener, making it more ready to fly immediately. As it seems to be a steady point of confusion, we have removed the languag "Boost Ship Skills" from components that increase ship Skill Pools. We've also fixed the install time on Defense Pattern Matrix 4.
With almost 500 Talents in the game, its a constant drum beat of fixes, rebalances and improvements. With this update, we've improved the rules for Diplomat's "Legal Pressure" Talent which now grants 20% + Intimidate extra when ransoming an enemy ship. The Talent description also warns of the chance to have a small Rep loss for using it. To avoid too much use of the word "Scavenger" except for the job, we've renamed Mechanic's "Expert Scavenger" Talent to "Orchestrated Salvage". Bounty Hunter's "Red Badge" no longer incorrectly reports affect on xeno rep. We've fixed a host of issues with Xeno Hunter Talents. "Puncture Points" no longer removes enemy debuffs. "Macabre Harvest" is now correctly counted toward boarding victory Talents. In addition, the Combat Medic "Toxin Terror" no longer remove the buffs from the character using it (what a weird little bug).
- Added new ship combat animation for firing missiles - Improved Ship Combat UI: promoted Move Orders to their own space outside of the Talents/Weapons list to reduce clicks to complete orders - Added new keybinding for Escape/Retreat or Advance/Board in ship combat (Q / A) - Improved Ship Combat UI: weapons now display their damage inline where you can select them to fire - Improved Ship Combat UI: checkmark added to the Talent's tab when a Talent has been selected for the Turn - Added "Map Mode: Limited" option which prevents clicking from starting navigation - Further adjusted enemy ship builder AI -- better balanced access to powerful components in early game, more focused component upgrades in late game - Improved Accuracy and Void Damage for Medium Slot, 3 RP Torpedoes - Improved ship encounter rules for Smugglers (will always take bribes but may cause Rep loss if not bribed) and Explorers (never force a fight) - Improved repetition of all orbital ops after combat -- immediate return to card game - Any trade, any quantity, always takes 1 Turn - New Hyperwarp Trait Mutations - Negative Trait Chance on Fail - Improved Dart Jammer ship configuration, replaced Mass Dampener I with Officer Cabin - Improved "Major Setback" card in Orbital Salvage to be more clear affected faction - Swapped starting Contact recruit types -- Spice Traders now recruit Merchants, Smugglers recruit Smugglers - Improved rules for Diplomat "Legal Pressure" Talent which now grants 20%+Intimidate extra when ransoming with a chance to lose 0-2 extra Rep - Renamed Mechanic's "Expert Scavenger" Talent to "Orchestrated Salvage" - Fixed bug causing Combat Medics "Toxin Terror" to remove user's buffs - Fixed bugs with Xeno Hunter Talent "Macabre Harvest" not correctly being counted toward boarding Talents - Fixed bugs with Xeno Hunter Talent "Puncture Points" incorrectly removing enemy buffs - Fixed bugs with Bounty Hunter Talent "Red Badge" incorrectly interacting with xeno missions - Fixed overlapping hovers and UI elements in the HUD, hover for Docking on orbital zone - Removed "Boost Ship Skills" description from Ship Components to reduce confusion - Fixed install time for Defense Pattern Matrix 4 - Fixed bug in quad map causing indicator that crew need to level to stay present incorrectly
[ 2019-03-15 17:16:33 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, after an all-too-long drought, word is finally filtering down through the spice halls that Update #138 has arrived! The extended delay has resulted in an over-sized update, which we will get into detail below. We've improved the ship combat UI, added new animations, sped up play by adding new keybindings and tuning the orbital ops play loop, made balance changes to Rep from ship encounters with Smugglers and Explorers, tweaked 3 RP torps and the Dart Jammer ship, and made a host of small improvements and bug fixes to boot.
We also want to share an important change to the dev roadmap. The 14+ day delay between updates here was in preparation for a big move -- the upcoming release of fighters and carriers. For a number of reasons, we've decided to swap the 6th Era and the launch of Fighters from Carriers. So, while this update does not yet contain the major milestone, it is a huge prep step, especially in the changes to the ship combat UI. When are carriers coming? Soon :D
Once we get past the newly updated v2.4.x, we'll hit v2.5.x and there will be an extended period of adding Eras and vignette story arcs to the game.
But for now, on to the update!
Ship Combat Improvements
With Update #138, missiles finally go boom as they deserve! The new animation helps them stand out from the other types of weapons and helps give that split second warning so your officer can shout "missiles incoming!" Also with Update #138, the ship combat UI is starting to get the needed stream of improvements that will prepare it for carriers and fighters release. In this update, we've made some changes to the main control scheme, added animation and improved player cues. The biggest change is the shifting of the move and range change orders out of the center lists. These have now been promoted to a constantly available set of buttons on the left side of the combat HUD, giving the option to escape, retreat, advance or board. Their tooltips have been improved to be more dynamic and list RP cost as well as target range. You can now get to these with fewer clicks as well as using the newly added keyboard shortcuts (default to Q for retreat / escape and A for advance / board). And of course, setup your own customization for the fastest play. Finally, to match the weapon counter in the HUD tabs, we've added a checkmark to the Talents tab. If you've selected a Talent to run for the turn, the checkmark appears, so that if you return to your weapons tab you can still see that you've picked a Talent for the turn and are ready to go.
Ship Builder AI Update
In the last update, the enemy ship builder AI got a little carried away with itself. In the early game, it was gaining accessing to some components that were out of band. We've made another round of improvements to the AI, both softening up its access to more powerful components earlier but also helping it to be more focused in its ship upgrade strategy in the later game. Early game captains will probably see a bit of a reprieve from last update, while late game captains may find their enemies have upped their design game once again. This update also ties the intelligence of the ship builder to game difficulty more closely which is a trend we'll keep pushing as we continue to make improvements.
Orbital Play Loop
In the endless quest to smooth out pace of play and reduce clicks, we've made an important change to how the orbital ops card games play. If you end up in a ship combat due to a card draw, after the encounter and or combat is resolved you now return directly to the orbital ops screen you were on, instead of the system orbit screen. It is a small change, but for those captains who rely on these operations in their career, it is a big one. Combined with the fast speed option, orbital ops now fly!
Medium Torps and Dart Jammer
After a great discussion on the Steam boards, we've improved medium slot Torpedos. These heavier torps are still best at softening up and crippling the enemy, but for their 3 RP cost they have gained additional points of Accuracy and more Void Damage. The Dart Jammer comes out of the starport with one additional Officer Cabin and one less Mass Dampener, making it more ready to fly immediately. As it seems to be a steady point of confusion, we have removed the languag "Boost Ship Skills" from components that increase ship Skill Pools. We've also fixed the install time on Defense Pattern Matrix 4.
Talents Oh Talents
With almost 500 Talents in the game, its a constant drum beat of fixes, rebalances and improvements. With this update, we've improved the rules for Diplomat's "Legal Pressure" Talent which now grants 20% + Intimidate extra when ransoming an enemy ship. The Talent description also warns of the chance to have a small Rep loss for using it. To avoid too much use of the word "Scavenger" except for the job, we've renamed Mechanic's "Expert Scavenger" Talent to "Orchestrated Salvage". Bounty Hunter's "Red Badge" no longer incorrectly reports affect on xeno rep. We've fixed a host of issues with Xeno Hunter Talents. "Puncture Points" no longer removes enemy debuffs. "Macabre Harvest" is now correctly counted toward boarding victory Talents. In addition, the Combat Medic "Toxin Terror" no longer remove the buffs from the character using it (what a weird little bug).
v2.4.91 - 3/14/2019
- Added new ship combat animation for firing missiles - Improved Ship Combat UI: promoted Move Orders to their own space outside of the Talents/Weapons list to reduce clicks to complete orders - Added new keybinding for Escape/Retreat or Advance/Board in ship combat (Q / A) - Improved Ship Combat UI: weapons now display their damage inline where you can select them to fire - Improved Ship Combat UI: checkmark added to the Talent's tab when a Talent has been selected for the Turn - Added "Map Mode: Limited" option which prevents clicking from starting navigation - Further adjusted enemy ship builder AI -- better balanced access to powerful components in early game, more focused component upgrades in late game - Improved Accuracy and Void Damage for Medium Slot, 3 RP Torpedoes - Improved ship encounter rules for Smugglers (will always take bribes but may cause Rep loss if not bribed) and Explorers (never force a fight) - Improved repetition of all orbital ops after combat -- immediate return to card game - Any trade, any quantity, always takes 1 Turn - New Hyperwarp Trait Mutations - Negative Trait Chance on Fail - Improved Dart Jammer ship configuration, replaced Mass Dampener I with Officer Cabin - Improved "Major Setback" card in Orbital Salvage to be more clear affected faction - Swapped starting Contact recruit types -- Spice Traders now recruit Merchants, Smugglers recruit Smugglers - Improved rules for Diplomat "Legal Pressure" Talent which now grants 20%+Intimidate extra when ransoming with a chance to lose 0-2 extra Rep - Renamed Mechanic's "Expert Scavenger" Talent to "Orchestrated Salvage" - Fixed bug causing Combat Medics "Toxin Terror" to remove user's buffs - Fixed bugs with Xeno Hunter Talent "Macabre Harvest" not correctly being counted toward boarding Talents - Fixed bugs with Xeno Hunter Talent "Puncture Points" incorrectly removing enemy buffs - Fixed bugs with Bounty Hunter Talent "Red Badge" incorrectly interacting with xeno missions - Fixed overlapping hovers and UI elements in the HUD, hover for Docking on orbital zone - Removed "Boost Ship Skills" description from Ship Components to reduce confusion - Fixed install time for Defense Pattern Matrix 4 - Fixed bug in quad map causing indicator that crew need to level to stay present incorrectly
Update #137: Behemoth Looms
With Update #137, the enemy AI has taken another big step forward with its ability to specialize the ship during build-out and then in the ability for the AI to specifically take actions that use that specialization during battle. The enemy AI is better at managing its attempts to move into its chosen optimal battle range, better at focusing on firing its optimal weapons to the best effect and in the case where it has the Talent, successful in using Twitch Surge intelligently. The ship builder AI also has been buffed to match this, allowing for military and non-combat ships to better specialize their component builds based on their type and design pattern.
Adjustments to the design of the Zartar Fang improve the fit for the assigned role by increasing Pilot and Navigation soak pools. By using a Mass Dampener and Modulator instead, the design is still able to manage mass and increase pools. The Palace Interceptor has been reworked to better avoid damage and increase performance in combat. The engine has been swapped out for a Traveler instead of a Longhaul for higher combat speed. In addition the range 2 weapon has been upgraded from a single lance to a lance array that should improve the damage output for the Palace Interceptor at range 2. Both the Vulture Liner and Callus Freighter received small balance improvements to increase their ship pools and eliminated unnecessary mass dampening components. These improvements both assist players using these ships but also improve their legality and challenge level as enemies.
A number of components gained benefits with this release. Starting with the EVA Decks, we've added Shield and Fuel Storage. The Signal Array has increased its Electronics Pool while the Hull Cladding had gained Shielding and had its mass reduced. The Hull Plating on the other hand has gained Armor but kept its original mass. The Orbital Scoop has lost some of its Fuel storage while the Surface Scanner has gained Electronics Pool and the Resource Harvester added Cargo and Fuel storage to better match some of the other awesome hybrid components that have come out since Salvage was added. A huge thanks to the community members helping with these balance changes!
Thanks to slide87 for suggesting that Contact Introductions should display the full list of services offered by that contact. Now, with the clear distance, price, contact type and services offered -- you've got everything you need to make the best informed decisions about which Contacts are worth paying a hefty fee to meet. Especially with the ability to see in advance recruit types -- this is a huge win from a community suggested feature.
This is not a new rule -- AOE attack Talents have always ended Stealth Mode. However, we've now added this rule directly to the game in the right hand details bar when looking your Talents.
We've made some changes to the meta scores of cards in both the Black Market and Orbital Ops with this update. In the Black Market, we've shifted around different cards in the negative set, making Captain Damage a -1 while better aligning the Confiscate Cargo cards so that they are -3, -4 and -5. In Orbital Ops, we've bumped Distress Signal to -1 so that you can use Talents against it, as it can have some nasty results along with its possible positive results. With Update #137, we've added new card art for both Pirate and FDF ground combats. We've got more coming too!
- When viewing offered Contact Introductions, these now include a list of Contact's offered services - Further improved enemy ship builder AI -- military ships are more focused on their builds and components that serve their weapon types and ranges - Improved enemy ship combat AI -- improved ability to range change to use ship's components and strategy to best ability and best use of Twitch Surge - Improved enemy ship combat AI to better focus on firing optimal ranged weapons and achieving optimal range for battle - Rebalanced meta score for Black Market cards -- cargo confiscation and captain damage - Converted Orbital Ops "Distress Signal" cards to -1 Risk Cards so they can be hit with Talents - Buying or selling cargo in exchange or black market now takes 1 Turn ("hours") if quanity is over 5 - Fixed Mechanic's "Entropic Estimate" to properly predict the timeline of the current Orbital Salvage Rumor - Crew Combat AOE attack talents now list in their rules that they End Stealth Mode - Removed rare chance that Smuggler recruit could start with Rigidly Lawful Trait - Swapped starting Contact recruit types -- Spice Traders now recruit Merchants, Smugglers recruit Smugglers - Reordered Atlas Zone listing to better match map and hovers - Increased Hyperwarp Jump Test difficulty slightly, small increase in penalties when jumps are failed - Improved "EVA Decks" Ship Component (Added Shielding, Fuel Storage) - Improved "Signal Array" Ship Components (Added Electronics Pool) - Improve "Hull Cladding" Ship Components (Added Deflection, Reduced Mass) - Improve "Hull Plating" Ship Components (Added Armor) - Improve "Orbital Scoop" Ship Components (Added Fuel Storage, Reduced Mass) - Improved "Surface Scanner" Ship Components (Added Electronics Pool) - Improved "Resource Harvest" Ship Components (Added Cargo, Fuel Storage) - Fixed issues with Templar and Hunna ships in Orbital Ops - Fixed issues with leaderboard scores not updating - Ship Design Improvements by Resistor: * Improved 'Zartar Fang' ship * Reworked 'Palace Interceptor' ship * Updated 'Vulture Liner' and 'Callus Freighter' ships - Added new card art for pirate and FDF encounters in exploring and black market
[ 2019-02-25 19:48:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #137 is a bit of a monster. We must have gone too many days without doing an update -- features, new art, component upgrades, and all sorts of great changes just kept piling up. The result is #137, Behemoth Looms!
If you're enjoying the pace of updates and all the new goodies, please tell a friend and leave a review!
AI Improvements
With Update #137, the enemy AI has taken another big step forward with its ability to specialize the ship during build-out and then in the ability for the AI to specifically take actions that use that specialization during battle. The enemy AI is better at managing its attempts to move into its chosen optimal battle range, better at focusing on firing its optimal weapons to the best effect and in the case where it has the Talent, successful in using Twitch Surge intelligently. The ship builder AI also has been buffed to match this, allowing for military and non-combat ships to better specialize their component builds based on their type and design pattern.
Ship Adjustments
Adjustments to the design of the Zartar Fang improve the fit for the assigned role by increasing Pilot and Navigation soak pools. By using a Mass Dampener and Modulator instead, the design is still able to manage mass and increase pools. The Palace Interceptor has been reworked to better avoid damage and increase performance in combat. The engine has been swapped out for a Traveler instead of a Longhaul for higher combat speed. In addition the range 2 weapon has been upgraded from a single lance to a lance array that should improve the damage output for the Palace Interceptor at range 2. Both the Vulture Liner and Callus Freighter received small balance improvements to increase their ship pools and eliminated unnecessary mass dampening components. These improvements both assist players using these ships but also improve their legality and challenge level as enemies.
Component Improvements
A number of components gained benefits with this release. Starting with the EVA Decks, we've added Shield and Fuel Storage. The Signal Array has increased its Electronics Pool while the Hull Cladding had gained Shielding and had its mass reduced. The Hull Plating on the other hand has gained Armor but kept its original mass. The Orbital Scoop has lost some of its Fuel storage while the Surface Scanner has gained Electronics Pool and the Resource Harvester added Cargo and Fuel storage to better match some of the other awesome hybrid components that have come out since Salvage was added. A huge thanks to the community members helping with these balance changes!
Contact Introductions
Thanks to slide87 for suggesting that Contact Introductions should display the full list of services offered by that contact. Now, with the clear distance, price, contact type and services offered -- you've got everything you need to make the best informed decisions about which Contacts are worth paying a hefty fee to meet. Especially with the ability to see in advance recruit types -- this is a huge win from a community suggested feature.
AOE Attacks Cancel Stealth
This is not a new rule -- AOE attack Talents have always ended Stealth Mode. However, we've now added this rule directly to the game in the right hand details bar when looking your Talents.
Rebalancing Cards and Adding Art
We've made some changes to the meta scores of cards in both the Black Market and Orbital Ops with this update. In the Black Market, we've shifted around different cards in the negative set, making Captain Damage a -1 while better aligning the Confiscate Cargo cards so that they are -3, -4 and -5. In Orbital Ops, we've bumped Distress Signal to -1 so that you can use Talents against it, as it can have some nasty results along with its possible positive results. With Update #137, we've added new card art for both Pirate and FDF ground combats. We've got more coming too!
v2.4.89 - 2/25/2019
- When viewing offered Contact Introductions, these now include a list of Contact's offered services - Further improved enemy ship builder AI -- military ships are more focused on their builds and components that serve their weapon types and ranges - Improved enemy ship combat AI -- improved ability to range change to use ship's components and strategy to best ability and best use of Twitch Surge - Improved enemy ship combat AI to better focus on firing optimal ranged weapons and achieving optimal range for battle - Rebalanced meta score for Black Market cards -- cargo confiscation and captain damage - Converted Orbital Ops "Distress Signal" cards to -1 Risk Cards so they can be hit with Talents - Buying or selling cargo in exchange or black market now takes 1 Turn ("hours") if quanity is over 5 - Fixed Mechanic's "Entropic Estimate" to properly predict the timeline of the current Orbital Salvage Rumor - Crew Combat AOE attack talents now list in their rules that they End Stealth Mode - Removed rare chance that Smuggler recruit could start with Rigidly Lawful Trait - Swapped starting Contact recruit types -- Spice Traders now recruit Merchants, Smugglers recruit Smugglers - Reordered Atlas Zone listing to better match map and hovers - Increased Hyperwarp Jump Test difficulty slightly, small increase in penalties when jumps are failed - Improved "EVA Decks" Ship Component (Added Shielding, Fuel Storage) - Improved "Signal Array" Ship Components (Added Electronics Pool) - Improve "Hull Cladding" Ship Components (Added Deflection, Reduced Mass) - Improve "Hull Plating" Ship Components (Added Armor) - Improve "Orbital Scoop" Ship Components (Added Fuel Storage, Reduced Mass) - Improved "Surface Scanner" Ship Components (Added Electronics Pool) - Improved "Resource Harvest" Ship Components (Added Cargo, Fuel Storage) - Fixed issues with Templar and Hunna ships in Orbital Ops - Fixed issues with leaderboard scores not updating - Ship Design Improvements by Resistor: * Improved 'Zartar Fang' ship * Reworked 'Palace Interceptor' ship * Updated 'Vulture Liner' and 'Callus Freighter' ships - Added new card art for pirate and FDF encounters in exploring and black market
Update #136: Balancing the Scales
Two new large slot medical components -- the Medical Clinic and Advanced Medical Clinic offer the unique bonus of being able to house an officer. While clearly it is expected that you're doctor will leave in those quarters, if there is no ship's doctor than probably your Soldier, Xeno Hunter or Spy will set up shop in their (i.e. its a standard officer's cabin). However, its the first large slot beyond a bridge that offers this capability while also provide some powerful Medical Rating and some good Skill Pool bonuses. We've also rebalanced Medical Bays, Medical Chambers and Combat Hospital Ship to increase the variety among the set with better Skill Pool, Armor, and Shielding options.
The Salvage Bay components can really rake in some cash and they have new opportunities to do so now. Previously only effective when doing orbital salvage, Salvage Bays now add their bonus to salvaging destroyed ships as well, just like Vulture Trait. To balance out this change, however, the % bonus to profits have been reduced across the board by 30%. Still, they are far more versatile, useful in more situations and stack great with ship salvage Talents or xeno hunting!
To push the Gunner's rank 1 Talent "Targeting Lock" into a better unique positions, we've changed its -10% Armor to -10% Defense. If you're locking on with your targeting systems to ensure they can't escape, it always helps to get in a hit too! We've also slightly reduced the debuff from Bombardment, taking its drop on negative enemy Accuracy from 20% to 15%.
Your ship status screen now includes details on buff and component bonuses including Range Change, Critical %, Void Res and Damage, Shield, Armor, Defense, Accuracy and more. This includes the bonuses you may gain from installed components as well as the bonuses you can garner from buffing (or being debuffed!) in ship combat.
To help further clarify some of the rules of the game, we've started adding a second section to some of the game's hovers. In the above example, you can see the first changes to Shield and Armor display which note that while your ship hull and components can take the bonus to 60% the maximum for buffs is 75%. We're working our way through different tooltips in the game to ensure all the rules are expressed in them especially these clauses with extra detail.
- Rebalanced Medical Bays, Medical Chambers and Combat Hospital Ship Components - New Medical Clinic Ship Components (Medical Rating + Officer Cabin) - Improved Gunner's Talent "Targeting Lock" now causes -10% Defense instead of -10% Armor - Reduced "Bombardment" debuff to enemy Accuracy to 15% from 20% - Added buff and debuff fields like +Accuracy %, +Dmg, Critical % to ship status - Improved hover support to express special game rules - Improved 'Salvage Bay' Component Text and Balance (Orbital and Salvage) - Fixed issue with "Soul Piercer" Xeno Hunter Talent not adding Attribute bonus - Improved Story Officer Nikolai Ramius' character Traits - Fixed text overlaps and formatting issues
[ 2019-02-21 06:53:48 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #136 continues the hunt to perfect the game's balance, expand the possible builds with ship components and prepare for the coming release of fighters/carriers. We've rebalanced some of the existing medical components as well as added anew exciting hybrid component that can house an officer, the Medical Clinic. Two balance changes have been made to ship combat Talents, we've expanded the abilities of the Salvage Bay component type and made some changes to ship status to better display bonuses.
If you're enjoying the updates, the balance tweaks and these nice quality of life changes, please tell a friend and leave a review!
Medical Clinic and Bays
Two new large slot medical components -- the Medical Clinic and Advanced Medical Clinic offer the unique bonus of being able to house an officer. While clearly it is expected that you're doctor will leave in those quarters, if there is no ship's doctor than probably your Soldier, Xeno Hunter or Spy will set up shop in their (i.e. its a standard officer's cabin). However, its the first large slot beyond a bridge that offers this capability while also provide some powerful Medical Rating and some good Skill Pool bonuses. We've also rebalanced Medical Bays, Medical Chambers and Combat Hospital Ship to increase the variety among the set with better Skill Pool, Armor, and Shielding options.
Salvage Bays
The Salvage Bay components can really rake in some cash and they have new opportunities to do so now. Previously only effective when doing orbital salvage, Salvage Bays now add their bonus to salvaging destroyed ships as well, just like Vulture Trait. To balance out this change, however, the % bonus to profits have been reduced across the board by 30%. Still, they are far more versatile, useful in more situations and stack great with ship salvage Talents or xeno hunting!
Talent Balance
To push the Gunner's rank 1 Talent "Targeting Lock" into a better unique positions, we've changed its -10% Armor to -10% Defense. If you're locking on with your targeting systems to ensure they can't escape, it always helps to get in a hit too! We've also slightly reduced the debuff from Bombardment, taking its drop on negative enemy Accuracy from 20% to 15%.
New Fields in Ship Status
Your ship status screen now includes details on buff and component bonuses including Range Change, Critical %, Void Res and Damage, Shield, Armor, Defense, Accuracy and more. This includes the bonuses you may gain from installed components as well as the bonuses you can garner from buffing (or being debuffed!) in ship combat.
To help further clarify some of the rules of the game, we've started adding a second section to some of the game's hovers. In the above example, you can see the first changes to Shield and Armor display which note that while your ship hull and components can take the bonus to 60% the maximum for buffs is 75%. We're working our way through different tooltips in the game to ensure all the rules are expressed in them especially these clauses with extra detail.
v2.4.85 - 2/20/2019
- Rebalanced Medical Bays, Medical Chambers and Combat Hospital Ship Components - New Medical Clinic Ship Components (Medical Rating + Officer Cabin) - Improved Gunner's Talent "Targeting Lock" now causes -10% Defense instead of -10% Armor - Reduced "Bombardment" debuff to enemy Accuracy to 15% from 20% - Added buff and debuff fields like +Accuracy %, +Dmg, Critical % to ship status - Improved hover support to express special game rules - Improved 'Salvage Bay' Component Text and Balance (Orbital and Salvage) - Fixed issue with "Soul Piercer" Xeno Hunter Talent not adding Attribute bonus - Improved Story Officer Nikolai Ramius' character Traits - Fixed text overlaps and formatting issues
Update #135: Blink of the Void
For those players who want to move quickly, feel comfortable already with the combat system or who have put in 400+ hours -- the new Fast Ship Combat option may be perfect for you. The GIF above shows an entire turn of combat elapsing in a flurry of traded shots, damage values, misses and critical hits. With this option enabled, you can move through ship combats much more quickly than before, well over double-speed. Of course, if you missed any detail you really need to see the Combat Log has it all there for you. We've also improved the display of critical hits! You'll now see "-102 Crit!" floating above the hit and the text itself is scaled up to help it pop. It's a glorious moment, as long as you were the one scoring the hit!
We've added a new early and a new late-game Talent -- a rank 1 Gunner Talent and a rank 15 Engineer rank 15 Talent. Both are geared toward helping players who are trying to Escape challenging combats and both take a very different approach to getting there. The new "Elusive Barrage" from your Gunners gives you a debuffing attack that reduces the enemy's Accuracy and Range Change. As all Range Change and Escape rolls are opposed, it is critical not only to buff your own scores but also to debuff your enemy to ensure that they score less successes on their part of the dice roll. Elusive Barrage is great paired with any other Escape Talent like Bolt or Fast Getaway, or the new Engineer Talent. The new Engineer Talent "All the Power" dangerously reroutes the ship's power into the void engine to enable a rapid escape. The Talent comes with some drawbacks -- reducing Shield and causing internal component damage, but the bonuses to Escape and Move are high -- very high. Having a high level Engineer on your crew to help perfect the power balance on your ship has new appeal -- especially for those looking to dodge battle in the void.
With Update #135, we've opened up a new frontier for Armor and Shield within ship combat. Based on your ship's base Armor and Shield, plus any Armored or Shielded components you've installed, you can reach a maximum of 60% Armor or Shield. Now, with Update #135, your Talents that buff Armor and Shield can still be useful even if your ship is built to soak up the hits. While 60% is still the maximum for each in ship build, your buffs can now raise Armor and Shield all the way to 75%. This enables new strategies and synergies between ship class, component build outs and the right crew to build ships that rely more on soak than previously possible. Not that getting hit with a void-cutting Torpedo is ever going to be nice ...
We've made a major improvement to all Contacts' interest in Conflicts -- now Contacts will avoid Conflicts that are really out of their scope of interest or influence. For example, a Merchant will not engage in a Solar War nor send you on missions to destroy enemy ships during one. Nor will a Smuggler get involved in an Alliance. This lack of ability to ignore Conflicts has led to many of the odd Missions situations that Steam players have been asking about -- if my Smuggler is *supporting* this Alliance, why is he asking me to sneak illegal packages into their zone? Well ... because he is a Smuggler! That's what he does. We've added the exact details of which Conflicts mission-givers ignore to the wiki -- https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Mission_Types
- New Feature: Fast Ship Combat resolves turns very quickly - Added new rank 1 Gunner Talent "Elusive Barrage" reduces enemy Range Change and Accuracy -- perfect Talent to debuff enemy as you try to flee - Added new rank 15 Engineer Talent "All the Power" which routes all Void Engine power into escape attempt but causing internal damage and reducing shield in the process - While ship Armor and Shield maximum from base plus components is 60%, Buffs can now raise Armor and Shield to 75% - Critical hits in ship combat are now shown as "-120 Crit!" during combat - Contacts no longer give Missions related to Conflicts out of their zone of interest -- Smugglers ignore Trade Alliances, Merchants ignore Solar Wars, etc - Increased price of Inferno Torpedo (small slot, level 5) and Torpedo Dual-Laced Array (small slot, level 7) - Fixed balance of off-hand short blades at level 6 and 7, reduced some of their stats - Fixed issues with some Explorer cards and other Talents that could generate Terrox Artifacts that were Independent Faction - Corrected bug that was showing all Introductions to be 1 jump farther than they were - Fixed bug preventing Contacts who got the "Learn Salvage Rumor" from a Trait from appearing in contact filters - Fixed bug causing Crew List sort memory to get wiped if you sorted Starport upgrade components - Fixed mission bug where Rep loss could be shown with xeno faction
[ 2019-02-16 16:34:51 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #135 we're rolling out a hotly requested high speed combat option, two new Talents to help captains who are trying to escape enemy targets, a change to ship combat that buffs the Armor/Shield meta and new rules to help Contacts focus their missions on their zone of influence. Not to mention a ton of bug fixes, small tweaks and improvements!
Let's get started!
Fast Ship Combat
For those players who want to move quickly, feel comfortable already with the combat system or who have put in 400+ hours -- the new Fast Ship Combat option may be perfect for you. The GIF above shows an entire turn of combat elapsing in a flurry of traded shots, damage values, misses and critical hits. With this option enabled, you can move through ship combats much more quickly than before, well over double-speed. Of course, if you missed any detail you really need to see the Combat Log has it all there for you. We've also improved the display of critical hits! You'll now see "-102 Crit!" floating above the hit and the text itself is scaled up to help it pop. It's a glorious moment, as long as you were the one scoring the hit!
New Talents
We've added a new early and a new late-game Talent -- a rank 1 Gunner Talent and a rank 15 Engineer rank 15 Talent. Both are geared toward helping players who are trying to Escape challenging combats and both take a very different approach to getting there. The new "Elusive Barrage" from your Gunners gives you a debuffing attack that reduces the enemy's Accuracy and Range Change. As all Range Change and Escape rolls are opposed, it is critical not only to buff your own scores but also to debuff your enemy to ensure that they score less successes on their part of the dice roll. Elusive Barrage is great paired with any other Escape Talent like Bolt or Fast Getaway, or the new Engineer Talent. The new Engineer Talent "All the Power" dangerously reroutes the ship's power into the void engine to enable a rapid escape. The Talent comes with some drawbacks -- reducing Shield and causing internal component damage, but the bonuses to Escape and Move are high -- very high. Having a high level Engineer on your crew to help perfect the power balance on your ship has new appeal -- especially for those looking to dodge battle in the void.
Armor/Shield Meta
With Update #135, we've opened up a new frontier for Armor and Shield within ship combat. Based on your ship's base Armor and Shield, plus any Armored or Shielded components you've installed, you can reach a maximum of 60% Armor or Shield. Now, with Update #135, your Talents that buff Armor and Shield can still be useful even if your ship is built to soak up the hits. While 60% is still the maximum for each in ship build, your buffs can now raise Armor and Shield all the way to 75%. This enables new strategies and synergies between ship class, component build outs and the right crew to build ships that rely more on soak than previously possible. Not that getting hit with a void-cutting Torpedo is ever going to be nice ...
Contact and Conflicts
We've made a major improvement to all Contacts' interest in Conflicts -- now Contacts will avoid Conflicts that are really out of their scope of interest or influence. For example, a Merchant will not engage in a Solar War nor send you on missions to destroy enemy ships during one. Nor will a Smuggler get involved in an Alliance. This lack of ability to ignore Conflicts has led to many of the odd Missions situations that Steam players have been asking about -- if my Smuggler is *supporting* this Alliance, why is he asking me to sneak illegal packages into their zone? Well ... because he is a Smuggler! That's what he does. We've added the exact details of which Conflicts mission-givers ignore to the wiki -- https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Mission_Types
v2.4.83 - 2/16/2019
- New Feature: Fast Ship Combat resolves turns very quickly - Added new rank 1 Gunner Talent "Elusive Barrage" reduces enemy Range Change and Accuracy -- perfect Talent to debuff enemy as you try to flee - Added new rank 15 Engineer Talent "All the Power" which routes all Void Engine power into escape attempt but causing internal damage and reducing shield in the process - While ship Armor and Shield maximum from base plus components is 60%, Buffs can now raise Armor and Shield to 75% - Critical hits in ship combat are now shown as "-120 Crit!" during combat - Contacts no longer give Missions related to Conflicts out of their zone of interest -- Smugglers ignore Trade Alliances, Merchants ignore Solar Wars, etc - Increased price of Inferno Torpedo (small slot, level 5) and Torpedo Dual-Laced Array (small slot, level 7) - Fixed balance of off-hand short blades at level 6 and 7, reduced some of their stats - Fixed issues with some Explorer cards and other Talents that could generate Terrox Artifacts that were Independent Faction - Corrected bug that was showing all Introductions to be 1 jump farther than they were - Fixed bug preventing Contacts who got the "Learn Salvage Rumor" from a Trait from appearing in contact filters - Fixed bug causing Crew List sort memory to get wiped if you sorted Starport upgrade components - Fixed mission bug where Rep loss could be shown with xeno faction
Update #134: Keenest Edge
While fighters and carriers are still a ways out, we are making tons of underlying changes and improvements to major core systems in preparation for their arrival. With Update #134, we have finished rebuilding the enemy ship AI decision tree and decision weighting to be more fluid to the evolving situation and more fun and challenging. Across the board, the enemy captain's ability to weigh their next move against their desire to escape, advance or board, along with the conditions of their ship, health, crew, weapons, engines and buffs or debuffs has been improved. You should find the enemy captains making smarter and more reactive moves. This has also allowed us to squash a set of bugs or pure mistakes that the enemy AI was making -- such as using Twitch Surge and then retreating or using Fast Getaway and then advancing or attempting to board without a ready boarding party.
We've also added anew ability to the Mechanic's Talent list with "Flawless Reset". This rank 15 Talent is capable of purging 1 to 3 debuffs from enemy Talents which were previously irremovable, such as Scattershot, Raking Fire or Bombardment. The chance to get up to 3 debuffs is based on your Mechanic's Resilience.
With Update #134, we've removed all RNG from the starting Skill bonuses for your ship's first round of officers. They are granted the same bonuses every time -- for example your Doctor always gains +4 Doctor and +2 Evasion. The bonuses given to these officers are above average, another reason to consider keeping them. This change is also a big boon to new starting players who will now find that their ship has an improved Doctor, Tactics, Command and Intimidate Skill Pool thanks to preset officer bonuses.
We've fixed some Xeno Hunter issues -- the weird trick with mutating gear, changed Launch Grenade to be Initiative 16 (sorry, we tried!) and got Macabre Harvest to work properly with Mission xeno fights. In addition, we've reduced the power of all crew combat buffs and gear that were adding 20% or higher Armor bonus. These have all been paired down a bit, making it more of an investment of gear slots and Initiative to stack absolutely OP armor. Thanks to everyone leaving a review!
- Added new rank 15 Mechanic Talent "Flawless Reset" removes from 1 to 3 debuffs from enemy ship based on Resilience roll - Improved enemy ship AI's Talent intelligence when picking Talents to use - Better control over ship component repair, mid-battle healing and morale restore, engine protection, purging crippling effects - Fixed issue where enemy AI would incorrectly use Twitch Surge when attempting to flee - Reduced highest range Armor buffs in gears and Talents (Fading Shot, Infliction Rage, Unstoppable Force, Resolute Hound, Unfailing Stand, Cadovast Weave all reduced to 20%) - Increased Xeno Hunter's "Launch Grenade" Talent to 16 Inititiave cost - Fixed bug preventing Xeno Hunter's "Macabre Harvest" Talent from working on Mission combats against xeno - Fixed bug where enemy AI in crew combat would incorrectly use Talents that require but end Stealth Mode - Officers in new games have set Skill bonuses, all RNG removed (Doctor's have +4 Doctor, +2 Evasion, etc) - Fixed bug where Prime Pilgrimage Missions could route to starting world (Mok Prime to Mok Prime) - Fixed click through and scroll issues with crew combat selection screen when detail pane is shown - Fixed story bugs with Nikolai
[ 2019-02-13 03:15:39 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #134 follows on the release of the Xeno Hunter with new updates to the enemy ship AI, a new rank 15 Talent for Mechanics with a brand new ... mechanic ... balance changes to +Armor % buffs, gear and the Xeno Hunter and simplified rules for new game officer skill bonuses.
If you're enjoying the updates and their relentless pace, please take a moment to share the game with a friend and leave a review!
Enemy Ship AI
While fighters and carriers are still a ways out, we are making tons of underlying changes and improvements to major core systems in preparation for their arrival. With Update #134, we have finished rebuilding the enemy ship AI decision tree and decision weighting to be more fluid to the evolving situation and more fun and challenging. Across the board, the enemy captain's ability to weigh their next move against their desire to escape, advance or board, along with the conditions of their ship, health, crew, weapons, engines and buffs or debuffs has been improved. You should find the enemy captains making smarter and more reactive moves. This has also allowed us to squash a set of bugs or pure mistakes that the enemy AI was making -- such as using Twitch Surge and then retreating or using Fast Getaway and then advancing or attempting to board without a ready boarding party.
Mechanic's Flawless Reset
We've also added anew ability to the Mechanic's Talent list with "Flawless Reset". This rank 15 Talent is capable of purging 1 to 3 debuffs from enemy Talents which were previously irremovable, such as Scattershot, Raking Fire or Bombardment. The chance to get up to 3 debuffs is based on your Mechanic's Resilience.
Simplified Starting Bonuses
With Update #134, we've removed all RNG from the starting Skill bonuses for your ship's first round of officers. They are granted the same bonuses every time -- for example your Doctor always gains +4 Doctor and +2 Evasion. The bonuses given to these officers are above average, another reason to consider keeping them. This change is also a big boon to new starting players who will now find that their ship has an improved Doctor, Tactics, Command and Intimidate Skill Pool thanks to preset officer bonuses.
Xeno Hunter and Balance
We've fixed some Xeno Hunter issues -- the weird trick with mutating gear, changed Launch Grenade to be Initiative 16 (sorry, we tried!) and got Macabre Harvest to work properly with Mission xeno fights. In addition, we've reduced the power of all crew combat buffs and gear that were adding 20% or higher Armor bonus. These have all been paired down a bit, making it more of an investment of gear slots and Initiative to stack absolutely OP armor. Thanks to everyone leaving a review!
v2.4.81 - 2/13/2019
- Added new rank 15 Mechanic Talent "Flawless Reset" removes from 1 to 3 debuffs from enemy ship based on Resilience roll - Improved enemy ship AI's Talent intelligence when picking Talents to use - Better control over ship component repair, mid-battle healing and morale restore, engine protection, purging crippling effects - Fixed issue where enemy AI would incorrectly use Twitch Surge when attempting to flee - Reduced highest range Armor buffs in gears and Talents (Fading Shot, Infliction Rage, Unstoppable Force, Resolute Hound, Unfailing Stand, Cadovast Weave all reduced to 20%) - Increased Xeno Hunter's "Launch Grenade" Talent to 16 Inititiave cost - Fixed bug preventing Xeno Hunter's "Macabre Harvest" Talent from working on Mission combats against xeno - Fixed bug where enemy AI in crew combat would incorrectly use Talents that require but end Stealth Mode - Officers in new games have set Skill bonuses, all RNG removed (Doctor's have +4 Doctor, +2 Evasion, etc) - Fixed bug where Prime Pilgrimage Missions could route to starting world (Mok Prime to Mok Prime) - Fixed click through and scroll issues with crew combat selection screen when detail pane is shown - Fixed story bugs with Nikolai
Update #133: Big Game Hunter
With the new Job knocked off the list, the final item in the v2.4.x family of the dev roadmap is the next Era -- then on to Fighters/Carriers!
The Xeno Hunter Job and starting Profession is unlike any other. Something drives these madmen and madwomen to hunt the xeno, the terrors of the void. Their Talents replace other measly risk cards with Xeno Encounter cards in Patrol and Explorer! Xeno Hunter are a special breed and they ask much of their crew and ship, but for those captains looking for a new quest, a new challenge, a new way to sail the frontiers, these predators might be just right for you.
You can get a Xeno Hunter on your ship in a number of ways. First, there is a new unlocked profession so your Captain can start as a Xeno Hunter with 2 new awesome Captain-only Traits. Second, you can easily train your existing Captain or Officers into the new Jobs. And third, the Retired Xeno Hunter Contact and any Contact with the Xeno Obsessed Trait now offers recruiting of these big game hunters of the void. In the same vein as other Jobs like Commander, Xeno Hunter is designed to be best for officers. A crew Xeno Hunter is going to be at a disadvantage as Xeno Hunter Job will do best cross-classed for different synergies, depending on which direction you want to take the abilities.
Many of the Xeno Hunter's Talents are only applicable when they can be used against Xeno, but they pack a mighty punch for the limitation. For example, the Talent "Triumphant Predator" provides the strongest post-ship-combat Morale recovery available to any Job, but can only be used if you've just fought a xeno ship. "Exalted Hunter" grants an enormous bonus to the payment for xeno hunter missions and can be stacked with normal Mission bonus Talents! And the Xeno Hunter brings the only full-team On Init Buff to battle, but "Irid-Laced Resolve" can only fire if you are facing xeno. That said, they are powerful backline combatants that rely on heavy armor over evasion and nasty plasma damage to be effective in any combat situation -- xeno or not.
As we continue to work on improving crew combat balance, we've made another round of adjustments to armor, weaponry and some Talents. Most Armors have gained a small 4% to 6% increase in their ability to soak ballistic damage. We have also reduced the Piercing % for many LMG and HMG weapons in the game to help bring them into line against snubbers and sniper rifles who excel at this type of piercing blasts and single shots. On the Talent note, we've taken 5% off the top of Full Auto's bonus to Damage and Critical %. There you have it -- v2.4.79 delivers on another big roadmap item! If you enjoy the updates and the progress, please leave a review and tell a friend!
- Added new Job: the dreaded Xeno Hunter! Some inner demon drives these madmen and madwomen to seek out the xeno - 16 new Talents to hunt the xeno in space and on land and to join crew combat from the back ranks - New high difficulty starting profession, Captains can elect to be Xeno Hunter by profession - 2 New Captain-only Traits for Xeno-Hunter: Inner Flame and Dread Legacy - Now featuring 28 Jobs and 13 starting Professions - Retired Xeno-Hunters Contacts now recruit Xeno Hunter crew and officers - Contacts with the Xeno Obsessed Trait also recruit Xeno Hunter crew and officers, more likely to give Explore or Xeno missions - Greatly improved prompts in Ship Combat Victory over Xeno to help captains achieve best rewards (Loot > Destroy > Salvage) - Fixed issue where sometimes Mission Accept Talents would not fire - Increased Ballistic Soak of armor by roughly 4-6% - Reduced Piercing values for LMGs and HMGs, reduced Damage and Crit bonus for Full Auto Talent by 5% - Fixed bug that caused -Init Debuffs to knock enemies out of Init Penalty - Fixed bug allowing "Influence Conflict" card to be drawn in Orbital Salvage even without a Conflict - Fixed typos in dialog and tooltips (thanks for reporting!)
[ 2019-02-07 03:33:00 CET ] [ Original post ]
The Void's most dangerous predator has arrived with Update #133. Striking another big line from our development roadmap, we are excited to announce the newest Job and starting Profession: the Xeno Hunter!
Something burns deep inside the Xeno Hunter, compelling them to chase the true terrors of the Void. Specializing in baiting, tracking and killing the alien in deadly crew combat, the Xeno Hunter uses distance and heavy weapons to gain the advantage.
We've also made some minor but important balance changes to crew combat, so check the final section for those details.
v2.4.x Winding Down
With the new Job knocked off the list, the final item in the v2.4.x family of the dev roadmap is the next Era -- then on to Fighters/Carriers!
High Difficulty Career
The Xeno Hunter Job and starting Profession is unlike any other. Something drives these madmen and madwomen to hunt the xeno, the terrors of the void. Their Talents replace other measly risk cards with Xeno Encounter cards in Patrol and Explorer! Xeno Hunter are a special breed and they ask much of their crew and ship, but for those captains looking for a new quest, a new challenge, a new way to sail the frontiers, these predators might be just right for you.
A Rare Breed
You can get a Xeno Hunter on your ship in a number of ways. First, there is a new unlocked profession so your Captain can start as a Xeno Hunter with 2 new awesome Captain-only Traits. Second, you can easily train your existing Captain or Officers into the new Jobs. And third, the Retired Xeno Hunter Contact and any Contact with the Xeno Obsessed Trait now offers recruiting of these big game hunters of the void. In the same vein as other Jobs like Commander, Xeno Hunter is designed to be best for officers. A crew Xeno Hunter is going to be at a disadvantage as Xeno Hunter Job will do best cross-classed for different synergies, depending on which direction you want to take the abilities.
Xeno-Only Talents
Many of the Xeno Hunter's Talents are only applicable when they can be used against Xeno, but they pack a mighty punch for the limitation. For example, the Talent "Triumphant Predator" provides the strongest post-ship-combat Morale recovery available to any Job, but can only be used if you've just fought a xeno ship. "Exalted Hunter" grants an enormous bonus to the payment for xeno hunter missions and can be stacked with normal Mission bonus Talents! And the Xeno Hunter brings the only full-team On Init Buff to battle, but "Irid-Laced Resolve" can only fire if you are facing xeno. That said, they are powerful backline combatants that rely on heavy armor over evasion and nasty plasma damage to be effective in any combat situation -- xeno or not.
Killing Power Rebalance
As we continue to work on improving crew combat balance, we've made another round of adjustments to armor, weaponry and some Talents. Most Armors have gained a small 4% to 6% increase in their ability to soak ballistic damage. We have also reduced the Piercing % for many LMG and HMG weapons in the game to help bring them into line against snubbers and sniper rifles who excel at this type of piercing blasts and single shots. On the Talent note, we've taken 5% off the top of Full Auto's bonus to Damage and Critical %. There you have it -- v2.4.79 delivers on another big roadmap item! If you enjoy the updates and the progress, please leave a review and tell a friend!
v2.4.79 - 2/6/2019
- Added new Job: the dreaded Xeno Hunter! Some inner demon drives these madmen and madwomen to seek out the xeno - 16 new Talents to hunt the xeno in space and on land and to join crew combat from the back ranks - New high difficulty starting profession, Captains can elect to be Xeno Hunter by profession - 2 New Captain-only Traits for Xeno-Hunter: Inner Flame and Dread Legacy - Now featuring 28 Jobs and 13 starting Professions - Retired Xeno-Hunters Contacts now recruit Xeno Hunter crew and officers - Contacts with the Xeno Obsessed Trait also recruit Xeno Hunter crew and officers, more likely to give Explore or Xeno missions - Greatly improved prompts in Ship Combat Victory over Xeno to help captains achieve best rewards (Loot > Destroy > Salvage) - Fixed issue where sometimes Mission Accept Talents would not fire - Increased Ballistic Soak of armor by roughly 4-6% - Reduced Piercing values for LMGs and HMGs, reduced Damage and Crit bonus for Full Auto Talent by 5% - Fixed bug that caused -Init Debuffs to knock enemies out of Init Penalty - Fixed bug allowing "Influence Conflict" card to be drawn in Orbital Salvage even without a Conflict - Fixed typos in dialog and tooltips (thanks for reporting!)
Update #132: Heavy Metal
With Update #132, we've rolled out of one of the new matching pairs of character outfits. Now you can deck your fighting crew in heavy military armor as they prepare for battle. The outfit set comes with a matching helmet to boot! As we keep adding new outfits, we've got a focus now on matching outfits, so expect to see that trend continue.
We've added two new types of Missions that play the political hotspots on the faction Prime worlds where the High Princes and High Princesses reside. Many political and economic Contacts want to keep their standing good at these courts and are willing to pay higher prices for you to carry their envoys and emissaries there and back again. Later, once a few Eras have past a new mission type emerges that will have your Contacts sending their envoys to Ryeline Ganne to meet with a certain someone and the emissaries there as well.
The new mission acceptance summary screen is helpful pull together your action and give a few reminders as well displaying the specifics of Talents. After accepting a mission, you'll get a summary now -- it includes the Talent that was used during the action and any exact bonus % or resulting discovery that you may have made. Also, you'll get reminders about future mission requirements (a prison cell will be required) or immediate changes to mission cargo (we've brought a prisoner aboard, captain).
With this release, we've exposed more details about the Sabotage action in ship combat boarding. If you've boarded the enemy ship and successfully defeated them, you have the default option to sabotage one component or can use the Cascading Destruction Talent to strike at another nearby component. The newly upgraded display indicates how damaged a component may already be through previous boarding or ship combat to help you make the best choices, perhaps picking the debuff or some other boarding Talent instead of Sabotage. We've also fixed a bug when enemy Bounty Hunters coming calling. Sent on missions by Contacts you've infuriated or insulted, these Bounty Hunters can use Blood Game against you. This fix enforces the rule that a successful boarding with Blood Game cancels any attempt to escape.
- Added 2 new matching blue heavy armor outfits - perfect more regimented military crews and heavy hitters - Added matching blue heavy helmet - perfect fit for new armor - Added 2 new mission types, negotiation and pilgrimages to faction Prime Worlds or Ryeline Ganne - Added new summary screen after accepting a mission, displays Talents used, bonuses, mission cargo changes or requirements (prisoner, package, passenger) - New mission summary screen makes exact bonuses to price by Talents very clear - Giving repeat firing orders in ship combat opens the Talents list to speed turns - Successful use of "Blood Game" Talent boards enemy and prevents escape - Improved Boarding Sabotage details on targeted component's damage to ensure best use of boarding abilities - Fixed issue with Chaesin Researchers not getting involved in the Plague Era - Fixed bug in Pit Fighter V story arc with Gestalt variation - Improved auto-save routine to ensure quitting the game any time loses no progress - Fixed issues with hotkeys in wild zones
[ 2019-02-03 06:53:09 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #132 rolls out strong on a Saturday night, delivering some awesome new heavy armor outfits, a mean looking new helmet, new mission types, a new mission acceptance summary screen to give details on Talents being used and much more.
A huge thanks to everyone sharing Star Traders: Frontiers and leaving a review to help us keep cranking updates at this Relentless Pace.
Heavy Armors and Helmet
With Update #132, we've rolled out of one of the new matching pairs of character outfits. Now you can deck your fighting crew in heavy military armor as they prepare for battle. The outfit set comes with a matching helmet to boot! As we keep adding new outfits, we've got a focus now on matching outfits, so expect to see that trend continue.
Prime Missions
We've added two new types of Missions that play the political hotspots on the faction Prime worlds where the High Princes and High Princesses reside. Many political and economic Contacts want to keep their standing good at these courts and are willing to pay higher prices for you to carry their envoys and emissaries there and back again. Later, once a few Eras have past a new mission type emerges that will have your Contacts sending their envoys to Ryeline Ganne to meet with a certain someone and the emissaries there as well.
Mission Summary
The new mission acceptance summary screen is helpful pull together your action and give a few reminders as well displaying the specifics of Talents. After accepting a mission, you'll get a summary now -- it includes the Talent that was used during the action and any exact bonus % or resulting discovery that you may have made. Also, you'll get reminders about future mission requirements (a prison cell will be required) or immediate changes to mission cargo (we've brought a prisoner aboard, captain).
Ship Combat Boarding
With this release, we've exposed more details about the Sabotage action in ship combat boarding. If you've boarded the enemy ship and successfully defeated them, you have the default option to sabotage one component or can use the Cascading Destruction Talent to strike at another nearby component. The newly upgraded display indicates how damaged a component may already be through previous boarding or ship combat to help you make the best choices, perhaps picking the debuff or some other boarding Talent instead of Sabotage. We've also fixed a bug when enemy Bounty Hunters coming calling. Sent on missions by Contacts you've infuriated or insulted, these Bounty Hunters can use Blood Game against you. This fix enforces the rule that a successful boarding with Blood Game cancels any attempt to escape.
v2.4.73 - 2/2/2019
- Added 2 new matching blue heavy armor outfits - perfect more regimented military crews and heavy hitters - Added matching blue heavy helmet - perfect fit for new armor - Added 2 new mission types, negotiation and pilgrimages to faction Prime Worlds or Ryeline Ganne - Added new summary screen after accepting a mission, displays Talents used, bonuses, mission cargo changes or requirements (prisoner, package, passenger) - New mission summary screen makes exact bonuses to price by Talents very clear - Giving repeat firing orders in ship combat opens the Talents list to speed turns - Successful use of "Blood Game" Talent boards enemy and prevents escape - Improved Boarding Sabotage details on targeted component's damage to ensure best use of boarding abilities - Fixed issue with Chaesin Researchers not getting involved in the Plague Era - Fixed bug in Pit Fighter V story arc with Gestalt variation - Improved auto-save routine to ensure quitting the game any time loses no progress - Fixed issues with hotkeys in wild zones
Update #131: Highlands
The Chaesin Doctors are the oldest medical tradition of the Star Traders, hailing back to well before the Exodus and the Guild. While the Gestalt Technologists offer Trait Conditioning through their vats and other secretive techniques, the Chaesin now offer their own similar but different service through holistic techniques, synthesized compounds and reconditioning training. Chaesin Trait Conditioning can remove Addictive Tick, Crippled, Flashbacks, Frail, Hypochondriac, Hyperwarp Sickness, Paranoid, Stormshock or Weak System Traits -- a set with some overlap to the Gestalt list but also more of a focus on psychological Traits. We have also added a new Contact Type to help proliferate more Chaesin into the galaxy. The Chaesin Researcher offer Doctor Missions, buys Intel, Recruits Combat Medics, Trait Conditioning, Discounts Medical Services, may offer Black Market based on Traits such as Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld.
We're continuing to put more pressure on the enemy ship builder routines, increasing their intelligence and ability to coordinate upgrades across a ship in prep for the Fighters/Carriers future milestone. In this update, we've once again increased the total number of upgrade paths for an enemy to consider, specifically by helping the ship builder do better with crew and officer accommodations and mass modulators components. Also, for those military focused ship types, they have improved their ability to ensure they upgrade their Weapon Lockers appropriately.
We've added 3 new character faces with this update. We're excited to now have reached the 40 faces mark for female characters and will keep marching toward our goal of doubling the original 30. A similar wave of revisions and additions is coming for the male characters but there is some more work to do to prepare for that.
- Added 3 new female character faces - Added 2 new landing zone art boards, jungle wilderness and unique art for Alta Mesa and De Valtos Prime - Improved enemy ship builder AI -- increased upgrade paths, better upgrade planning for crew and officer accommodations, mass modulators, military deployment of higher level Weapons Lockers - Chaesin Doctors and Researchers now offer their own type of Trait Reconditioning to remove bad Traits, Gestalt are no longer the only game in town - Chaesin conditioning can remove Addictive Tick, Crippled, Flashbacks, Frail, Hypochondriac, Hyperwarp Sickness, Paranoid, Stormshock or Weak System Traits - Added new Contact Type "Chaesin Researcher" -- recruits Combat Medics, offers Trait Reconditioning, Buys Intel, Discounts Medical Services, may offer Black Market based on Traits such as Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld - Smuggler Contact Type now offers discount on Spice at the hall and can now offer Permit grade 1 - Salvage Broker Contact Type will only offer Black Market based on Traits such as Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld - Void Engine Safety Rating now displayed in main ship status, dry dock and starport with helpful tooltip - Radiation Storms and other Quadrant-wide Rumors have more impact on all Orbital Ops (Spy, Blockade, Patrol, Salvage) - Buffed Hyperwarp Navigator's "Fast Getaway" Talent to include a +5% Shield increase - Fixed issue with Orbital Salvage positive Trait cards adding negative Trait (Xenophobic) - Corsair's Scan Talent no longer removes Tribute option from Ship Encounters - Fixed rare bug that could prevent you from repairing your ship's Scout Bridge - Fixed issue where damage dealt by results of Exploring, Orbital Ops was less than shown - Fixed bug where negative or positive Rep could be shown while Exploring Indie wilderness zones - Fixed possible text overlays on Talent screen
[ 2019-01-31 18:44:35 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #131 lands with a blast of a new art, even more improvements to the enemy ship builder, a new Trait Conditioning service for Chaesin Doctors and Researchers (new!) and a ton of balance improvements and bug fixes. A huge thanks to everyone sharing the game, posting feedback and helping us improve!
In the art department, we've got 2 new environmental landing zones, a new wilderness jungle and a new urban image for some of the largest urban worlds. We've also added 3 new character faces.
We've also buffed the Navigator's Fast Getaway Talent, made Radiation Storms and other Rumors more impactful in orbital operations and given more teeth to the damage caused to crew during any card game.
Chaesin Trait Conditioning
The Chaesin Doctors are the oldest medical tradition of the Star Traders, hailing back to well before the Exodus and the Guild. While the Gestalt Technologists offer Trait Conditioning through their vats and other secretive techniques, the Chaesin now offer their own similar but different service through holistic techniques, synthesized compounds and reconditioning training. Chaesin Trait Conditioning can remove Addictive Tick, Crippled, Flashbacks, Frail, Hypochondriac, Hyperwarp Sickness, Paranoid, Stormshock or Weak System Traits -- a set with some overlap to the Gestalt list but also more of a focus on psychological Traits. We have also added a new Contact Type to help proliferate more Chaesin into the galaxy. The Chaesin Researcher offer Doctor Missions, buys Intel, Recruits Combat Medics, Trait Conditioning, Discounts Medical Services, may offer Black Market based on Traits such as Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld.
Enemy AI Ship Builder
We're continuing to put more pressure on the enemy ship builder routines, increasing their intelligence and ability to coordinate upgrades across a ship in prep for the Fighters/Carriers future milestone. In this update, we've once again increased the total number of upgrade paths for an enemy to consider, specifically by helping the ship builder do better with crew and officer accommodations and mass modulators components. Also, for those military focused ship types, they have improved their ability to ensure they upgrade their Weapon Lockers appropriately.
New Character Faces
We've added 3 new character faces with this update. We're excited to now have reached the 40 faces mark for female characters and will keep marching toward our goal of doubling the original 30. A similar wave of revisions and additions is coming for the male characters but there is some more work to do to prepare for that.
v2.4.71 - 1/31/2018
- Added 3 new female character faces - Added 2 new landing zone art boards, jungle wilderness and unique art for Alta Mesa and De Valtos Prime - Improved enemy ship builder AI -- increased upgrade paths, better upgrade planning for crew and officer accommodations, mass modulators, military deployment of higher level Weapons Lockers - Chaesin Doctors and Researchers now offer their own type of Trait Reconditioning to remove bad Traits, Gestalt are no longer the only game in town - Chaesin conditioning can remove Addictive Tick, Crippled, Flashbacks, Frail, Hypochondriac, Hyperwarp Sickness, Paranoid, Stormshock or Weak System Traits - Added new Contact Type "Chaesin Researcher" -- recruits Combat Medics, offers Trait Reconditioning, Buys Intel, Discounts Medical Services, may offer Black Market based on Traits such as Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld - Smuggler Contact Type now offers discount on Spice at the hall and can now offer Permit grade 1 - Salvage Broker Contact Type will only offer Black Market based on Traits such as Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld - Void Engine Safety Rating now displayed in main ship status, dry dock and starport with helpful tooltip - Radiation Storms and other Quadrant-wide Rumors have more impact on all Orbital Ops (Spy, Blockade, Patrol, Salvage) - Buffed Hyperwarp Navigator's "Fast Getaway" Talent to include a +5% Shield increase - Fixed issue with Orbital Salvage positive Trait cards adding negative Trait (Xenophobic) - Corsair's Scan Talent no longer removes Tribute option from Ship Encounters - Fixed rare bug that could prevent you from repairing your ship's Scout Bridge - Fixed issue where damage dealt by results of Exploring, Orbital Ops was less than shown - Fixed bug where negative or positive Rep could be shown while Exploring Indie wilderness zones - Fixed possible text overlays on Talent screen
Update #130: Enemy Swoops In!
Over the last few months of play, testing and component upgrades the AI has been preparing for a major upgrade. Update #130 begins this series of improvements to its upgrade routines, helping expand the total number of upgrading paths that the enemy ship builder can pick as well as improving the allocation of upgrades and especially of defensive upgrades. With this update, you will start to see some improved AI behavior, more weapon variation and better defensive stats on military captain types. From here, we've restructured the internal rule set of how the enemy upgrades its ships and we'll be making further changes in the coming series of updates.
Dual-Field engines provide another option for captain's with a stockpile of capital who are looking to use balanced engines. The Dual-Field technology allows similar Void Engine statline while reducing the Mass of the engine component by upwards of 30%. However, such technology doesn't run cheap and the costs can be as much as 200% higher than the standard engine. Still - the trade off can help free component slots. In balancing out these new engines, we also took a moment to review and correct issues with some Mass 3400 and Mass 5000 ships. Some of the ships had unnecessary mass reducing components installed in their default builds and those have now been swapped out for more exciting and functional components.
That ^^ is not where you Orbital Salvage, but it sure looks like a nice vacation spot. ... in serious news, Orbital Salvage has always been billed as high risk and high reward. With this update, we've fixed a bug in the card deck calculation that was causing too many hands to be tipped to have 3 positive cards and only 2 negative cards. This has caused some of the run-away successes that we've seen in Orbital Salvage where Captains can amass a vast pile of wealth on single orbital rumors. This change will help tip the balance back to where it should be -- high *risk* and high *reward*. In balancing this, we've also tweaked the Pirate's Talent "Nose for Loot". While it still swaps in a Rare Trade Good card, the number of RTGs uncovered is half of what the standard +5 card will draw. Finally, we fixed issues where remove Rare Trade Good rewards for winning crew combats during Orbital Salvage were not being not counting towards Awards and Unlocks. Yes, you've got to kill some pirates or xeno, but its another way to pile up those rewards!
A few more cool down changes to improve balance for the crews have gone into effect this release. Mechanic's System Flush has joined all other ship combat purge Talents at 6 weeks. The Quartermaster still reigns supreme at stopping mutinies, but the Calming Speech Talent's cool down has now been pushed out to 13 weeks. To help make Scouring Search stick out in the Spy card game, we've given it a new Talent icon. A huge thanks to all of our players making suggestions on how we can improve the game! Please tell a friend or leave a review :D
- Improved enemy ship builder AI -- increased upgrade paths, better allocation of upgrades, smarter at defensive module management - Fixed issues with several Mass 3400 and Mass 5000 mass ships that had unnecessary Mass Reducer components by default - Added 7 new Void Engine designs -- the Dual-Field engines - New 'Dual-Field' Void Engines provide minimal mass options at higher cost - Adjusted balance of Orbital Salvage so that card hands are more correctly balanced to have high risk -- more hands will draw with 3 negative cards - Adjusted orbital salvage Pirate Talent "Nose for Loot" to replace a risk card with Rare Trade Loot card, a smaller find of Rare Trade Goods (4-8) - Fixed issues where remote RTG stashes created after crew combats during Salvage were not counting towards Awards/Unlocks - Fixed issues where positive Reputation was being incorrectly reported with xeno during missions - Fixed issue with some story fights incorrectly giving you the option to bribe or retreat - Added new Talent icon for Spy's "Scouring Search" Talent - Adjusted Quartermaster's "Calming Speech" Talent cool down to 13 weeks - Adjusted Mechanic's "System Flush" Talent cool down to 6 weeks
[ 2019-01-23 17:56:00 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #130 comes with an exciting set of new Void Engines, big changes to how the enemy ship builder designs its ships, some critical balance changes to Orbital Salvage and a ton of other community suggested improvements and bug fixes.
We're hard at work laying the foundations for carriers/fighters and the next story Era. If you read between the Bexian tea leaves, you can see the enemy ship design rebuild being a direct product of needing to improve the AI's ability to accommodate fighter variations.
Thanks to everyone suggesting improvements, posting suggestions, telling a friend and leaving a review!
Here's Update #130, captains!
Enemy Ship Designs
Over the last few months of play, testing and component upgrades the AI has been preparing for a major upgrade. Update #130 begins this series of improvements to its upgrade routines, helping expand the total number of upgrading paths that the enemy ship builder can pick as well as improving the allocation of upgrades and especially of defensive upgrades. With this update, you will start to see some improved AI behavior, more weapon variation and better defensive stats on military captain types. From here, we've restructured the internal rule set of how the enemy upgrades its ships and we'll be making further changes in the coming series of updates.
Dual-Field Engines
Dual-Field engines provide another option for captain's with a stockpile of capital who are looking to use balanced engines. The Dual-Field technology allows similar Void Engine statline while reducing the Mass of the engine component by upwards of 30%. However, such technology doesn't run cheap and the costs can be as much as 200% higher than the standard engine. Still - the trade off can help free component slots. In balancing out these new engines, we also took a moment to review and correct issues with some Mass 3400 and Mass 5000 ships. Some of the ships had unnecessary mass reducing components installed in their default builds and those have now been swapped out for more exciting and functional components.
Salvaging Risks and Rare Trade Goods
That ^^ is not where you Orbital Salvage, but it sure looks like a nice vacation spot. ... in serious news, Orbital Salvage has always been billed as high risk and high reward. With this update, we've fixed a bug in the card deck calculation that was causing too many hands to be tipped to have 3 positive cards and only 2 negative cards. This has caused some of the run-away successes that we've seen in Orbital Salvage where Captains can amass a vast pile of wealth on single orbital rumors. This change will help tip the balance back to where it should be -- high *risk* and high *reward*. In balancing this, we've also tweaked the Pirate's Talent "Nose for Loot". While it still swaps in a Rare Trade Good card, the number of RTGs uncovered is half of what the standard +5 card will draw. Finally, we fixed issues where remove Rare Trade Good rewards for winning crew combats during Orbital Salvage were not being not counting towards Awards and Unlocks. Yes, you've got to kill some pirates or xeno, but its another way to pile up those rewards!
Talent Cool Downs
A few more cool down changes to improve balance for the crews have gone into effect this release. Mechanic's System Flush has joined all other ship combat purge Talents at 6 weeks. The Quartermaster still reigns supreme at stopping mutinies, but the Calming Speech Talent's cool down has now been pushed out to 13 weeks. To help make Scouring Search stick out in the Spy card game, we've given it a new Talent icon. A huge thanks to all of our players making suggestions on how we can improve the game! Please tell a friend or leave a review :D
v2.4.67 - 1/23/2019
- Improved enemy ship builder AI -- increased upgrade paths, better allocation of upgrades, smarter at defensive module management - Fixed issues with several Mass 3400 and Mass 5000 mass ships that had unnecessary Mass Reducer components by default - Added 7 new Void Engine designs -- the Dual-Field engines - New 'Dual-Field' Void Engines provide minimal mass options at higher cost - Adjusted balance of Orbital Salvage so that card hands are more correctly balanced to have high risk -- more hands will draw with 3 negative cards - Adjusted orbital salvage Pirate Talent "Nose for Loot" to replace a risk card with Rare Trade Loot card, a smaller find of Rare Trade Goods (4-8) - Fixed issues where remote RTG stashes created after crew combats during Salvage were not counting towards Awards/Unlocks - Fixed issues where positive Reputation was being incorrectly reported with xeno during missions - Fixed issue with some story fights incorrectly giving you the option to bribe or retreat - Added new Talent icon for Spy's "Scouring Search" Talent - Adjusted Quartermaster's "Calming Speech" Talent cool down to 13 weeks - Adjusted Mechanic's "System Flush" Talent cool down to 6 weeks
Update #129: Smooth the Trajectory
Known for the incredible durability of their spirits and their ships, the Zenrin House now offer level 5 upgrades for both Reinforced Structures and Armored Bulkheads. These new upgrades provide some of the best Void and Radiation damage resistance in the game and can be deployed to protect both crew and ship from damage. As new larger hull ships are introduced as well are better large slot upgrades, we are constantly working to test and maintain balance across all ship mass classes. As a balancing measure the survability of Mass 2400 and Mass 3400 Ship Engines has been increased by including both Armor and Shield in their profiles, which will make these ships slightly harder to kill as enemies and slightly more survivable when controlled by a player captain.
A big thanks to the community for sharing some more great ideas and suggestions with us this week. Especially to all of the streamers playing Star Traders: Frontiers. By request, we have made the map seed visible from the in game menu so it is easier to grab and share while playing. We've also added a varied sound effect for a negative Trait mutation so you know it the second it happens and can take a check of the event log. Finally, we've added a feature allowing you to set a waypoint to a mission from the mission cargo screen. By opening your Cargo screen, then mission cargo, you can see a list of all passengers, prisoners and packages you have on board. By clicking any of these items, your ship will route a new waypoint to that mission's next destination.
We talked about this last time,. but due to a glitch in the sequence of events it wasn't included in Update #128. Now in #129, we've made the previously mentioned changes to the Bounty Hunter Talents! We've changed the Initiative cost of 2 Bounty Hunter Talents -- increasing Unfaltering Ire to 10 and reducing Hunter's Challenge to 10. Also, the bonuses from Steadfast Aim have been reduce to flat +20% to Ranged Damage, Accuracy and Piercing.
- New Ship Component: Reinforced Structures 5 (Zenrin Faction) - New Ship Component: Armored Bulkheads 5 (Zenrin Faction) +20% Accuracy, +20% Piercing - Mass 2400 pattern changes -- increased base Armor to 3 and added 1 base Shielding to all M2400 Engines - M2400 Void Engine: Behemoth now has 5 Armor and 3 base Shielding - Revised pricing and install availability for Battle Bridge, Battle Prow 5, Hull Plating 5 - Revised mass, install price and install time for Armored Cargo Hold 4, Fuel-Cargo Hold 4 - Added New Trait Mutation Sound Effect (Negative Traits) - Click Mission Cargo (Passengers, Prisoners, Packages) to set Mission Waypoint - Added display of current game's Map Seed to map menu overlay - Bounty Hunter Talent Initiative changes: Hunter's Challenge only costs 10, Unfaltering Ire now costs 10 - Bounty Hunter Steadfast Aim changes, reduced self-buff to +20% Damage, - Fixed name mismatches for Eryn Razor at some points in story - Fixed bug with Pirate Talent 'Rigorous Search' - Fixed bug causing constant price decreases in some Steel Song starports
[ 2019-01-17 05:53:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #129 unfurls its sails with some amazing new ship components, some changes to the balance of some M2400 and M3400 Engines, new ability to set waypoints from your mission cargo screen, new SFX and the Bounty Hunter changes that were discussed with Update #128 but missed the launch boat.
New Components, Shifting Patterns
Known for the incredible durability of their spirits and their ships, the Zenrin House now offer level 5 upgrades for both Reinforced Structures and Armored Bulkheads. These new upgrades provide some of the best Void and Radiation damage resistance in the game and can be deployed to protect both crew and ship from damage. As new larger hull ships are introduced as well are better large slot upgrades, we are constantly working to test and maintain balance across all ship mass classes. As a balancing measure the survability of Mass 2400 and Mass 3400 Ship Engines has been increased by including both Armor and Shield in their profiles, which will make these ships slightly harder to kill as enemies and slightly more survivable when controlled by a player captain.
Community-Driven Improvements
A big thanks to the community for sharing some more great ideas and suggestions with us this week. Especially to all of the streamers playing Star Traders: Frontiers. By request, we have made the map seed visible from the in game menu so it is easier to grab and share while playing. We've also added a varied sound effect for a negative Trait mutation so you know it the second it happens and can take a check of the event log. Finally, we've added a feature allowing you to set a waypoint to a mission from the mission cargo screen. By opening your Cargo screen, then mission cargo, you can see a list of all passengers, prisoners and packages you have on board. By clicking any of these items, your ship will route a new waypoint to that mission's next destination.
Bounty Hunter Talents
We talked about this last time,. but due to a glitch in the sequence of events it wasn't included in Update #128. Now in #129, we've made the previously mentioned changes to the Bounty Hunter Talents! We've changed the Initiative cost of 2 Bounty Hunter Talents -- increasing Unfaltering Ire to 10 and reducing Hunter's Challenge to 10. Also, the bonuses from Steadfast Aim have been reduce to flat +20% to Ranged Damage, Accuracy and Piercing.
v2.4.63 - 1/16/2019
- New Ship Component: Reinforced Structures 5 (Zenrin Faction) - New Ship Component: Armored Bulkheads 5 (Zenrin Faction) +20% Accuracy, +20% Piercing - Mass 2400 pattern changes -- increased base Armor to 3 and added 1 base Shielding to all M2400 Engines - M2400 Void Engine: Behemoth now has 5 Armor and 3 base Shielding - Revised pricing and install availability for Battle Bridge, Battle Prow 5, Hull Plating 5 - Revised mass, install price and install time for Armored Cargo Hold 4, Fuel-Cargo Hold 4 - Added New Trait Mutation Sound Effect (Negative Traits) - Click Mission Cargo (Passengers, Prisoners, Packages) to set Mission Waypoint - Added display of current game's Map Seed to map menu overlay - Bounty Hunter Talent Initiative changes: Hunter's Challenge only costs 10, Unfaltering Ire now costs 10 - Bounty Hunter Steadfast Aim changes, reduced self-buff to +20% Damage, - Fixed name mismatches for Eryn Razor at some points in story - Fixed bug with Pirate Talent 'Rigorous Search' - Fixed bug causing constant price decreases in some Steel Song starports
Update #128: Industry and Military
Relying on their immense network of mining and refinery operations, Javat is able to offer Water-Fuel at a 10% discount at all of their starports. Where the price is below $10, the discount always cuts at least $1 off the price. On the military side -- out of reverence for military captains, all Cadar faction holdings reserve extra Spice and Medical supplies for captains bearing military rank. As the grade of your military rank increases, the reserved cache of spice and medical supplies increases. On the far side, Steel Song bestows great prestige upon those that carry their Edicts. Every grade of Edict grants a 1% discount on any and all starport upgrades -- from weapons to armor to new prison cells.
Thanks to our awesome community, we've got another player-requested feature in #128. The "Stash All" button in wilderness zones allows you to quickly drop everything in your cargo hold onto into a hidden stash.
With Update #128, we've changed the Initiative cost of 2 Bounty Hunter Talents -- increasing Unfaltering Ire to 10 and reducing Hunter's Challenge to 10. Also, the bonuses from Steadfast Aim have been reduce to flat +20% to Ranged Damage, Accuracy and Piercing. Across the board for character's gear, the bonuses to Damage have been reduced, from between 5% to 10% for some of the higher pieces of gear.
For those legendary captains who have died in the void or fighting to get back to it, the game over screen has gained some big improvements to help you remember their life and deeds. You can now gain access to the full Captain's Log as well as the Captain's Awards list in order to bask in their (fallen) glory!
We've also added over 100 new names to the game's name generator for added variety and more flavor. We've added 10 new barks for Traits like Drunk and upgraded the Trait mutator to avoid confusion combinations like Tense + Calm. And we've fixed a host of little bugs reported on Steam -- issues with the starting mission, different window size handling at different scaling, losing Rep with Indies and more. Thanks to everyone posting feedback and suggestions!
- New Javat Faction Bonus: Javat starports offer a 10% fuel discount on normal fuel prices - New Steel Song Faction Bonus: captains with Edicts gain discount on all upgrades in starport at 1% per Edict rank (rank 9 = 9% off) - New Cadar Faction Bonus: captains with military rank gain access to additional spice and doctor supplies - Added 11 new pieces of gear art for to round out the catalog - Added 10 new barks for characters by Trait (thanks Steam!) - In Memoriam screen now features the fallen Captain's Awards and Log (thanks Twitch!) - Added "Stash All" button for Wild Zones to dump entire hold to stash with one click - Increased list of names in the name generator by 10% (over 100 new names) - Bounty Hunter Talent Initiative changes: Hunter's Challenge only costs 10, Unfaltering Ire now costs 10 - Bounty Hunter Steadfast Aim changes, reduced self-buff to +20% Damage, +20% Accuracy, +20% Piercing - Improved Trait exclusion tables to avoid odd combinations - Reduced highest bonuses to ranged or melee damage granted by gear - Fixed bug where Arbiter's mission disappears after accepting it - Fixed bug allowing some missions to cause fake loss or gain or Rep with Independents - Fixed inconsistencies between System Atlas and Contact Detail around Recruiting and other Trait-base services - Fixed some inaccuracy in mission text - Improved UI responsiveness to certain screen sizes and scaling
[ 2019-01-13 23:27:19 CET ] [ Original post ]
In Update #128 the faction juggernauts of industry and military might gain their first set of faction-specific bonuses, another round of art additions finishes the gear catalogs, the game over screen gets a big boost, Bounty Hunter Talents get some rebalance and a new player-requested feature in "Stash All" in wild zones! It's big, its packed, its Update #128.
Javat, Cadar and Steel Song
Relying on their immense network of mining and refinery operations, Javat is able to offer Water-Fuel at a 10% discount at all of their starports. Where the price is below $10, the discount always cuts at least $1 off the price. On the military side -- out of reverence for military captains, all Cadar faction holdings reserve extra Spice and Medical supplies for captains bearing military rank. As the grade of your military rank increases, the reserved cache of spice and medical supplies increases. On the far side, Steel Song bestows great prestige upon those that carry their Edicts. Every grade of Edict grants a 1% discount on any and all starport upgrades -- from weapons to armor to new prison cells.
Stash All
Thanks to our awesome community, we've got another player-requested feature in #128. The "Stash All" button in wilderness zones allows you to quickly drop everything in your cargo hold onto into a hidden stash.
Crew Combat Balance
With Update #128, we've changed the Initiative cost of 2 Bounty Hunter Talents -- increasing Unfaltering Ire to 10 and reducing Hunter's Challenge to 10. Also, the bonuses from Steadfast Aim have been reduce to flat +20% to Ranged Damage, Accuracy and Piercing. Across the board for character's gear, the bonuses to Damage have been reduced, from between 5% to 10% for some of the higher pieces of gear.
Legendary Deaths
For those legendary captains who have died in the void or fighting to get back to it, the game over screen has gained some big improvements to help you remember their life and deeds. You can now gain access to the full Captain's Log as well as the Captain's Awards list in order to bask in their (fallen) glory!
And More, More More
We've also added over 100 new names to the game's name generator for added variety and more flavor. We've added 10 new barks for Traits like Drunk and upgraded the Trait mutator to avoid confusion combinations like Tense + Calm. And we've fixed a host of little bugs reported on Steam -- issues with the starting mission, different window size handling at different scaling, losing Rep with Indies and more. Thanks to everyone posting feedback and suggestions!
v2.4.61 - 1/13/2019
- New Javat Faction Bonus: Javat starports offer a 10% fuel discount on normal fuel prices - New Steel Song Faction Bonus: captains with Edicts gain discount on all upgrades in starport at 1% per Edict rank (rank 9 = 9% off) - New Cadar Faction Bonus: captains with military rank gain access to additional spice and doctor supplies - Added 11 new pieces of gear art for to round out the catalog - Added 10 new barks for characters by Trait (thanks Steam!) - In Memoriam screen now features the fallen Captain's Awards and Log (thanks Twitch!) - Added "Stash All" button for Wild Zones to dump entire hold to stash with one click - Increased list of names in the name generator by 10% (over 100 new names) - Bounty Hunter Talent Initiative changes: Hunter's Challenge only costs 10, Unfaltering Ire now costs 10 - Bounty Hunter Steadfast Aim changes, reduced self-buff to +20% Damage, +20% Accuracy, +20% Piercing - Improved Trait exclusion tables to avoid odd combinations - Reduced highest bonuses to ranged or melee damage granted by gear - Fixed bug where Arbiter's mission disappears after accepting it - Fixed bug allowing some missions to cause fake loss or gain or Rep with Independents - Fixed inconsistencies between System Atlas and Contact Detail around Recruiting and other Trait-base services - Fixed some inaccuracy in mission text - Improved UI responsiveness to certain screen sizes and scaling
Update #127: Farthest Reaches
An easy candidate for "most well-rounded 5K ship" the Reach Cruiser is a custom designed, heavily armored long-range cruiser build exclusively by the shipyards of Alta Mesa. Designed around an armored core of integrated Crew protection components, like the Alta Mesa Battle Bridge, the Reach Cruiser can protect a crew and soak up an incredible amount of punishment in battle and survive. Their reputation as the best shipwrights in the galaxy precede them, and the Reach Cruiser delivers!
Update #127 adds 4 new Large slot components and 1 Medium slot, beefing up the options available to any ship willing to trade its larger slot for additional cargo, fuel or armor. The Alta Mesa Battle Bridge (medium) is combat ready and heavily armored. Cadar's Battle Prow 5 (large) adds a ridiculous complement of Armor with a dash of Shield while Javat's Hull Plating puts Shield first and Armor second. Both large-scale components can provide a great deal of ship's needed defensive soak, at a trade for a good deal of jump cost in fuel. Thulun's new Armored Cargo Hold 4 (large) packs a 40 cargo hold and adds 65 Fuel while the De Valtos' Fuel-Cargo Hold puts more emphasis on 95 Fuel over 35 cargo. All of these large slot components provide a great deal of utility and free up smaller slots for other work, but all require more than 600 mass and add to jump cost. Packing a few of these large cargo and fuel options onto a ship can extend its range immensely, enabling you to cross multiple hostile quadrants without a need for a refill.
With Captain-only Traits now behind us, we're moving on to Faction specific rules. Update #127 has released the first wave of these new additions, showing the character and specializations of these factions. With the latest medical tech available to all citizens, cost of healing at De Valtos clinics is reduced by 20%. Employing a unique blend of holistic medicine, spice products and medical tech, cost of healing at Zenrin clinics is reduced by 20%. Plush with every comfort and type of spice, Rychart Spice Halls can raise crew Morale to 90 (instead of 80). If you're sailing the void past a Rychart world, the crew may clamor now for a quick stop to "top off" their Morale. Combining sure proficiency with advanced tech, Thulun starports repair ship hull and component damage in 20% less time than elsewhere. Unrivaled expertise in ship construction eases upgrade cycles, Alta Mesa starports install new components in 15% less time than elsewhere. Known to be both stubborn and of robust health, Zenrin Contacts live 30% longer than normal. More Faction specific rules will be coming, so don't be salty if your faction was not included in this go round!
With this release, we've added 3 new Traits suggested by @drspendlove from our awesome community: Hypochondriac, Fierce and Paranoid. You'll encounter new recruits who may have these Traits and will see them mutating onto your existing crew. Those with Hypochondriac cost twice as much to heal, Fierce characters gain +15% Piercing, +1 Strength and -1 Charisma while Paranoid characters gain +2 Initiative, but lose -2 Wisdom and all Morale gains are reduced by 50%. The Trait Conditioning of the Gestalt Technologists can remove Hypochondriac ... for a price. We've also fixed two issues with the Captain-only Traits. In some cases, the Zealot's Single-Minded Trait was incorrectly stating that it increased Fortitude, which it does not. We've also fixed a bug with the Diplomat's Honorable Trait which was causing positive Reputation gains with the enemy faction during missions.
- New Faction-specific Ship: Reach Cruiser, a heavily armored long range cruiser - New Ship Component: Battle Bridge (Alta Mesa) - New Ship Component: Battle Prow 5 (Cadar) - New Ship Component: Hull Plating 5 (Javat) - New Ship Component: Armored Cargo Hold 4 (Thulun) - New Ship Component: Fuel-Cargo Hold 4 (De Valtos) - Rebalanced Vrax Hauler base hull stats - Revenant Trait now grants immunity to a failed Death Save one time; then it is removed - Added 3 new Traits: Hypochondriac (doubles price for healing), Fierce (-1 Charisma, +1 Strength, +15% Piercing), Paranoid (all Morale gains reduced by 50%, +2 Initiative, -2 Wisdom) - Gestalt Technologist can use their trait conditioning service to remove Hypochondriac - New Thulun Faction Bonus: Thulun starports repair ship hull and component damage in 25% less time than other starports - New Alta Mesa Faction Bonus: Alta Mesa starports install new components in 15% less time than other starports - New Zenrin Faction Bonus: Zenrin Contacts live 30% longer than normal - New Rychart Faction Bonus: De Valtos Spice Halls can raise crew Morale to 90 instead of 80 at other spice halls - New Zenrin and De Valtos Faction Bonuses: price of doctor services at Zenrin or De Valtos is 20% lower than other factions - Added new art for character's gear - Corrected description of Zealot's Single-Minded Trait (+2 Resilience, +2 Init, +10% All Dmg, Never Morale Breaks in Crew Combat) - Fixed bug with Honorable Diplomat Trait causing positive Rep gain with enemy faction - Fixed bug where Spicing from the Spice Hall detail screen did not take Turns
[ 2019-01-09 17:17:58 CET ] [ Original post ]
Let's keep the new year cheer rolling with another big update! With #127, we're rolling out the Alta Mesa faction-specific ship, 5 big new components, 3 new Traits, 6 new faction special rules, new art for character gear and more! Step onto the bridge, captain, and let's sail.
Alta Mesa's Reach Cruiser
An easy candidate for "most well-rounded 5K ship" the Reach Cruiser is a custom designed, heavily armored long-range cruiser build exclusively by the shipyards of Alta Mesa. Designed around an armored core of integrated Crew protection components, like the Alta Mesa Battle Bridge, the Reach Cruiser can protect a crew and soak up an incredible amount of punishment in battle and survive. Their reputation as the best shipwrights in the galaxy precede them, and the Reach Cruiser delivers!
Large-scale Components
Update #127 adds 4 new Large slot components and 1 Medium slot, beefing up the options available to any ship willing to trade its larger slot for additional cargo, fuel or armor. The Alta Mesa Battle Bridge (medium) is combat ready and heavily armored. Cadar's Battle Prow 5 (large) adds a ridiculous complement of Armor with a dash of Shield while Javat's Hull Plating puts Shield first and Armor second. Both large-scale components can provide a great deal of ship's needed defensive soak, at a trade for a good deal of jump cost in fuel. Thulun's new Armored Cargo Hold 4 (large) packs a 40 cargo hold and adds 65 Fuel while the De Valtos' Fuel-Cargo Hold puts more emphasis on 95 Fuel over 35 cargo. All of these large slot components provide a great deal of utility and free up smaller slots for other work, but all require more than 600 mass and add to jump cost. Packing a few of these large cargo and fuel options onto a ship can extend its range immensely, enabling you to cross multiple hostile quadrants without a need for a refill.
Faction Special Rules
With Captain-only Traits now behind us, we're moving on to Faction specific rules. Update #127 has released the first wave of these new additions, showing the character and specializations of these factions. With the latest medical tech available to all citizens, cost of healing at De Valtos clinics is reduced by 20%. Employing a unique blend of holistic medicine, spice products and medical tech, cost of healing at Zenrin clinics is reduced by 20%. Plush with every comfort and type of spice, Rychart Spice Halls can raise crew Morale to 90 (instead of 80). If you're sailing the void past a Rychart world, the crew may clamor now for a quick stop to "top off" their Morale. Combining sure proficiency with advanced tech, Thulun starports repair ship hull and component damage in 20% less time than elsewhere. Unrivaled expertise in ship construction eases upgrade cycles, Alta Mesa starports install new components in 15% less time than elsewhere. Known to be both stubborn and of robust health, Zenrin Contacts live 30% longer than normal. More Faction specific rules will be coming, so don't be salty if your faction was not included in this go round!
New Traits and Tweaking Captain Traits
With this release, we've added 3 new Traits suggested by @drspendlove from our awesome community: Hypochondriac, Fierce and Paranoid. You'll encounter new recruits who may have these Traits and will see them mutating onto your existing crew. Those with Hypochondriac cost twice as much to heal, Fierce characters gain +15% Piercing, +1 Strength and -1 Charisma while Paranoid characters gain +2 Initiative, but lose -2 Wisdom and all Morale gains are reduced by 50%. The Trait Conditioning of the Gestalt Technologists can remove Hypochondriac ... for a price. We've also fixed two issues with the Captain-only Traits. In some cases, the Zealot's Single-Minded Trait was incorrectly stating that it increased Fortitude, which it does not. We've also fixed a bug with the Diplomat's Honorable Trait which was causing positive Reputation gains with the enemy faction during missions.
v2.4.59 - 1/9/2019
- New Faction-specific Ship: Reach Cruiser, a heavily armored long range cruiser - New Ship Component: Battle Bridge (Alta Mesa) - New Ship Component: Battle Prow 5 (Cadar) - New Ship Component: Hull Plating 5 (Javat) - New Ship Component: Armored Cargo Hold 4 (Thulun) - New Ship Component: Fuel-Cargo Hold 4 (De Valtos) - Rebalanced Vrax Hauler base hull stats - Revenant Trait now grants immunity to a failed Death Save one time; then it is removed - Added 3 new Traits: Hypochondriac (doubles price for healing), Fierce (-1 Charisma, +1 Strength, +15% Piercing), Paranoid (all Morale gains reduced by 50%, +2 Initiative, -2 Wisdom) - Gestalt Technologist can use their trait conditioning service to remove Hypochondriac - New Thulun Faction Bonus: Thulun starports repair ship hull and component damage in 25% less time than other starports - New Alta Mesa Faction Bonus: Alta Mesa starports install new components in 15% less time than other starports - New Zenrin Faction Bonus: Zenrin Contacts live 30% longer than normal - New Rychart Faction Bonus: De Valtos Spice Halls can raise crew Morale to 90 instead of 80 at other spice halls - New Zenrin and De Valtos Faction Bonuses: price of doctor services at Zenrin or De Valtos is 20% lower than other factions - Added new art for character's gear - Corrected description of Zealot's Single-Minded Trait (+2 Resilience, +2 Init, +10% All Dmg, Never Morale Breaks in Crew Combat) - Fixed bug with Honorable Diplomat Trait causing positive Rep gain with enemy faction - Fixed bug where Spicing from the Spice Hall detail screen did not take Turns
Update #126: Relentless
The 8 new Traits cover Commander, Diplomat Explorer and Scavenger Professions. The new Commander Trait Indomitable grants a ship combat buff, adding +10% Accuracy, +5% Defense and +10% Protection against Crew and Morale Damage/Turn. With a Commander on the bridge, the crew is less likely to come apart under stress. Their second Trait, Motivating, adds bonus +2 Charisma, +2 Wisdom, +1 Initiate and helps them resist Debuffs in crew combat 20% of the time. Notably, +2 Wisdom is equivalent to +1 Initiative. The Diplomat is the master negotiator and works most efficiently in missions and with a wide network on Contacts. Their Trait Honorable increases Personal and Faction Rep gain for completing mission steps by +1 to +2 and reduces negative Rep for mission steps by 1 always. This can stack with Talents as well! Their second Trait, Smooth adds +3 Charisma, +2 Wisdom and reduces the price of Contact Introductions by 15%. Explorers sail the void from end to end, seeking lost artifacts and treasures. Their Overkeen Trait doubles the chance of xeno artifact cards being drawn and grants a +10% success rate to Mission cards. Overkeen's doubling for xeno artifacts works best when there was already a good chance of artifacts to be had, so it is still important to find the best worlds to explore. Second, their Voyager Trait adds +2 Wisdom, +1 Resilience and reduces the time and fuel consumption for traveling by 10%. No one can long haul like an explorer! Finally, Scavengers are the master of hunting out the orbital salvage and finding value in anyone's trash. Junker allows the Scavenger to effect repairs to 2 ship components up to their Repair Skill whenever salvaging an enemy ship or drawing a Orbital Salvage card that gives credits. Second, Roughneck grants +2 Fortitude and +2 Wisdom and a 10% chance to learn about a Salvage Rumor when spicing. While the Roughneck ability can help pick up on random Salvage Rumors, you'll still need dedicated Contacts to keep up with all the options.
For Zealot's Single-Minded Trait, we dropped a +1 Fortitude in trade for a +2 Initiative, beefing their ability in crew combat to hit hard and hit fast. To help Assassins dodge bullets and blades, we've added a +10% Dodge and +10% Parry bonus to their Stalker buff, which only fires when a combat starts with a Captain or Officer in the enemy ranks.
Sniper's has gained a new rank 15 Talent, Trick of the Eye which fires at the start of a crew combat turn. This powerful On Init Talent includes a Stealth buff and helps the Sniper return over and over again into a hidden position from which he or she can use her most powerful Talents. We've also rebalanced One-Shot to have 55% Crit Chance instead of 45% and removed the "Requires Stealth" clause from the On Init debuff, Target Acquired, allowing the Sniper to be more offensive early with their On Init Talent.
With Update #126, we've brought all ship combat purge Talents -- be they ship, crew or both -- under a single cool down banner of 6 weeks. For some, this is shorter and others it is longer. Keep this in mind when allocating your ship combat Talents an consider stacking an extra option or two to make sure you don't run out if you end up in multiple fights. We've also buffed Mechanic's System Flush rank 5 Talent to not only purge ship crippling effects but also include a small buff as well.
Terrox Xeno have had their engines modified to be a bit faster again. With the TERROX milestone, they lost a lot of Speed points and we've restored some but not all of those points. They will be a bit harder to flee and more dangerous at long range again. The Gossip Trait now relies on Charisma to find Rumors instead of a flag 20%. There it is folks :D
- Added 8 new unique Captain-only Traits by Profession for all new starting Commander, Diplomat, Explorer and Scavenger Captains - Commander gains Indomitable (+10% Accuracy, +5% Defense, +10% Protection against Crew and Morale Dmg/Turn in Ship Combat) and Motivating (+2 Charisma, +2 Wisdom, +1 Initiative, +20% Debuff Resist) - Diplomat gains Honorable (bonus Personal and faction Rep for all missions, mitigate negative Rep) and Smooth (+3 Charisma, +2 Wisdom, reduces Contact Introduction prices) - Explorer gains Overkeen (double chance of finding xeno artifacts, +10% success rate on Explore Missions) and Voyager (+2 Wisdom, +1 Resilience and reduces traveling fuel consumption by 10%) - Scavenger gains Junker (repairs 2 ship components whenever salvaging enemy ship or Salvage cards granting credit) and Roughneck (+2 Fortitude, +2 Wisdom, gain 10% chance to learn a Salvage Rumor when Spicing) - Zealot's "Single-Minded" Trait gains +2 Initiative and loses +1 Fortitude - Assassin's "Stalker" Trait Buff that fires when facing enemy officer/captain gains +10% Dodge and +10% Parry - Added new Rank 15 Sniper Talent "Trick of the Eye" -- this On Init crew combat Talent Engages Stealth mode - Sniper's "One-Shot" Talent increases Crit % to 55% - Sniper's aggressive On Init Talent "Target Acquired" no longer requires Stealth Mode to activate - Mechanic's rank 5 "System Flush" Talent purges ship crippling effects but also gives a buff resisting Component and Crew Damage over Time - Rebalanced cool down on all Talents that purge ship or crew effects in ship combat to 6 weeks (shorter for "Regimented Order" and "Failsafe Protocols") - Changed "Gossip" Trait to use a Charisma % instead of a flat 20% chance to learn Rumors - Adjusted Speed and Agility of Terrox Cruiser, Heavy Cruiser and Spine engines - Improved wording of warnings about Trade War and Trade Bans in Exchange
[ 2019-01-04 02:32:46 CET ] [ Original post ]
We're ringing in the new year by getting back to our relentless pace of updates! Welcome to the 3rd update in 5 days! If you like the constant stream of improvements, please tell a friend and post a review.
With update #126, we've added 8 more unique Captain-only Traits covering the last 4 Jobs and closing out this arc of development. We are very happy with the overall changes which have helped to differentiate the careers in exciting ways without going so far as to remove any of the playstyle options for your captains. A Merchant may be the best trader, but trading is still valuable part of most other captain type's careers. We'll keep balancing and tweaking these as we go.
We've also rounded out the Sniper's Talent set with a new rank 15 Talent and rebalanced a few of their Talents to fit better with the new addition.
On with it!
New Captain Traits
The 8 new Traits cover Commander, Diplomat Explorer and Scavenger Professions. The new Commander Trait Indomitable grants a ship combat buff, adding +10% Accuracy, +5% Defense and +10% Protection against Crew and Morale Damage/Turn. With a Commander on the bridge, the crew is less likely to come apart under stress. Their second Trait, Motivating, adds bonus +2 Charisma, +2 Wisdom, +1 Initiate and helps them resist Debuffs in crew combat 20% of the time. Notably, +2 Wisdom is equivalent to +1 Initiative. The Diplomat is the master negotiator and works most efficiently in missions and with a wide network on Contacts. Their Trait Honorable increases Personal and Faction Rep gain for completing mission steps by +1 to +2 and reduces negative Rep for mission steps by 1 always. This can stack with Talents as well! Their second Trait, Smooth adds +3 Charisma, +2 Wisdom and reduces the price of Contact Introductions by 15%. Explorers sail the void from end to end, seeking lost artifacts and treasures. Their Overkeen Trait doubles the chance of xeno artifact cards being drawn and grants a +10% success rate to Mission cards. Overkeen's doubling for xeno artifacts works best when there was already a good chance of artifacts to be had, so it is still important to find the best worlds to explore. Second, their Voyager Trait adds +2 Wisdom, +1 Resilience and reduces the time and fuel consumption for traveling by 10%. No one can long haul like an explorer! Finally, Scavengers are the master of hunting out the orbital salvage and finding value in anyone's trash. Junker allows the Scavenger to effect repairs to 2 ship components up to their Repair Skill whenever salvaging an enemy ship or drawing a Orbital Salvage card that gives credits. Second, Roughneck grants +2 Fortitude and +2 Wisdom and a 10% chance to learn about a Salvage Rumor when spicing. While the Roughneck ability can help pick up on random Salvage Rumors, you'll still need dedicated Contacts to keep up with all the options.
Captain Trait Updates
For Zealot's Single-Minded Trait, we dropped a +1 Fortitude in trade for a +2 Initiative, beefing their ability in crew combat to hit hard and hit fast. To help Assassins dodge bullets and blades, we've added a +10% Dodge and +10% Parry bonus to their Stalker buff, which only fires when a combat starts with a Captain or Officer in the enemy ranks.
Sniper's Trick of the Eye
Sniper's has gained a new rank 15 Talent, Trick of the Eye which fires at the start of a crew combat turn. This powerful On Init Talent includes a Stealth buff and helps the Sniper return over and over again into a hidden position from which he or she can use her most powerful Talents. We've also rebalanced One-Shot to have 55% Crit Chance instead of 45% and removed the "Requires Stealth" clause from the On Init debuff, Target Acquired, allowing the Sniper to be more offensive early with their On Init Talent.
Ship Combat Purges
With Update #126, we've brought all ship combat purge Talents -- be they ship, crew or both -- under a single cool down banner of 6 weeks. For some, this is shorter and others it is longer. Keep this in mind when allocating your ship combat Talents an consider stacking an extra option or two to make sure you don't run out if you end up in multiple fights. We've also buffed Mechanic's System Flush rank 5 Talent to not only purge ship crippling effects but also include a small buff as well.
Final Tweaks
Terrox Xeno have had their engines modified to be a bit faster again. With the TERROX milestone, they lost a lot of Speed points and we've restored some but not all of those points. They will be a bit harder to flee and more dangerous at long range again. The Gossip Trait now relies on Charisma to find Rumors instead of a flag 20%. There it is folks :D
v2.4.57 - 1/3/2018
- Added 8 new unique Captain-only Traits by Profession for all new starting Commander, Diplomat, Explorer and Scavenger Captains - Commander gains Indomitable (+10% Accuracy, +5% Defense, +10% Protection against Crew and Morale Dmg/Turn in Ship Combat) and Motivating (+2 Charisma, +2 Wisdom, +1 Initiative, +20% Debuff Resist) - Diplomat gains Honorable (bonus Personal and faction Rep for all missions, mitigate negative Rep) and Smooth (+3 Charisma, +2 Wisdom, reduces Contact Introduction prices) - Explorer gains Overkeen (double chance of finding xeno artifacts, +10% success rate on Explore Missions) and Voyager (+2 Wisdom, +1 Resilience and reduces traveling fuel consumption by 10%) - Scavenger gains Junker (repairs 2 ship components whenever salvaging enemy ship or Salvage cards granting credit) and Roughneck (+2 Fortitude, +2 Wisdom, gain 10% chance to learn a Salvage Rumor when Spicing) - Zealot's "Single-Minded" Trait gains +2 Initiative and loses +1 Fortitude - Assassin's "Stalker" Trait Buff that fires when facing enemy officer/captain gains +10% Dodge and +10% Parry - Added new Rank 15 Sniper Talent "Trick of the Eye" -- this On Init crew combat Talent Engages Stealth mode - Sniper's "One-Shot" Talent increases Crit % to 55% - Sniper's aggressive On Init Talent "Target Acquired" no longer requires Stealth Mode to activate - Mechanic's rank 5 "System Flush" Talent purges ship crippling effects but also gives a buff resisting Component and Crew Damage over Time - Rebalanced cool down on all Talents that purge ship or crew effects in ship combat to 6 weeks (shorter for "Regimented Order" and "Failsafe Protocols") - Changed "Gossip" Trait to use a Charisma % instead of a flat 20% chance to learn Rumors - Adjusted Speed and Agility of Terrox Cruiser, Heavy Cruiser and Spine engines - Improved wording of warnings about Trade War and Trade Bans in Exchange
Update #125: From the Front Lines
With this update, we've added 2 more unique environments to the set -- a unique and beautiful radiation outpost and a molten world wilderness. As we keep rolling out more and more of these, we are excited to see multiple variations now backing almost every type of environment and habitation level (wild, outpost, large urban). We'll keep adding more!
Across 4 more professions we've added 8 new Traits to give these captain types far superior abilities that help hone and focus career paths. As each of the four has crew combat Skills, they are come with one Trait focused on crew combat abilities and another focused on their other roles in the wider galaxy. Assassins are the exception to the rule as they are so heavily crew combat focused. They now gain the On Edge Trait which grants +1 Strength, +1 Fortitude and +3 Initiative to improve their combat stats. Second, their Stalker Trait comes into play on the first round of any combat in which the enemy team includes a officer or a captain. In this case, the Assassin immediately gains the Stalker Buff for 2 turns, which grants both Stealth Mode and +15% Critical -- they are ready to strike immediately! The Bounty Hunter has gained Born Hunter which increases _2 Resilience, +10% Accuracy and +2 Initiative to help them hit faster and harder in battle. Their second Trait, Relentless fires whenever they complete a mission step that requires an Edict and grants additional credits, additional Rep bonuses and a small amount of XP for the captain alone. Military Officers have gained Conditioned which helps round out their overall combat strength with a bonus of +1 Quickness, +2 Fortitude, +10% Armor and +10% Accuracy. Their second Trait, Protector, gives them unique bonuses in Orbital Operations. Whenever they encounter a mission step that relies on Blockade or Patrol orbital operation, they gain a bonus that sets the mission card's start success rate up to 30%. Second, if any orbital card grants bonus Rep, they gain +2 to +4 additional points. Finally, Zealots face their challenges head on and never waver. With their Single-Minded Trait they gain +1 Fortitude, +2 Resilience +10% Damage and they never suffer Morale Breaks in battle. Never retreat! Their second trait, Warhawk, increases their impact on any Conflict Score by +3 to +4 points and they also gain a small amount of personal XP upon impacting a Conflict. This set brings a new level of unique abilities into the game and we can't wait to deliver on the remaining 4 Professions!
We've updated the #124 Traits a bit -- Lawful now helps reduce hostility of Bounty Hunters instead of Explaorers. We also adjusted Spy "Infiltrator" to add +2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma instead of +3 Charisma. Finally, we made some changes to the Trait mutation rules to ensure that these Captain-only Traits don't bump up against any other Traits that seem overly contradictory.
In other news, we increased cooldown of Crew Dog's "Failsafe Protocols" to 9 weeks from 3 weeks. We also fixed a major bug with the Arbiter storyline where Estelle would refuse to give you a third mission in some circumstances. We renamed 3 crew armor and 2 ship weapons to avoid some naming overlaps.
- Added 2 new environmental art boards, molten wilderness and radiation outpost - Added 8 new unique Captain-only Traits by Profession for all new starting Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Military Officer and Zealot Captains - Assassin gains Stalker (gains Stealth buff at start of combat with enemy officer/captain) and On Edge (bonus Strength, Fortitude and Initiaive in crew combat) Traits - Bounty Hunter gains Relentless (bonus credits, Rep and XP for Edict missions) and Born Hunter (bonus Resilience, Accuracy and Initiative in crew combat) Traits - Military Officer gains Protector (gains bonus Rep from all Orbital Ops cards that grant Rep and Blockade or Patrol Missions start at 30% success) and Conditioned (bonus Quickness, Fortitude, armor and accuracy in crew combat) Traits - Zealot gains Antagonistic (bonus conflict score and XP whenever impacting Conflict) and Single-Minded (bonus Fortitude, Resilience, Damage and Never Breaks! in crew combat) Traits - Adjusted Spy "Infiltrator" to add +2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma instead of +3 Charisma - Adjusted Merchant "Lawful" Trait to reduce hostility of Bounty Hunters instead of Explorers - Improved Trait mutation rules around Captains to avoid some odd Trait sets - Increased cooldown of Crew Dog's "Failsafe Protocols" to 9 weeks from 3 weeks - Fixed story bug where Arbiter Brokstrom would refuse to give third story mission (most often while Kober is on board) - Increased occurrence of extortion cards during Blockade - Fixed bug preventing credit count from updating during ship encounter - Fixed name duplicates in some crew combat armor, ship Gravcannons - Fixed screen layout on Game Over screen
[ 2019-01-02 03:58:06 CET ] [ Original post ]
Happy New Year, captains!
We're excited to ring in 2019 with the ongoing sale (25% off) and a big new update. Update #125 focuses on the new Captain-only Traits for those captain types that are ready to enter crew-combat -- Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Military Officer and Zealot. We've also added more art, fixed some of the newly added Traits from #124 and balanced, tweaked and fixed many other things.
New Environments
With this update, we've added 2 more unique environments to the set -- a unique and beautiful radiation outpost and a molten world wilderness. As we keep rolling out more and more of these, we are excited to see multiple variations now backing almost every type of environment and habitation level (wild, outpost, large urban). We'll keep adding more!
8 New Captain-only Traits
Across 4 more professions we've added 8 new Traits to give these captain types far superior abilities that help hone and focus career paths. As each of the four has crew combat Skills, they are come with one Trait focused on crew combat abilities and another focused on their other roles in the wider galaxy. Assassins are the exception to the rule as they are so heavily crew combat focused. They now gain the On Edge Trait which grants +1 Strength, +1 Fortitude and +3 Initiative to improve their combat stats. Second, their Stalker Trait comes into play on the first round of any combat in which the enemy team includes a officer or a captain. In this case, the Assassin immediately gains the Stalker Buff for 2 turns, which grants both Stealth Mode and +15% Critical -- they are ready to strike immediately! The Bounty Hunter has gained Born Hunter which increases _2 Resilience, +10% Accuracy and +2 Initiative to help them hit faster and harder in battle. Their second Trait, Relentless fires whenever they complete a mission step that requires an Edict and grants additional credits, additional Rep bonuses and a small amount of XP for the captain alone. Military Officers have gained Conditioned which helps round out their overall combat strength with a bonus of +1 Quickness, +2 Fortitude, +10% Armor and +10% Accuracy. Their second Trait, Protector, gives them unique bonuses in Orbital Operations. Whenever they encounter a mission step that relies on Blockade or Patrol orbital operation, they gain a bonus that sets the mission card's start success rate up to 30%. Second, if any orbital card grants bonus Rep, they gain +2 to +4 additional points. Finally, Zealots face their challenges head on and never waver. With their Single-Minded Trait they gain +1 Fortitude, +2 Resilience +10% Damage and they never suffer Morale Breaks in battle. Never retreat! Their second trait, Warhawk, increases their impact on any Conflict Score by +3 to +4 points and they also gain a small amount of personal XP upon impacting a Conflict. This set brings a new level of unique abilities into the game and we can't wait to deliver on the remaining 4 Professions!
Trait Updates
We've updated the #124 Traits a bit -- Lawful now helps reduce hostility of Bounty Hunters instead of Explaorers. We also adjusted Spy "Infiltrator" to add +2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma instead of +3 Charisma. Finally, we made some changes to the Trait mutation rules to ensure that these Captain-only Traits don't bump up against any other Traits that seem overly contradictory.
All the Rest
In other news, we increased cooldown of Crew Dog's "Failsafe Protocols" to 9 weeks from 3 weeks. We also fixed a major bug with the Arbiter storyline where Estelle would refuse to give you a third mission in some circumstances. We renamed 3 crew armor and 2 ship weapons to avoid some naming overlaps.
v2.4.55 - 1/1/2019
- Added 2 new environmental art boards, molten wilderness and radiation outpost - Added 8 new unique Captain-only Traits by Profession for all new starting Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Military Officer and Zealot Captains - Assassin gains Stalker (gains Stealth buff at start of combat with enemy officer/captain) and On Edge (bonus Strength, Fortitude and Initiaive in crew combat) Traits - Bounty Hunter gains Relentless (bonus credits, Rep and XP for Edict missions) and Born Hunter (bonus Resilience, Accuracy and Initiative in crew combat) Traits - Military Officer gains Protector (gains bonus Rep from all Orbital Ops cards that grant Rep and Blockade or Patrol Missions start at 30% success) and Conditioned (bonus Quickness, Fortitude, armor and accuracy in crew combat) Traits - Zealot gains Antagonistic (bonus conflict score and XP whenever impacting Conflict) and Single-Minded (bonus Fortitude, Resilience, Damage and Never Breaks! in crew combat) Traits - Adjusted Spy "Infiltrator" to add +2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma instead of +3 Charisma - Adjusted Merchant "Lawful" Trait to reduce hostility of Bounty Hunters instead of Explorers - Improved Trait mutation rules around Captains to avoid some odd Trait sets - Increased cooldown of Crew Dog's "Failsafe Protocols" to 9 weeks from 3 weeks - Fixed story bug where Arbiter Brokstrom would refuse to give third story mission (most often while Kober is on board) - Increased occurrence of extortion cards during Blockade - Fixed bug preventing credit count from updating during ship encounter - Fixed name duplicates in some crew combat armor, ship Gravcannons - Fixed screen layout on Game Over screen
Update #124: The Captain Alone
These new Traits are only available to newly created Captains in the first four professions -- Merchant, Smuggler, Pirate and Spy. They can never appear through Trait mutation, so they are bonuses only available to Captains. In addition, we've added the ability for Traits to grant permanent buffs during Ship Combat to help these Captain types that focus on a certain style. New Pirate captains will gain the Uncompromising Trait, which adds to Attributes as well as doubling all rewards for Tribute in ship encounters and all extortion card during Blockade. Smuggler captains gain Exploiter Trait which adds a flat +10% profit to every sale in the Black Market as well as Flighty Trait which bumps Escape, Defense and Shield in ship combat to help protect the ship from damage and make escaping the law easier. Spy captains gain Infiltrator which increases the profit of all Intel sales by +15% and Slippery which bumps Escape, Shield and Critical Hit chance in ship combat as the Spy may either flee or strike a deadly blow at any moment. Finally, Merchants gain Exacting Trait which grants a flat +10% bonus to all trades in the Exchange as well as Lawful Trait which reduces the hostility of all law-abiding ships by 1 point (Military Officers, Merchants, Explorers and Zealots) making it easier to sale the stars legally and peacefully. This is the first set of Captain-only Traits and we're rolling them out as the first testing grounds. We'll be working our way down the profession list now without much delay.
The galaxy is sprawling place and we've added two new landing zone art boards to help increase the variety of the sights to see. A new molten world outpost and desert world outpost have joined the set.
This one is a display change only -- the rules have not changed. In the past, the percentage chance that armor would prevent a Piercing hit was (50+Deflection) - Piercing. This created a situation where the extra 50% was sort of hidden and you could not directly compare Deflection and Piercing values without doing extra math. In order to simplify the ability to visually compare values, all Armors have increased their Deflection % by 50% and we have changed the rules to simply be that the chance to avoid a Piercing hit is: (Deflection - Piercing)%. If this is above 100%, no piercing hit will ever happen and if it is below 0%, it is always piercing. So, there is no rule change here, only a change in how the rules are displayed.
- Added 8 new unique Captain-only Traits by Profession for all new starting Merchant, Pirate, Smuggler or Spy Captains - Captain-only Traits have the special option to add constant ship buffs for ship combat - Pirate gains Uncompromising (doubles tribute and blockade bribes) and Marauder (ship combat bonuses to close and kill) Traits - Smuggler gains Exploiter (adds +10% profit to black market) and Flighty (ship combat bonuses to flee and reduce damage) Traits - Merchant gains Exacting (adds +10% profit to exchange trades) and Lawful (reduces hostility when encountering mil officers, merchants, zealots and explorers) Traits - Spy gains Infiltrator (adds +15% profit to intel sales) and Slippery (ship combat bonuses to flee or strike critical hit) Traits - Added 2 new environmental art boards, desert world and molten world outposts - Fixed display of crew combat armor Deflection % to be clearer to the eye - Adjusted Deflection % for Weapon Locker A1 and A2 armors - Improved icongraphy for Captain's Log entries - Corrected label on "Set Waypoint" button in Galactic Map (was "Navigate")
[ 2018-12-30 22:45:17 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #124 begins a new and exciting arc of Traits for Captains by introducing Captain-only Traits for our first 4 Professions -- Merchant, Smuggler, Pirate and Spy. We've also added new environmet art, simplified display of Deflection % and made a number of community requrested improvements to the UI.
Happy New Year to everyone -- here it comes!
Captain-only Traits
These new Traits are only available to newly created Captains in the first four professions -- Merchant, Smuggler, Pirate and Spy. They can never appear through Trait mutation, so they are bonuses only available to Captains. In addition, we've added the ability for Traits to grant permanent buffs during Ship Combat to help these Captain types that focus on a certain style. New Pirate captains will gain the Uncompromising Trait, which adds to Attributes as well as doubling all rewards for Tribute in ship encounters and all extortion card during Blockade. Smuggler captains gain Exploiter Trait which adds a flat +10% profit to every sale in the Black Market as well as Flighty Trait which bumps Escape, Defense and Shield in ship combat to help protect the ship from damage and make escaping the law easier. Spy captains gain Infiltrator which increases the profit of all Intel sales by +15% and Slippery which bumps Escape, Shield and Critical Hit chance in ship combat as the Spy may either flee or strike a deadly blow at any moment. Finally, Merchants gain Exacting Trait which grants a flat +10% bonus to all trades in the Exchange as well as Lawful Trait which reduces the hostility of all law-abiding ships by 1 point (Military Officers, Merchants, Explorers and Zealots) making it easier to sale the stars legally and peacefully. This is the first set of Captain-only Traits and we're rolling them out as the first testing grounds. We'll be working our way down the profession list now without much delay.
New Environments
The galaxy is sprawling place and we've added two new landing zone art boards to help increase the variety of the sights to see. A new molten world outpost and desert world outpost have joined the set.
Crew Armor Deflection
This one is a display change only -- the rules have not changed. In the past, the percentage chance that armor would prevent a Piercing hit was (50+Deflection) - Piercing. This created a situation where the extra 50% was sort of hidden and you could not directly compare Deflection and Piercing values without doing extra math. In order to simplify the ability to visually compare values, all Armors have increased their Deflection % by 50% and we have changed the rules to simply be that the chance to avoid a Piercing hit is: (Deflection - Piercing)%. If this is above 100%, no piercing hit will ever happen and if it is below 0%, it is always piercing. So, there is no rule change here, only a change in how the rules are displayed.
v2.4.51 - 12/30/2018
- Added 8 new unique Captain-only Traits by Profession for all new starting Merchant, Pirate, Smuggler or Spy Captains - Captain-only Traits have the special option to add constant ship buffs for ship combat - Pirate gains Uncompromising (doubles tribute and blockade bribes) and Marauder (ship combat bonuses to close and kill) Traits - Smuggler gains Exploiter (adds +10% profit to black market) and Flighty (ship combat bonuses to flee and reduce damage) Traits - Merchant gains Exacting (adds +10% profit to exchange trades) and Lawful (reduces hostility when encountering mil officers, merchants, zealots and explorers) Traits - Spy gains Infiltrator (adds +15% profit to intel sales) and Slippery (ship combat bonuses to flee or strike critical hit) Traits - Added 2 new environmental art boards, desert world and molten world outposts - Fixed display of crew combat armor Deflection % to be clearer to the eye - Adjusted Deflection % for Weapon Locker A1 and A2 armors - Improved icongraphy for Captain's Log entries - Corrected label on "Set Waypoint" button in Galactic Map (was "Navigate")
Save 25% and Update #123: Year End
We've added two new oceanic environmental art pieces with Update #123, one for a wilderness and out for an outpost.
We're happy that the new xeno did not increase the difficulty so much as to make a slaughter :D There were a few places where they got too weak and a few places they got too strong and in this release we are smoothing them out. One of the biggest items was their ability to buff and debuff Initiative which was all a bit too powerful. This release smooths out their curve and on the whole reduces these Talents by about 20% when it comes to Initiative changes. In addition, we've made changes to the xeno ship specialist jobs. Much like Pilot, Gunner, etc -- xeno have ship-focused specialists. While we are working on xeno-only Talents for these specialists, this update changes the Skill allocation for these Jobs. You'll find that even after you cut through the xeno dedicated fighting crew, the resistance in their ship specialists Jobs will be stiffer, with more attack and defense Skills.
With this update, we've done some improved sorting of ships in new game but most importantly we've put the small, medium and large slot counts front and center whenever you're looking at a ship. These counts now appear in new game, as well as when you are shopping to buy a new ship hull and finally also in dry dock. These counts are priceless when comparing ships, so its an easy way to see what you are looking at.
With #123, we've started loading the faction-specific rules into the faction picker during new game. This will help you know what you're getting into when picking a faction. We've started by adding the rule about Moklumnue's intra-network 15% trading bonus and will move forward from there.
- Added 2 new environmental art boards, oceanic wilderness and oceanic outpost - Small, Medium and Large slot counts are shown for a ship hull in new game, starport, dry dock - Reduce Terrox xeno Talents that buff and debuff Initiative values by 20% - Increased combat Skills for ship-focused Terrox xeno types, stiffer resistance in their crew ranks - Improved listing of Faction-specific special rules when picking Faction in new game, such as Moklumnue +15% profit for intra-network trading - Increased Jump Cost penalty for Reinforced Barracks 5 to 3 Fuel up from 2 - Fixed bug where Contact might die or be removed by story and missions or mission cargo would be left hanging - Fixed bug which was preventing ship components such as Surface Scanner from increasing Intel found during Exploration - Fixed bug where Plague Blockade Rumor was making it hard to land on wilderness zones - Fixed bug with some Plague missions appearing before the Era - Removed slim chance that fighting crew recruited from worlds with less than 4 Danger might have Pacifist Trait to start - Improved sorting of ships in new game list - Fixed bug in ship initialization during combat that was placing engine burner and firing missiles from incorrect locations - Fixed issues with engine burner size and placement for some ships
[ 2018-12-28 22:00:58 CET ] [ Original post ]
Perhaps the last update of 2018, #123 brings the curtain down on an year. We want to thank everyone in our community who helped bolster us, share feedback, help improve the game, loop their friends in, review the game or lend advice, help or support to another player. We could not have gotten here without you!
We're proud to have been included in Steam's Best Early Access Grads of 2018 due to your support -- so thank you!
Oceans Wide
We've added two new oceanic environmental art pieces with Update #123, one for a wilderness and out for an outpost.
Xeno Balance
We're happy that the new xeno did not increase the difficulty so much as to make a slaughter :D There were a few places where they got too weak and a few places they got too strong and in this release we are smoothing them out. One of the biggest items was their ability to buff and debuff Initiative which was all a bit too powerful. This release smooths out their curve and on the whole reduces these Talents by about 20% when it comes to Initiative changes. In addition, we've made changes to the xeno ship specialist jobs. Much like Pilot, Gunner, etc -- xeno have ship-focused specialists. While we are working on xeno-only Talents for these specialists, this update changes the Skill allocation for these Jobs. You'll find that even after you cut through the xeno dedicated fighting crew, the resistance in their ship specialists Jobs will be stiffer, with more attack and defense Skills.
Improved Ship Display
With this update, we've done some improved sorting of ships in new game but most importantly we've put the small, medium and large slot counts front and center whenever you're looking at a ship. These counts now appear in new game, as well as when you are shopping to buy a new ship hull and finally also in dry dock. These counts are priceless when comparing ships, so its an easy way to see what you are looking at.
Faction Specific Rules
With #123, we've started loading the faction-specific rules into the faction picker during new game. This will help you know what you're getting into when picking a faction. We've started by adding the rule about Moklumnue's intra-network 15% trading bonus and will move forward from there.
v2.4.49 - 12/281/2018
- Added 2 new environmental art boards, oceanic wilderness and oceanic outpost - Small, Medium and Large slot counts are shown for a ship hull in new game, starport, dry dock - Reduce Terrox xeno Talents that buff and debuff Initiative values by 20% - Increased combat Skills for ship-focused Terrox xeno types, stiffer resistance in their crew ranks - Improved listing of Faction-specific special rules when picking Faction in new game, such as Moklumnue +15% profit for intra-network trading - Increased Jump Cost penalty for Reinforced Barracks 5 to 3 Fuel up from 2 - Fixed bug where Contact might die or be removed by story and missions or mission cargo would be left hanging - Fixed bug which was preventing ship components such as Surface Scanner from increasing Intel found during Exploration - Fixed bug where Plague Blockade Rumor was making it hard to land on wilderness zones - Fixed bug with some Plague missions appearing before the Era - Removed slim chance that fighting crew recruited from worlds with less than 4 Danger might have Pacifist Trait to start - Improved sorting of ships in new game list - Fixed bug in ship initialization during combat that was placing engine burner and firing missiles from incorrect locations - Fixed issues with engine burner size and placement for some ships
Update #122: Major Milestone "TERROX"
As we shared when Star Traders: Frontiers launched out of Early Access, we're just getting going. Frontiers is already huge and sprawling experience, but we have exciting plans to keep expanding it aggressively as we have shared in our development roadmap. The TERROX milestone is the second major delivery in the v2.4.x family and leaves just one more Era and Job to go before we transition into the long awaited v2.5.x family.
The Terrox xeno have always been the death lurking at the edges of known space or terrorizing shipping lanes under an ill-omen Rumor. But, when you have had to face them they have always stuck in the lane -- deadly but consistent and without much variation. The TERROX release brings new angles to these deadly adversaries. Some of additions are worse, some are easier but all of them provide more options, more variation and demand more of your captains to survive. First, we've added 2 new types of Terrox ships -- the Terrox Spine is light and fast ship which may be more difficult to escape but is less of a threat to fight head on. As the Eras march on and the threat level of the Frontier's difficulty curve reaches a certain threshold, you will also start to encounter the Xeno Heavy Cruiser -- bigger, badder and packing even more firepower than the original cruiser. Of course, it is also much slower and easier to escape. Second, in addition to adding 2 new ship hulls, we've expanded the Terrox component catalog to allow their ship builder AI to exercise more options and controls to move them about in their lane, and so new options emerge, fast and deadly, long range, short range, armored boarder.
Third, we've created full blown unique Jobs for the crew combat xeno with as much detail as any human Job. These two new Jobs are for the Hunter (already seen) and Scittering (brand new) and comprise all new fighting abilities, buffs and debuffs that make fighting xeno up close even more dicey. As we continue to push forward after the TERROX milestone, we'll see even more unique crew combat Jobs appearing. For those players who have enjoyed Templar Battleforce, you'll recognize the Scittering and you'll certainly also know the next set of additions as well. https://store.steampowered.com/app/370020/Templar_Battleforce/
With Update #122, we've added a new Bounty Hunter and Assassin Talent. For Bounty Hunters, we've added a boarding victory Talent that unleashes their Intimidate Skill against the enemy crew, causing major Morale damage. For Assassins, we've connected them more closely to death warrants by giving them a Talent that discounts the purchase of Edicts. Because once you carry an Edict, you have access to the best assassination jobs! In another big boon to Bounty Hunters -- Red Badge Talent now works on wild zone missions!
We're now pressing forward with a series of changes that will push the crew combat meta into an even better place, building on the success of the ELDER Initiative system. Recently, we've increased the Deflection values of all armors in order to make the Piercing values of weapons and Talents more meaningful. With Update #122, we've reduced high Accuracy bonuses on Talents that have another primary purpose in order to make Buffs and Gear more important. The specific Talents that had their high Accuracy bonuses reduced are: Suppressing Fire, Burrowing Shots, Skewering Thrust and Bullet Trace. Also, to help simplify the Resistance meta for special damage types, we've rolled the resistance stat for Fire, Plasma and Radiation into a single value: Energy Resist. Bleed and Poison have stayed as their own entities with Damage and Resist stats. This will become more important as we keep charging into new xenoform types, weapons and gear. We've fixed a few things -- improving the duration of Soldier's Covering Fire Buff from 2 to 3 and we've fixed the combat log misrepresenting Plasma Damage from Talents.
With another major milestone knocked down, we're onto the final item in the v2.4.x family -- a new Era and a new Job. You might be able to guess that both are going to be related to xeno in their own way. The Job will be Xeno Hunter and I won't spoil the era! And then, yes on to v2.5.x we will go!
- Xeno Terrox variety arrives in deadly expansion -- new ships, new xenoforms, new Talents - Added 2 new xeno ship types - the Xeno Spine (light and fast) and the high level only Xeno Heavy Cruiser (heavy and mean) - Added more xeno ship components, more builds and variation in ship and crew - New fast and deadly Terrox xenoform in crew combat: the Scittering (as seen in Templar Battleforce) - Added 22 new unique and powerful crew combat Talents for Xeno Hunters and Scitterings -- debuffs, radiation, poison and bleeding! - Improved xeno ship and crew combatant animations - Added new rank 5 Assassin Talent "Silent Executioner" reduces the price of Edicts by 10% + Stealth Skill - Added new rank 8 Bounty Hunter Talent "Cold-blooded Threats" -- reduces Morale of 3 enemy crew after boarding victory with up to 40 + Intimidate Skill - Bounty Hunter Talent "Red Badge" now works for missions in the wilderness - Collapsed Resistance for Fire / Plasma / Radiation into a single Energy Resist stat for all Traits, Talents, etc (Bleed and Poison still separate) - Fixed issue for crew combat log that was not causing Plasma Damage Talents to properly log their special damage - Reduce excessive Accuracy bonuses for Attack Talents (Suppressing Fire, Burrowing Shots, Skewering Thrust, Bullet Trace) -- improving the value of buffs, buffing attacks and gear - Improved duration of Covering Fire's buff from 2 to 3 Turns - Fixed Retired Exo-Scout Contact type to hire Explorers - Adjusted story mission timers to be more aware of distance to mission target (such as Prime Pilgrimage) - Fixed issues with Valencia being unwilling to come aboard your ship after you talk to Calagan Faen about it - Improved iconography within the landing zone
[ 2018-12-20 03:08:23 CET ] [ Original post ]
The major milestone TERROX unleashes new and wicked forms of the Terrox xeno into the galaxy at large. While the xeno still haunt only the dangerous wilderness and mostly gather around Rumors of their presence, encountering them will bring a less predictable challenge each time. With Update #122, we've expanded the Terrox ship and crew combatant variations, added new Talents for the Bounty Hunter and Assassin and continued the pressure on improving the balance and focus of crew combat meta as we have done over last few releases.
Another Strike Against v2.4.x
As we shared when Star Traders: Frontiers launched out of Early Access, we're just getting going. Frontiers is already huge and sprawling experience, but we have exciting plans to keep expanding it aggressively as we have shared in our development roadmap. The TERROX milestone is the second major delivery in the v2.4.x family and leaves just one more Era and Job to go before we transition into the long awaited v2.5.x family.
Terrors of the Void
The Terrox xeno have always been the death lurking at the edges of known space or terrorizing shipping lanes under an ill-omen Rumor. But, when you have had to face them they have always stuck in the lane -- deadly but consistent and without much variation. The TERROX release brings new angles to these deadly adversaries. Some of additions are worse, some are easier but all of them provide more options, more variation and demand more of your captains to survive. First, we've added 2 new types of Terrox ships -- the Terrox Spine is light and fast ship which may be more difficult to escape but is less of a threat to fight head on. As the Eras march on and the threat level of the Frontier's difficulty curve reaches a certain threshold, you will also start to encounter the Xeno Heavy Cruiser -- bigger, badder and packing even more firepower than the original cruiser. Of course, it is also much slower and easier to escape. Second, in addition to adding 2 new ship hulls, we've expanded the Terrox component catalog to allow their ship builder AI to exercise more options and controls to move them about in their lane, and so new options emerge, fast and deadly, long range, short range, armored boarder.
Third, we've created full blown unique Jobs for the crew combat xeno with as much detail as any human Job. These two new Jobs are for the Hunter (already seen) and Scittering (brand new) and comprise all new fighting abilities, buffs and debuffs that make fighting xeno up close even more dicey. As we continue to push forward after the TERROX milestone, we'll see even more unique crew combat Jobs appearing. For those players who have enjoyed Templar Battleforce, you'll recognize the Scittering and you'll certainly also know the next set of additions as well. https://store.steampowered.com/app/370020/Templar_Battleforce/
New Talents
With Update #122, we've added a new Bounty Hunter and Assassin Talent. For Bounty Hunters, we've added a boarding victory Talent that unleashes their Intimidate Skill against the enemy crew, causing major Morale damage. For Assassins, we've connected them more closely to death warrants by giving them a Talent that discounts the purchase of Edicts. Because once you carry an Edict, you have access to the best assassination jobs! In another big boon to Bounty Hunters -- Red Badge Talent now works on wild zone missions!
Crew Combat Changes
We're now pressing forward with a series of changes that will push the crew combat meta into an even better place, building on the success of the ELDER Initiative system. Recently, we've increased the Deflection values of all armors in order to make the Piercing values of weapons and Talents more meaningful. With Update #122, we've reduced high Accuracy bonuses on Talents that have another primary purpose in order to make Buffs and Gear more important. The specific Talents that had their high Accuracy bonuses reduced are: Suppressing Fire, Burrowing Shots, Skewering Thrust and Bullet Trace. Also, to help simplify the Resistance meta for special damage types, we've rolled the resistance stat for Fire, Plasma and Radiation into a single value: Energy Resist. Bleed and Poison have stayed as their own entities with Damage and Resist stats. This will become more important as we keep charging into new xenoform types, weapons and gear. We've fixed a few things -- improving the duration of Soldier's Covering Fire Buff from 2 to 3 and we've fixed the combat log misrepresenting Plasma Damage from Talents.
What's Next?
With another major milestone knocked down, we're onto the final item in the v2.4.x family -- a new Era and a new Job. You might be able to guess that both are going to be related to xeno in their own way. The Job will be Xeno Hunter and I won't spoil the era! And then, yes on to v2.5.x we will go!
v2.4.45 - 12/20/2018
- Xeno Terrox variety arrives in deadly expansion -- new ships, new xenoforms, new Talents - Added 2 new xeno ship types - the Xeno Spine (light and fast) and the high level only Xeno Heavy Cruiser (heavy and mean) - Added more xeno ship components, more builds and variation in ship and crew - New fast and deadly Terrox xenoform in crew combat: the Scittering (as seen in Templar Battleforce) - Added 22 new unique and powerful crew combat Talents for Xeno Hunters and Scitterings -- debuffs, radiation, poison and bleeding! - Improved xeno ship and crew combatant animations - Added new rank 5 Assassin Talent "Silent Executioner" reduces the price of Edicts by 10% + Stealth Skill - Added new rank 8 Bounty Hunter Talent "Cold-blooded Threats" -- reduces Morale of 3 enemy crew after boarding victory with up to 40 + Intimidate Skill - Bounty Hunter Talent "Red Badge" now works for missions in the wilderness - Collapsed Resistance for Fire / Plasma / Radiation into a single Energy Resist stat for all Traits, Talents, etc (Bleed and Poison still separate) - Fixed issue for crew combat log that was not causing Plasma Damage Talents to properly log their special damage - Reduce excessive Accuracy bonuses for Attack Talents (Suppressing Fire, Burrowing Shots, Skewering Thrust, Bullet Trace) -- improving the value of buffs, buffing attacks and gear - Improved duration of Covering Fire's buff from 2 to 3 Turns - Fixed Retired Exo-Scout Contact type to hire Explorers - Adjusted story mission timers to be more aware of distance to mission target (such as Prime Pilgrimage) - Fixed issues with Valencia being unwilling to come aboard your ship after you talk to Calagan Faen about it - Improved iconography within the landing zone
Update #121: Void Liner
Now that the project to improve the rendering, placement and proportion of feminine faces is complete, we're opening up the gates on new faces. With 4 new ones released last release, we've finished the next 3 to include here. While we're adding hew female faces, we're also starting the (large) project to improve the rendering, placement and proportion of all the male faces in the game, and then we'll promptly expand that catalog as well with exciting new options.
The enemy's team building AI and specifically the AI builder behind Assassin's Talents has gotten smarter. The team builder for crew combat teams is better capable of delivering well-balanced teams that have the variety of Talents needed for synergy and victory. The Assassin's builds are more focused on core skills to ensure the combatant is dangerous in their signature way. Talking about the Assassin, we've reduced the Initiative cost of their Gliding Advance bufff to 8 from 10.
We're also continuing the project to add more card art for all of the mini-games with a particular focus on the orbital ops at the moment. We've added new cards for all Intel and Credit rewards. We've improved the event list log for Rare Trade Goods transactions, fixed some bugs in gear and a bug with the Discerning Glance Talent that was revealing all Traits from characters. We fixed the ship status button in ship and crew combat to match its icon in other places. A huge thanks to everyone pointing out bugs and making suggestions to improve the game!
- Added 3 new female character faces - Rebuilt AI builder for Assassin enemies -- far better at picking Talents as individuals and across the team - Improved enemy AI's logic of picking and positioning ground combat crews -- more variety, better starting placement - Reduced Assassin's "Gliding Advance" Talent to Initiative cost of 8 - Terrox Xeno hunters now have a death animation when slain - Added new card art for all Intel and Credit reward cards to Orbital Ops - Fixed issue with ship report after ship combat reporting all components even if 0% damage - Fixed issue with Discerning Glance learning all Traits - Fixed Accuracy bonus for "XK Burst Ammo" gear to be Ranged Accuracy - Restored missing thumbs to female character models and fixed other oddities in certain outfits - Improved Event List entry for selling Rare Trade Goods - Fixed Ship Status button in ship and crew combat to use the correct icon
[ 2018-12-16 19:39:55 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #121 includes new character faces, more dangerous enemy AI, rebalanced Assassin Talent, and is paving the shipping lane for the next major roadmap item. Just in time for the holiday, we've got another big update here with exciting goodies. Next up, we should see something truly terrifying (xeno variety) -- so enjoy the good stuff!
New Faces Around the Ship
Now that the project to improve the rendering, placement and proportion of feminine faces is complete, we're opening up the gates on new faces. With 4 new ones released last release, we've finished the next 3 to include here. While we're adding hew female faces, we're also starting the (large) project to improve the rendering, placement and proportion of all the male faces in the game, and then we'll promptly expand that catalog as well with exciting new options.
Smarter AI
The enemy's team building AI and specifically the AI builder behind Assassin's Talents has gotten smarter. The team builder for crew combat teams is better capable of delivering well-balanced teams that have the variety of Talents needed for synergy and victory. The Assassin's builds are more focused on core skills to ensure the combatant is dangerous in their signature way. Talking about the Assassin, we've reduced the Initiative cost of their Gliding Advance bufff to 8 from 10.
And More
We're also continuing the project to add more card art for all of the mini-games with a particular focus on the orbital ops at the moment. We've added new cards for all Intel and Credit rewards. We've improved the event list log for Rare Trade Goods transactions, fixed some bugs in gear and a bug with the Discerning Glance Talent that was revealing all Traits from characters. We fixed the ship status button in ship and crew combat to match its icon in other places. A huge thanks to everyone pointing out bugs and making suggestions to improve the game!
v2.4.41 - 12/16/2018
- Added 3 new female character faces - Rebuilt AI builder for Assassin enemies -- far better at picking Talents as individuals and across the team - Improved enemy AI's logic of picking and positioning ground combat crews -- more variety, better starting placement - Reduced Assassin's "Gliding Advance" Talent to Initiative cost of 8 - Terrox Xeno hunters now have a death animation when slain - Added new card art for all Intel and Credit reward cards to Orbital Ops - Fixed issue with ship report after ship combat reporting all components even if 0% damage - Fixed issue with Discerning Glance learning all Traits - Fixed Accuracy bonus for "XK Burst Ammo" gear to be Ranged Accuracy - Restored missing thumbs to female character models and fixed other oddities in certain outfits - Improved Event List entry for selling Rare Trade Goods - Fixed Ship Status button in ship and crew combat to use the correct icon
Update #120: Roar of the Hall
With Update #120, we've completed the first half of a major project to improve and expand the character face options. First, we've done some upgrades in re-rendering the female faces as well as improvement placement and proportions across the board. On top of that, we're now adding new faces and have included 6 new characters with this update -- really getting started toward to doubling the head count! Next, we'll be finishing the project with the other half of the faces and then just focusing on adding more and more characters.
First off, recruited characters now gain some Attribute bonuses for being higher level. The higher the character's level, the better the bonuses, all the way up to level 8+. In addition, we've done some work to better tailor the bonuses for Attributes to each Job specifically. Swordsman are more likely to be strong and tough while Diplomats will gain more of their bonuses in Charisma and Wisdom. This is not a hard line but the Job better informs the bonus selection for Attributes. You may still find fast and wise Swordsman, but they are more likely to fall toward their Job tendencies now. Second -- being a high Rank or Permit carrying Captain imparts powerful level increasing bonuses when recruiting from Contacts. Now, those same bonuses are applied to recruiting in the spice hall. Above Rank 2 grants +1 levels to Soldiers, Pistoleers and Swordsman while Rank 5 grants +2 and carrying Rank 11 or higher grants a +1 additional level to every Job type. This is a huge boon for ranking military captains. In addition, if you are carrying a Permit and recruit Smugglers through the Spice Festival Rumor you can gain up to +2 levels for your high level Permits. As the different sources of bonuses have stacked up, we've now included a small note in the side bar for every bonus type -- Rumor, Rank and Permit so that it is clear why each Job is at any given level. With these new level boosts, it is possible under the very best circumstances (Rank 11, Mercenaries Rumor) to recruit a level 7 military character such as a Swordsman or Soldier. Of course, under the same circumstances, you could pick up a level 12+ character from a Contact.
Explorer has gained a new rank 11 Talent, the "Rarest Find" which turns up 8-16 Rare Trade Goods card. Like Exo-Scout's "Artifact Hunter" Talent, there is a Danger-based chance that this will turn up Rare Trade Goods and a Pirate fight. These two new cards (Rare Trade Good find and Rare Trade Goods protected by pirates) have also been added into the draws and may occur naturally. The Rare Trade Good type you find is based on the world type you are on -- Deserts can find Kongon Locusts, etc -- but there is also always the chance that you turn up xeno artifacts.
When faced with a possible Fatal Accident card (or any of its variations), the status of any available Life Saver Talent is now visible at the bottom of the card. You can see above on the left the card is displayed without a Talent to prevent the fatality -- a crew member will take a death save if this card is drawn. On the right you can see the card when there is a waiting life saving Talent to prevent the death, either from a Doctor or other Job. So -- now you can quickly gauge just how risky a hand is when these cards come up. In the case of Salvage dual fatality, the card will display whether you have one or two life saving Talents ready. And finally, there is one Salvage card "Unavoidable Fatality" that is not stopped by a life saving Talent and this card now more clearly describes its rules.
Thanks to the players requesting the Learn Salvage Rumor filter -- now added to the contact list!
- Added 6 new female character faces - Completed overhaul of female faces and outfits -- improved rendering, placement and proportions as well as other point issues - Recruit level bonuses for Military Rank and Permits now also apply in a faction Spice Hall -- find those high level crew! - Recruiting in the Spice Hall now clearly lists the bonuses for different Rumors, Ranks and Permits - Attributes of Recruits are now better influenced by level -- higher level recruits gain better bonuses - Attributes bonuses for Recruits are now better influenced by Job type, the bonuses are focused on primary Attributes (higher level Swordsman are more likely to be strong and tough) - Added new rank 11 Explorer Talent "Rarest Find" draws a Rare Trade Goods card based on world type with a Danger-based risk of pirate guards - Added 2 new Explorer cards "Rare Discovery" and "Contraband Loot", a Rare Trade Goods find and a Rare Trade Goods guarded by pirates respectively - Contact List Filter now includes an option for "Learn Salvage Rumor" - Improved Talent selection when landing on a zone -- Talents like "Listening Post" with X% success will not block other Talents from firing if they fail - Improved Crew Fatality cards in Orbital Ops and Salvage cards -- all cards now accurately report whether there are Life Saver Talents ready to prevent death - Fixed Ship Report after ship combat to ensure all damaged compoents are now (not only above 10%) - Fixed bug causing Recruiting Talents to not go on cool down sometimes when recruit had Mysterious Trait
[ 2018-12-11 20:21:31 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #120 is sure to be a crowd pleaser with some major improvements to the recruiting rules, the completion of a big re-rendering project for feminine characters, added 6 new character faces, new Explorer Talents and Rare Trade Good cards and more!
If you enjoy the relentless updates and the work we are putting into Star Traders: Frontiers please take moment to leave a review and tell a friend!
Art Upgrades + 6 New Faces
With Update #120, we've completed the first half of a major project to improve and expand the character face options. First, we've done some upgrades in re-rendering the female faces as well as improvement placement and proportions across the board. On top of that, we're now adding new faces and have included 6 new characters with this update -- really getting started toward to doubling the head count! Next, we'll be finishing the project with the other half of the faces and then just focusing on adding more and more characters.
Recruiting Bonuses
First off, recruited characters now gain some Attribute bonuses for being higher level. The higher the character's level, the better the bonuses, all the way up to level 8+. In addition, we've done some work to better tailor the bonuses for Attributes to each Job specifically. Swordsman are more likely to be strong and tough while Diplomats will gain more of their bonuses in Charisma and Wisdom. This is not a hard line but the Job better informs the bonus selection for Attributes. You may still find fast and wise Swordsman, but they are more likely to fall toward their Job tendencies now. Second -- being a high Rank or Permit carrying Captain imparts powerful level increasing bonuses when recruiting from Contacts. Now, those same bonuses are applied to recruiting in the spice hall. Above Rank 2 grants +1 levels to Soldiers, Pistoleers and Swordsman while Rank 5 grants +2 and carrying Rank 11 or higher grants a +1 additional level to every Job type. This is a huge boon for ranking military captains. In addition, if you are carrying a Permit and recruit Smugglers through the Spice Festival Rumor you can gain up to +2 levels for your high level Permits. As the different sources of bonuses have stacked up, we've now included a small note in the side bar for every bonus type -- Rumor, Rank and Permit so that it is clear why each Job is at any given level. With these new level boosts, it is possible under the very best circumstances (Rank 11, Mercenaries Rumor) to recruit a level 7 military character such as a Swordsman or Soldier. Of course, under the same circumstances, you could pick up a level 12+ character from a Contact.
Hunting Rare Trade Goods
Explorer has gained a new rank 11 Talent, the "Rarest Find" which turns up 8-16 Rare Trade Goods card. Like Exo-Scout's "Artifact Hunter" Talent, there is a Danger-based chance that this will turn up Rare Trade Goods and a Pirate fight. These two new cards (Rare Trade Good find and Rare Trade Goods protected by pirates) have also been added into the draws and may occur naturally. The Rare Trade Good type you find is based on the world type you are on -- Deserts can find Kongon Locusts, etc -- but there is also always the chance that you turn up xeno artifacts.
Life Saver Talent
When faced with a possible Fatal Accident card (or any of its variations), the status of any available Life Saver Talent is now visible at the bottom of the card. You can see above on the left the card is displayed without a Talent to prevent the fatality -- a crew member will take a death save if this card is drawn. On the right you can see the card when there is a waiting life saving Talent to prevent the death, either from a Doctor or other Job. So -- now you can quickly gauge just how risky a hand is when these cards come up. In the case of Salvage dual fatality, the card will display whether you have one or two life saving Talents ready. And finally, there is one Salvage card "Unavoidable Fatality" that is not stopped by a life saving Talent and this card now more clearly describes its rules.
Salvage Rumor Filter
Thanks to the players requesting the Learn Salvage Rumor filter -- now added to the contact list!
v2.4.39 - 12/11/2018
- Added 6 new female character faces - Completed overhaul of female faces and outfits -- improved rendering, placement and proportions as well as other point issues - Recruit level bonuses for Military Rank and Permits now also apply in a faction Spice Hall -- find those high level crew! - Recruiting in the Spice Hall now clearly lists the bonuses for different Rumors, Ranks and Permits - Attributes of Recruits are now better influenced by level -- higher level recruits gain better bonuses - Attributes bonuses for Recruits are now better influenced by Job type, the bonuses are focused on primary Attributes (higher level Swordsman are more likely to be strong and tough) - Added new rank 11 Explorer Talent "Rarest Find" draws a Rare Trade Goods card based on world type with a Danger-based risk of pirate guards - Added 2 new Explorer cards "Rare Discovery" and "Contraband Loot", a Rare Trade Goods find and a Rare Trade Goods guarded by pirates respectively - Contact List Filter now includes an option for "Learn Salvage Rumor" - Improved Talent selection when landing on a zone -- Talents like "Listening Post" with X% success will not block other Talents from firing if they fail - Improved Crew Fatality cards in Orbital Ops and Salvage cards -- all cards now accurately report whether there are Life Saver Talents ready to prevent death - Fixed Ship Report after ship combat to ensure all damaged compoents are now (not only above 10%) - Fixed bug causing Recruiting Talents to not go on cool down sometimes when recruit had Mysterious Trait
Update #119: Scour the Wilds
For a long time, discussions about the Exo-Scout as a combat class have been swirling around the Steam forums our Discord. With this update, we've finally put into place a series of changes that help re-balance the placement of the Exo-Scout and Explorer in the game. This an important set of changes but we know it shifts the balance tables a bit. Excited to hear your feedback! First, Exo-Scouts have had their Skill progression rebuilt to focus on Rifles as their primary, Exploration as their secondary and now adding Evasion to the mix. This gives Exo-Scout some defensive abilities while maintaining their offensive advantages. Also, it shifts the balance of which Jobs have Explorer Skill so that Explorer is best, Exo-Scout is second. For Talents, we've done two renames to kick things off. We have renamed Explorer "Artifact Hunter" to "Artifact Profiteer" and Exo-Scout "Resolute Hunter" to "Artifact Hunter". In addition, the (newly renamed) "Artifact Hunter" Talent has its cool down extended to 9 weeks as well as a Danger-based chance to draw a "Xeno Spore" card instead of a simple Artifact reward card. This will still net 8-16 Artifacts but comes along with a xeno fight as well. Higher Danger zones have a increased chance to draw this, but even in the worst possible scenario its still a low %. When your Exo-Scouts go seeking xeno artifacts ... expect to find xeno sometimes.
New game has gotten smarter and snazzier with this release. First, we've added a new option -- Skip Intro. As a game that encourages replay, we know a lot of players make a lot of new captains. Skip Intro cuts the entire intro scene down to a single line of dialog -- a reminder about the Arbiter waiting -- so its a single click to get playing now. In addition, New Games now remember your last choices for Difficulty, Faction and Skip Intro. If you've got a favorite setup, this will help streamline your process. Finally, we made some really helpful clarifications in the Custom Difficulty tooltips to be clear what the baselines were and what choices make certain aspects of the game harder or easier.
With Update #119, we've started a process of shifting some of the balance again in crew combat. This time, we've pushed the Deflection % values for every armor higher. As this was an across the board increase, this change is really more about weapons. Now, weapons that have lower Piercing % are even less likely to punch through heavier armor while those with higher Piercing % really shine for that specific attribute. Especially when stacking with Buffs now, you can achieve a Deflection % that can be hard to take down, unless your enemy is wielding something heavy or a sniper rifle. More tweaks and rebalances will be forthcoming as we push for the next level up on crew combat.
- Exo-Scout Skills rebuilt, now Rifles, Explorer, Evasion in priority order - For clarity, Renamed Explorer "Artifact Hunter" to "Artifact Profiteer" and Exo-Scout "Resolute Hunter" to "Artifact Hunter" - Exo-Scout "Artifact Hunter" now has a Danger-based chance to draw Artifact Guarded by Xeno card - Exo-Scout "Artifact Hunter" cool down extended to 9 weeks - Starting Faction and Difficulty choices are now remembered from the last New Game - Added "Skip Intro" option to New Game for faster start, also remembered - Increased Deflection % across the board on crew armor, making Piercing % more defining for weapons - Increased Piercing % for all Grenade Attacks - Fixed Wisdom Attribute display in Orbital Salvage Reward Factors - Improved consistency of button style in crew detail / talents / jobs / promotion - Clarified rules in Custom Difficulty tooltips - Increased performance for new games and loading games
[ 2018-12-05 20:11:51 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #119 shifts the balance of Exploration by updating Exo-Scout Skills and adds more spice to an important Exo-Scout Talent. We're excited to see new Job combos and playstyles emerge as these new changes go into affect.
We've also streamlined the new game experience for our repeat players and made the first round of big tweaks to crew combat math, with every armor's Deflection % going up. More coming soon on this one.
Thanks to everyone supporting our efforts and for sharing or review the game!
Exo-Scout Rebuild
For a long time, discussions about the Exo-Scout as a combat class have been swirling around the Steam forums our Discord. With this update, we've finally put into place a series of changes that help re-balance the placement of the Exo-Scout and Explorer in the game. This an important set of changes but we know it shifts the balance tables a bit. Excited to hear your feedback! First, Exo-Scouts have had their Skill progression rebuilt to focus on Rifles as their primary, Exploration as their secondary and now adding Evasion to the mix. This gives Exo-Scout some defensive abilities while maintaining their offensive advantages. Also, it shifts the balance of which Jobs have Explorer Skill so that Explorer is best, Exo-Scout is second. For Talents, we've done two renames to kick things off. We have renamed Explorer "Artifact Hunter" to "Artifact Profiteer" and Exo-Scout "Resolute Hunter" to "Artifact Hunter". In addition, the (newly renamed) "Artifact Hunter" Talent has its cool down extended to 9 weeks as well as a Danger-based chance to draw a "Xeno Spore" card instead of a simple Artifact reward card. This will still net 8-16 Artifacts but comes along with a xeno fight as well. Higher Danger zones have a increased chance to draw this, but even in the worst possible scenario its still a low %. When your Exo-Scouts go seeking xeno artifacts ... expect to find xeno sometimes.
Skip Intro + New Game Remembers
New game has gotten smarter and snazzier with this release. First, we've added a new option -- Skip Intro. As a game that encourages replay, we know a lot of players make a lot of new captains. Skip Intro cuts the entire intro scene down to a single line of dialog -- a reminder about the Arbiter waiting -- so its a single click to get playing now. In addition, New Games now remember your last choices for Difficulty, Faction and Skip Intro. If you've got a favorite setup, this will help streamline your process. Finally, we made some really helpful clarifications in the Custom Difficulty tooltips to be clear what the baselines were and what choices make certain aspects of the game harder or easier.
Improved Deflection %
With Update #119, we've started a process of shifting some of the balance again in crew combat. This time, we've pushed the Deflection % values for every armor higher. As this was an across the board increase, this change is really more about weapons. Now, weapons that have lower Piercing % are even less likely to punch through heavier armor while those with higher Piercing % really shine for that specific attribute. Especially when stacking with Buffs now, you can achieve a Deflection % that can be hard to take down, unless your enemy is wielding something heavy or a sniper rifle. More tweaks and rebalances will be forthcoming as we push for the next level up on crew combat.
v2.4.37 - 12/5/2018
- Exo-Scout Skills rebuilt, now Rifles, Explorer, Evasion in priority order - For clarity, Renamed Explorer "Artifact Hunter" to "Artifact Profiteer" and Exo-Scout "Resolute Hunter" to "Artifact Hunter" - Exo-Scout "Artifact Hunter" now has a Danger-based chance to draw Artifact Guarded by Xeno card - Exo-Scout "Artifact Hunter" cool down extended to 9 weeks - Starting Faction and Difficulty choices are now remembered from the last New Game - Added "Skip Intro" option to New Game for faster start, also remembered - Increased Deflection % across the board on crew armor, making Piercing % more defining for weapons - Increased Piercing % for all Grenade Attacks - Fixed Wisdom Attribute display in Orbital Salvage Reward Factors - Improved consistency of button style in crew detail / talents / jobs / promotion - Clarified rules in Custom Difficulty tooltips - Increased performance for new games and loading games
Update #118: Rich in Conflict
With Update #118, we've improved the opportunities to directly make money Blockading and Spying, especially when there are linked Conflicts. First, we've increased the amount of credits you can earn with the "Extort Bribes" card while Blockading and the "Credit Score" and "Credit Skim" cards while Spying. These rewards have always been based on the local Economy ratings of the zones in the system, but each Economy point now grants even more potential earnings. On top of that, there are new cards that can drive even higher profits from systems in Conflicts. If you are Blockading over a system of a faction in a Trade Ban or Trade War, the new cards "Trade Ban Coercion" and "Trade War Bribery" are added to the deck. Each gives a much larger bonus in terms of credits extorted and influences the Conflict, helping the enemy of the faction you are blockading. In the same way, "Spy War Leak" offers a $8-20K reward for spying in a faction system that is locked in a Spy War and will similarly influence the Conflict Score. None of the new cards will make friends with the targeted faction, but you sure can wrack up the credits.
Whenever you are recruiting from the spice hall or from a Contact, you will now see a note about the number of recruiting Talents that are ready. This can increase your awareness of when you want to recruit and help you manage a larger pool of Talents as they go on cool down. It's a very convenient feature, so thanks to @OfficerGenious for suggesting it!
In a continued effort to balance Skip Off the Void, we've made a change to how it calculates damage to the Hyperwarp Drive. In the past, the damage was mitigated by the entire crew's Navigation Skill, which for many ships could be 60 to 120 points. This almost always resulted in the lowest possible damage for the Drive. The change now brings Skip into alignment with all other Talents -- Talents use the Skill of the individual and not of the entire crew. Therefore, the damage is now mitigated only by the character's Navigation Skill. To offset this change, we've reduced the damage range for the Talent from 30-70% to 30-60%. A single use won't know your drive out, but it is going to do more damage unless you have a really skilled Navigator. In final note, a Navigator can gain up to 27 Navigation from their Job in total, so you can see that you can still achieve near minimal damage even as an individual.
We've fixed a long sneaky bug that sometimes kept weapons from being able to fire after they were damaged and then repaired during ship combat. We've also added a keybinding (default of R) for repeat last firing orders.
- Increased credit rewards for Spy cards "Credit Score" and "Credit Skim" based on local economy rating - Increased credit rewards for Blockade cards "Extort Bribes" based on local economy rating - Added 3 new Conflict-based cards for Spy and Blockade -- Blockade for "Trade Ban Coercion" and "Trade War Bribery" and Spy for "Spy War Leak" to get even larger credit rewards ($8-20K) and influence the Conflict - Spice Hall Recruit and Contact Recruit now state the number of ready Talents that will improve recruiting - Changed "Skip Off the Void" Navigator Talent to only use the Navigation Skill of the owner character, not entire crew to mitigate damage - Repeat Last Firing orders can now be bound to custom key in options, default is 'R' - Fixed rare issue with mid-combat Repair Talents not bringing weapons or components fully back on line - Fixed crashes in ship combat with repair talents and repeat firing weapons
[ 2018-11-29 21:09:54 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #118 circles back to the orbital ops -- Spying and Blockading specifically -- to rebalance some of the base cards as well as add 3 new cards related to Conflicts. We've also made some player suggested changes to recruit UI, made the final planned tweak to Skip Off the Void and added a customizable keybinding for repeat last firing orders. Not to mention a few bug fixes, some minor UI tweaks -- its a good one and starts a new push to further deepen the interaction between orbital ops and Conflicts.
New Cards: Conflicts and Riches
With Update #118, we've improved the opportunities to directly make money Blockading and Spying, especially when there are linked Conflicts. First, we've increased the amount of credits you can earn with the "Extort Bribes" card while Blockading and the "Credit Score" and "Credit Skim" cards while Spying. These rewards have always been based on the local Economy ratings of the zones in the system, but each Economy point now grants even more potential earnings. On top of that, there are new cards that can drive even higher profits from systems in Conflicts. If you are Blockading over a system of a faction in a Trade Ban or Trade War, the new cards "Trade Ban Coercion" and "Trade War Bribery" are added to the deck. Each gives a much larger bonus in terms of credits extorted and influences the Conflict, helping the enemy of the faction you are blockading. In the same way, "Spy War Leak" offers a $8-20K reward for spying in a faction system that is locked in a Spy War and will similarly influence the Conflict Score. None of the new cards will make friends with the targeted faction, but you sure can wrack up the credits.
Recruit Talent Visibility
Whenever you are recruiting from the spice hall or from a Contact, you will now see a note about the number of recruiting Talents that are ready. This can increase your awareness of when you want to recruit and help you manage a larger pool of Talents as they go on cool down. It's a very convenient feature, so thanks to @OfficerGenious for suggesting it!
Again, Skip Off the Void
In a continued effort to balance Skip Off the Void, we've made a change to how it calculates damage to the Hyperwarp Drive. In the past, the damage was mitigated by the entire crew's Navigation Skill, which for many ships could be 60 to 120 points. This almost always resulted in the lowest possible damage for the Drive. The change now brings Skip into alignment with all other Talents -- Talents use the Skill of the individual and not of the entire crew. Therefore, the damage is now mitigated only by the character's Navigation Skill. To offset this change, we've reduced the damage range for the Talent from 30-70% to 30-60%. A single use won't know your drive out, but it is going to do more damage unless you have a really skilled Navigator. In final note, a Navigator can gain up to 27 Navigation from their Job in total, so you can see that you can still achieve near minimal damage even as an individual.
Ship Combat Weapons
We've fixed a long sneaky bug that sometimes kept weapons from being able to fire after they were damaged and then repaired during ship combat. We've also added a keybinding (default of R) for repeat last firing orders.
v2.4.35 - 10/2912018
- Increased credit rewards for Spy cards "Credit Score" and "Credit Skim" based on local economy rating - Increased credit rewards for Blockade cards "Extort Bribes" based on local economy rating - Added 3 new Conflict-based cards for Spy and Blockade -- Blockade for "Trade Ban Coercion" and "Trade War Bribery" and Spy for "Spy War Leak" to get even larger credit rewards ($8-20K) and influence the Conflict - Spice Hall Recruit and Contact Recruit now state the number of ready Talents that will improve recruiting - Changed "Skip Off the Void" Navigator Talent to only use the Navigation Skill of the owner character, not entire crew to mitigate damage - Repeat Last Firing orders can now be bound to custom key in options, default is 'R' - Fixed rare issue with mid-combat Repair Talents not bringing weapons or components fully back on line - Fixed crashes in ship combat with repair talents and repeat firing weapons
Update #117: Officers, Fire Again!
Within ship combat, we have added the ability to click repeat the weapon firing orders from the previous turn. For those captains who keep to a ship built for fighting at a certain range, this can save a lot of repeat clicks every combat. If the weapons from last turn are damaged over 60% or no longer viable due to range, they won't refire. Click and go!
On the Steam forum's this week, ImperiousRex helped identify some Mass oddities with some of the mass classes of ships. With Update #117, we've started on some adjustments for the M3400 and M5000 class ships, reducing the mass of their Void Engine components. The M3400 Engines have dropped 300 Mass down to 400 total and the M5000 Engines have dropped 100 mass to 700.
The maximum prize for salvaging a human ship is $26,500. However, this maximum was previously applied *after* Traits and Talents were applied, making these Traits and Talents less valuable. We've re-ordered the math to apply the maximum *before* the Traits and Talents are applied. The log entry for the salvage operation also now indicates if the maximum value of $26,500 was hit to make this rule more clear.
- Repeat Last Firing orders in ship combat re-fires all the weapons fired the turn before, if they are in range and not disabled by damage - Steel Song captains are now more expensive to Bribe as Steel Song recruits are so likely to have Trait Terrifying - Reduced mass of M3400 Void Engines from 700 to 400 freeing up extra mass for other components - Reduced mass of M5000 Void Engines from 800 to 700 freeing up extra mass for other components - Result log for salvaging an enemy ship after victory indicates when you have reached the maximum value of $26,500 for a human ship - Changed order of operations in value for salvaging enemy ship -- Traits and Talent bonuses are applied on top of the maximum value of $26,500 - Improved "Time Lost" and "Orbital Delays" cards to be more descriptive of Fuel and Turns lost - Fixed issue with overlapping dialogs in mission offers for some story missions
[ 2018-11-26 04:06:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #117, we've rolled out one of the top requested feature with Repeat Last Firing Orders, rebalanced the Mass of M3400 and M5000 Void Engines, improved the Talent and Trait bonuses for Salvage enemy ships, made Steel Song harder to bribe and improve the descriptions for orbital ops cards.
We're back on station after the holiday and will be hammering on relentless updates again! Let's get this roadmap moving :D Thanks to everyone for sharing the game and leaving a review!
Repeat Firing Order
Within ship combat, we have added the ability to click repeat the weapon firing orders from the previous turn. For those captains who keep to a ship built for fighting at a certain range, this can save a lot of repeat clicks every combat. If the weapons from last turn are damaged over 60% or no longer viable due to range, they won't refire. Click and go!
Void Engine Mass
On the Steam forum's this week, ImperiousRex helped identify some Mass oddities with some of the mass classes of ships. With Update #117, we've started on some adjustments for the M3400 and M5000 class ships, reducing the mass of their Void Engine components. The M3400 Engines have dropped 300 Mass down to 400 total and the M5000 Engines have dropped 100 mass to 700.
Salvage Bonuses
The maximum prize for salvaging a human ship is $26,500. However, this maximum was previously applied *after* Traits and Talents were applied, making these Traits and Talents less valuable. We've re-ordered the math to apply the maximum *before* the Traits and Talents are applied. The log entry for the salvage operation also now indicates if the maximum value of $26,500 was hit to make this rule more clear.
v2.4.31 - 11/25/2018
- Repeat Last Firing orders in ship combat re-fires all the weapons fired the turn before, if they are in range and not disabled by damage - Steel Song captains are now more expensive to Bribe as Steel Song recruits are so likely to have Trait Terrifying - Reduced mass of M3400 Void Engines from 700 to 400 freeing up extra mass for other components - Reduced mass of M5000 Void Engines from 800 to 700 freeing up extra mass for other components - Result log for salvaging an enemy ship after victory indicates when you have reached the maximum value of $26,500 for a human ship - Changed order of operations in value for salvaging enemy ship -- Traits and Talent bonuses are applied on top of the maximum value of $26,500 - Improved "Time Lost" and "Orbital Delays" cards to be more descriptive of Fuel and Turns lost - Fixed issue with overlapping dialogs in mission offers for some story missions
Save 25% and Our Thanks
[ 2018-11-22 20:21:54 CET ] [ Original post ]
It has been an adventure of a year for us at Trese Brothers Games, and Cory and I would both like to extend our thanks and gratitude to the thousands of Captains who have rallied around Frontiers, plotted intrepid courses into the void and taken the time to post their feedback, suggestions, bugs and reviews here on Steam. As a small team, we would not be able to do what we do without you, so thank you for your support!
This holiday season, you can save 25% on Star Traders: Frontiers. Tell a friend!
Once we're back at our build stations, we have an exciting set of updates that will come in rapid succession as we march down our development roadmap. First update on that list will include the often-requested ability to "repeat firing orders" from the turn before in ship combat.
Until then, stay safe, dodge those xeno and many thanks! We'll see you in the spice hall, friends.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1696055855739611821
Andrew and Cory
Trese Brothers Games
Update #116: Opening Moves
Permadeath settings have never allowed Save Slots which unfortunately has removed the ability to use Save Slots to store the setup of your game, crew and officers. We've changed these rules to now allow Save Slots for permadeath games within the first 12 weeks (120 Turns). This gives you ample time to run the first Arbiter Mission, promote or fire officers, assign outfits to your crew, name your crew and whatever type of "setup" you like to do as a new captain. Then, save the permadeath game to a Save Slot before 210.15 AE! If your captain is lost to the void or takes a terrible wrong turn, you can always come back to this early setup Save Slot for a quick restore.
With this update, we've added both a Waypoint and Navigate Now button to the details screens for Contacts, Rumors and System Atlas to match those buttons found in Missions. This allows faster navigation, reducing the overall number of clicks and now also allowing you to pick Navigate Now from any screen, which will jump you back to the main quadrant map and start your ship into motion immediately.
To match the level of detail available for Rumors, we've moved the list of effects of Conflicts into their own dedicate tooltip, fixed some overlap issues on some screen sizes, and expanded the descriptive text for these political battles and alliances. Now, with room to grow the description, we'll be working on even more detail here in future updates.
We've made an improvement to the very early game for the Arbiter's storyline. You will only meet the Faen if you engage the Arbiter. Stopping by their world before talking to her will no longer jump the story forward and skip her first mission. Thanks to all the players pushing us to improve this. We've added 15 new Rumor-based barks from the Steam community thread -- thanks to the community members for making that gold mine [img src="//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png" alt=":D" class="smile"] Finally, we're working hard to improve the Consult system and to make it more helpful in terms of both a tutorial and providing character depth for your officers. With this update, we've added new Consults, including discussing Fuel rules and their lore, further details on Cargo and then improved a number of the existing Consults. We're looking at more ways to make Consult work like it does for Desertion -- automatically popping up in the right situations to help guide first time players.
- Save Slots now available for games featuring Captain Permadeath for the first 12 weeks -- setup your game and save it - Clicking on a crew type row in Spice Hall Recruit brings up more details about that job - Story improvement - landing on the Faen world will not immediately jump the Arbiter there, story only activates if you engage the Arbiter - Easy to use Waypoint / Navigate buttons now added to Contact / Rumors / System Atlas details - Allowing immediately "Navigate Now" from any screen, not limited to quadrant map - Improved tooltip over Conflicts, now includes extended set of details of rules - Tooltips for full Conflict details also now available in Selling Intel screens - Added new Officer Consults, improved existing consults - Added 15 new Rumor barks from Steam community thread - Fixed pricing issues with Arcanum Freighter and Zartar Fang faction-specific ships - Fixed bugs with Orbital Disaster Rumor -- Engineers now available to recruit, starport completely closed
[ 2018-11-16 18:51:38 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #117 rolls out with some exciting new improvements for Save Slots and permadeath games, faster and easier Navigation for Rumors, Contacts and Systems as well as some new improvements to Spice Hall Recruit, the story, consults and barks.
Setting up Permadeath
Permadeath settings have never allowed Save Slots which unfortunately has removed the ability to use Save Slots to store the setup of your game, crew and officers. We've changed these rules to now allow Save Slots for permadeath games within the first 12 weeks (120 Turns). This gives you ample time to run the first Arbiter Mission, promote or fire officers, assign outfits to your crew, name your crew and whatever type of "setup" you like to do as a new captain. Then, save the permadeath game to a Save Slot before 210.15 AE! If your captain is lost to the void or takes a terrible wrong turn, you can always come back to this early setup Save Slot for a quick restore.
Faster Navigation
With this update, we've added both a Waypoint and Navigate Now button to the details screens for Contacts, Rumors and System Atlas to match those buttons found in Missions. This allows faster navigation, reducing the overall number of clicks and now also allowing you to pick Navigate Now from any screen, which will jump you back to the main quadrant map and start your ship into motion immediately.
Extended Conflict Details
To match the level of detail available for Rumors, we've moved the list of effects of Conflicts into their own dedicate tooltip, fixed some overlap issues on some screen sizes, and expanded the descriptive text for these political battles and alliances. Now, with room to grow the description, we'll be working on even more detail here in future updates.
Story, Consults and Barks
We've made an improvement to the very early game for the Arbiter's storyline. You will only meet the Faen if you engage the Arbiter. Stopping by their world before talking to her will no longer jump the story forward and skip her first mission. Thanks to all the players pushing us to improve this. We've added 15 new Rumor-based barks from the Steam community thread -- thanks to the community members for making that gold mine [img src="//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png" alt=":D" class="smile"] Finally, we're working hard to improve the Consult system and to make it more helpful in terms of both a tutorial and providing character depth for your officers. With this update, we've added new Consults, including discussing Fuel rules and their lore, further details on Cargo and then improved a number of the existing Consults. We're looking at more ways to make Consult work like it does for Desertion -- automatically popping up in the right situations to help guide first time players.
v2.4.29 - 11/16/2018
- Save Slots now available for games featuring Captain Permadeath for the first 12 weeks -- setup your game and save it - Clicking on a crew type row in Spice Hall Recruit brings up more details about that job - Story improvement - landing on the Faen world will not immediately jump the Arbiter there, story only activates if you engage the Arbiter - Easy to use Waypoint / Navigate buttons now added to Contact / Rumors / System Atlas details - Allowing immediately "Navigate Now" from any screen, not limited to quadrant map - Improved tooltip over Conflicts, now includes extended set of details of rules - Tooltips for full Conflict details also now available in Selling Intel screens - Added new Officer Consults, improved existing consults - Added 15 new Rumor barks from Steam community thread - Fixed pricing issues with Arcanum Freighter and Zartar Fang faction-specific ships - Fixed bugs with Orbital Disaster Rumor -- Engineers now available to recruit, starport completely closed
Update #115: Face the Void
Grenades have been for a long time used your highest weapon Skill -- Blades, Rifles or Pistols -- for their accuracy. They have also for a long time been defended by melee defense. After a review of this, we've found it unfairly giving preference to the defender (who are always in the front 2 rows and likely packing melee defense) and basically nerfing grenades. Update #115 changes the rules for grenades -- you still use your best weapon Skill for attack, but defenders must defend the attack as a ranged attack.
Once mutinies started, they had a habit of coming very quickly and very badly. The landslide often made it hard to reach a landing zone without a few on board. We've now added a throttle to how quickly the crew can mutiny again -- giving you at least a few turns to run for safe harbor.
As explorers and salvagers build up larger and larger piles of stashes, they have become harder to manage. With this update, the stash list is now automatically sorted by distance when you open it. This will meet most of the requests from players to find the stashes they want faster, but we'll keep an ear open to see if follow on improvements are required.
As the game progresses, every few years the story system determines when to insert new stories into the game. If you then come across a landing zone that matches the criteria (a specific faction, or often just any urban landing zone) you then encounter the start of that story vignette, be it long or short. As we continue to add more vignettes to the game, this makes finding them all in a single play through require more and more years as a captain. To offset this, we've added a system that slowly increases the pace of how quickly stories are added as each decade ticks by. As your captains get more advanced, they'll meet more stories faster, which makes room for us to be able to add more stories! So yes, another big vignette is coming.
- Stash locations are now sorted by distance, nearest to farthest - Grenade Attacks are now rolled against enemy's ranged defense, no longer melee (better for attacker) - Added 30 new barks for Traits, systems and landing zones - Fixed issues with Talents that added +Range Change Bonus but also added -Escape debuff (Forward Thrusters, etc) - Improved "Rugged" Trait to include Fortitude and Bleeding Res - Adjusted the pacing of new story vignettes being added in the later game, increasing the pace after each major decade - Added a throttle mechanism on Mutiny so that they cannot repeat immediately - Improved post combat report when using Talents like Dubious Handshake and Skip Off the Void - Improved messages in starport about why components cannot be installed (price, mass, starport ratings, faction) - Cleaned up story objective duplicates that could appear with Arbiter's deadline
[ 2018-11-14 06:15:31 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #115 is a run down of suggestions and bug reports coming off the Steam boards and from Discord bundled into a delicious and spicy update.
A huge thanks to the team here on the Steam boards who created the barks suggestion threads. We've pulled another 30 great ideas from that thread and slotted them into the game.
Grenade Rebalance
Grenades have been for a long time used your highest weapon Skill -- Blades, Rifles or Pistols -- for their accuracy. They have also for a long time been defended by melee defense. After a review of this, we've found it unfairly giving preference to the defender (who are always in the front 2 rows and likely packing melee defense) and basically nerfing grenades. Update #115 changes the rules for grenades -- you still use your best weapon Skill for attack, but defenders must defend the attack as a ranged attack.
Mutiny Landslides
Once mutinies started, they had a habit of coming very quickly and very badly. The landslide often made it hard to reach a landing zone without a few on board. We've now added a throttle to how quickly the crew can mutiny again -- giving you at least a few turns to run for safe harbor.
Stashes Sorted
As explorers and salvagers build up larger and larger piles of stashes, they have become harder to manage. With this update, the stash list is now automatically sorted by distance when you open it. This will meet most of the requests from players to find the stashes they want faster, but we'll keep an ear open to see if follow on improvements are required.
Long Game Story Vignettes
As the game progresses, every few years the story system determines when to insert new stories into the game. If you then come across a landing zone that matches the criteria (a specific faction, or often just any urban landing zone) you then encounter the start of that story vignette, be it long or short. As we continue to add more vignettes to the game, this makes finding them all in a single play through require more and more years as a captain. To offset this, we've added a system that slowly increases the pace of how quickly stories are added as each decade ticks by. As your captains get more advanced, they'll meet more stories faster, which makes room for us to be able to add more stories! So yes, another big vignette is coming.
v2.4.27 - 11/14/2018
- Stash locations are now sorted by distance, nearest to farthest - Grenade Attacks are now rolled against enemy's ranged defense, no longer melee (better for attacker) - Added 30 new barks for Traits, systems and landing zones - Fixed issues with Talents that added +Range Change Bonus but also added -Escape debuff (Forward Thrusters, etc) - Improved "Rugged" Trait to include Fortitude and Bleeding Res - Adjusted the pacing of new story vignettes being added in the later game, increasing the pace after each major decade - Added a throttle mechanism on Mutiny so that they cannot repeat immediately - Improved post combat report when using Talents like Dubious Handshake and Skip Off the Void - Improved messages in starport about why components cannot be installed (price, mass, starport ratings, faction) - Cleaned up story objective duplicates that could appear with Arbiter's deadline
Update #114: Fringe of the Frontier
With this update, we've continued to improve the story deadlines throughout the game in two important ways. First, we've now made the deadline for the Arbiter's storyline visible. She lets you know in her conversations that she will eventually have to make the call for amendments, regardless of how much additional support you can help her gather, and now she is up front about the timeline for that call. Second, we've added more places where your decisive action in the storylines extends different story timers as well as giving a 25% bump to the impact your actions have on the story deadlines. Therefore, as you become involved with each Prince in the Arbiter's storyline, or make major progress on any of the Faen arcs, these actions keep you engaged with the storyline and you get additional time the more you stay engaged. These timer extensions provide the freedom to do other things between the major story events, but also the deadline demands you don't stray too far off or forget your important character's missions, else they move on without you.
With this update, we've improved some Talents, rebalanced some others and changed important cool downs for some big ones. Smuggler's Dubious Nod has become Dubious Handshake and now includes a chance to learn a new Rumor. Swordsman's Balanced Blade has had its buff extended from 2 to 3, giving it a +50% in overall value to match the recent Initiative cost change. Slashing Retreat has dropped the part of its buff that increased your Armor Piercing. Finally, in perhaps the most important change for higher level captains -- Skip Off the Void and Flash Charge have both had their cool downs extended to 9 weeks, up from 3 weeks.
We've defaulted the sorting for crew combat selection to be the highest level fighters first. This prevents your captain and officers from appearing at the top, even if they really aren't the ones who should be going into battle! Second, the "prefers slot 2" detail is now readily available directly in their crew details box, helping you make choices quickly. We've also fixed some bugs around Assassins, smoke bombs, and other characters not strongly preferring slot 1 when they should. And of course, lots of other stuff too! Check the full release notes below for everything.
- Increased the impact of decisive action events in the story that extend story event deadlines - Personal Objective for Arbiter's rallying of unionist support now includes a visible deadline - Increased number of points throughout Faen and Arbiter storyline where taking action to participate extends deadlines - Smuggler's Talent "Dubious Nod" renamed to "Dubious Handshake" now includes chance to learn a Rumor - Navigator's "Skip off the Void" and "Flash Charge" cool downs extended to 9 weeks - Increased duration of Swordsman's "Balanced Blade" buff by +1 Turns, remove buff to Armor Piercing for "Slashing Retreat" - Preferred position is now included in each character's box when picking for crew combat - Improved default sorting of crew when picking for crew combat -- highest level fighters first - Improved calculation of preferred position in crew combat, fixed bug with Assassins not appearing front row - Captain's log about death of a contact now includes type, faction, location, Influence and Personal Rep - Increased impact of high Contact Influence on ability to avoid death by old age - Rebalanced Alta Mesa's faction Trait matrix, less Gravity Sickness, more better Traits - Fixed issue where Richness and Explorer Rating had swapped effects - Improved consistency of labels and detail presentation in new template screens - Clarified Talents that reduce Rep loss in Missions and some card game Talents - Fixed issue with selling Rare Trade Goods event log - Improved hover performance on quadrant and galaxy map - Rebalanced component damage during Orbital Ops to include Quadrant Danger - Improved Salvage Bay Bonuses for all 4 levels - Improves Trait Mutation logic in Orbital Ops cards - Increased Water-Fuel costs in Orbital Ops during Radiation and Ion Storms - Fixed many typos - thanks for feedback!
[ 2018-11-09 23:26:02 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #114 brings a big package of improvements across the game. From further story deadline changes to big improvements in crew selection for combat to vastly improved captain's log entries for the death of contacts -- so much of these big improvements are coming right out of the player forums and from suggestions of our veteran captains. Thanks to everyone posting suggestions and feedback as well as, of course, telling a friend and leaving a review!
Story Deadlines
With this update, we've continued to improve the story deadlines throughout the game in two important ways. First, we've now made the deadline for the Arbiter's storyline visible. She lets you know in her conversations that she will eventually have to make the call for amendments, regardless of how much additional support you can help her gather, and now she is up front about the timeline for that call. Second, we've added more places where your decisive action in the storylines extends different story timers as well as giving a 25% bump to the impact your actions have on the story deadlines. Therefore, as you become involved with each Prince in the Arbiter's storyline, or make major progress on any of the Faen arcs, these actions keep you engaged with the storyline and you get additional time the more you stay engaged. These timer extensions provide the freedom to do other things between the major story events, but also the deadline demands you don't stray too far off or forget your important character's missions, else they move on without you.
Talent Balance and Fixes
With this update, we've improved some Talents, rebalanced some others and changed important cool downs for some big ones. Smuggler's Dubious Nod has become Dubious Handshake and now includes a chance to learn a new Rumor. Swordsman's Balanced Blade has had its buff extended from 2 to 3, giving it a +50% in overall value to match the recent Initiative cost change. Slashing Retreat has dropped the part of its buff that increased your Armor Piercing. Finally, in perhaps the most important change for higher level captains -- Skip Off the Void and Flash Charge have both had their cool downs extended to 9 weeks, up from 3 weeks.
Crew Combat Select
We've defaulted the sorting for crew combat selection to be the highest level fighters first. This prevents your captain and officers from appearing at the top, even if they really aren't the ones who should be going into battle! Second, the "prefers slot 2" detail is now readily available directly in their crew details box, helping you make choices quickly. We've also fixed some bugs around Assassins, smoke bombs, and other characters not strongly preferring slot 1 when they should. And of course, lots of other stuff too! Check the full release notes below for everything.
v2.4.25 - 11/9/2018
- Increased the impact of decisive action events in the story that extend story event deadlines - Personal Objective for Arbiter's rallying of unionist support now includes a visible deadline - Increased number of points throughout Faen and Arbiter storyline where taking action to participate extends deadlines - Smuggler's Talent "Dubious Nod" renamed to "Dubious Handshake" now includes chance to learn a Rumor - Navigator's "Skip off the Void" and "Flash Charge" cool downs extended to 9 weeks - Increased duration of Swordsman's "Balanced Blade" buff by +1 Turns, remove buff to Armor Piercing for "Slashing Retreat" - Preferred position is now included in each character's box when picking for crew combat - Improved default sorting of crew when picking for crew combat -- highest level fighters first - Improved calculation of preferred position in crew combat, fixed bug with Assassins not appearing front row - Captain's log about death of a contact now includes type, faction, location, Influence and Personal Rep - Increased impact of high Contact Influence on ability to avoid death by old age - Rebalanced Alta Mesa's faction Trait matrix, less Gravity Sickness, more better Traits - Fixed issue where Richness and Explorer Rating had swapped effects - Improved consistency of labels and detail presentation in new template screens - Clarified Talents that reduce Rep loss in Missions and some card game Talents - Fixed issue with selling Rare Trade Goods event log - Improved hover performance on quadrant and galaxy map - Rebalanced component damage during Orbital Ops to include Quadrant Danger - Improved Salvage Bay Bonuses for all 4 levels - Improves Trait Mutation logic in Orbital Ops cards - Increased Water-Fuel costs in Orbital Ops during Radiation and Ion Storms - Fixed many typos - thanks for feedback!
Update #113: Hyperwarp Burst
Speed and striking power are quintessential to the Steel Song combat tactics and their new faction-specific ship, the Zartar Fang, delivers on both. Weighing in at that M2400 range, the Fang rolls off the starport assembly line with a Weapons Locker A4, Armored Officer Suites and a Scout Bridge. While its base weapon systems may need an upgrade, this mid-range attack cruiser is deadly at first flight.
The Hyperwarp Navigator Job picks up a rank 15 Talent with this new update -- Flash Charge. A companion to Skip Off the Void, Flash Charge allows the use of the Hyperwarp Drive in the opposite direction -- straight at the enemy! With a short-burst, a heavy dose of fuel and 5-15% Damage, you can drop straight into Range 4 or even 3 with an enemy. For those targets you can't allow the chance to Escape or if your craft is built to unleash hell from Range 3, Flash Charge is ready to bring you in close -- fast. Your chances to reach Range 3 over 4 are based on a Void Engine Agility contest between the two ships.
Calagan Faen's arc has improved with his Prime Pilgrimage mission now giving an introduction to the High Prince or Princess of his faction. All the more reason to get involved with the Faen. We've fixed some balance issues in the run of fights through the bloodsport story, making sure that they are living up to their storied difficulty.
A huge thanks to all the players posting suggestions, UI requests and more to the boards. You'lre helping us constantly improve! Any mission that modifies the Influence of a Contact now shows not only the change to their Influence but their final score as well. No more need to dig around the Contact list to find it. During ship encounters, you can now hover over the cargo tray to see your cargo. While you could always switch to the Ship Report tab, this tooltip has more detail and is faster -- helping you make wiser surrender / loot / inspection decisions. The E-Suture Talent has had its Initiative cost reduced to 12, making it a competitive choice again. You can now see the full rules for Edict / Permit / Rank loss in the Contact offers. There were some undocumented rules about the effect of going into negative Rep. Obviously, once you go negative, the faction will start to strip away any and all Edicts / Permits / Ranks with each new transgression. Enemy ships are now using the class name of the ship ("Zartar Fang") instead of the captain's profession ("Bounty Hunter Ship"). Finally, we've updated the Hyperwarp Jump screen so that its button position matches Navigate from the main map.
- New Steel Song faction-specific ship "Zartar Fang" (Mass 2400 mid-range attack cruiser, 5 Officer, 6 mediums) - Added new Hyperwarp Navigator rank 15 Talent "Flash Charge" -- short-burst HW jump starts combat at range 3 or 4 - Improved progression of enemy challenge level in bloodsport vignette - Improved Calgan Faen's story missions -- Prime Pilgrimage gives Introduction to High Prince / Princess - Further clarified Edict, Rank and Permit rules -- if you go into negative Rep, you stand to lose any grade of these faction benefits for continuing to cross the faction - All mission steps that modify Influence for a Contact now include the Contact's new Influence score as well as the change amount - Reduced Initiative cost of Combat Medic's "E-Suture" to 12 - During Ship Encounter, hover over cargo tray to see what is in your cargo hold in tooltip -- make faster decisions - Enemy ships now use ship type names ("Galtak Heavylift" or "Solar Predator") instead of captain profession name ("Military Officer Ship") - Stashes created as rewards from Orbital Salvage are more likely to be within the same quad - Improved Damage range on Otrike Longrange Sniper Rifle - Fixed bug causing enemy combatant officers to have one less Talent than expected - Matched Hyperwarp Jump screen layout to be consistent with other Navigation actions - Prevented hovers in crew and ship combat from appearing while actions are running - Improved tooltips in card minigames
[ 2018-11-03 22:29:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #113 rolls out a brand new faction-specific ship, a new rank 15 Talents for Navigators and delivers on a ton of suggestions from the Steam community -- story improvements, UI fixes, Talent balance and more. If you're enjoying the updates, improvements, new content -- please tell a friend and leave a review!
Zartar Fang
Speed and striking power are quintessential to the Steel Song combat tactics and their new faction-specific ship, the Zartar Fang, delivers on both. Weighing in at that M2400 range, the Fang rolls off the starport assembly line with a Weapons Locker A4, Armored Officer Suites and a Scout Bridge. While its base weapon systems may need an upgrade, this mid-range attack cruiser is deadly at first flight.
Closing Range
The Hyperwarp Navigator Job picks up a rank 15 Talent with this new update -- Flash Charge. A companion to Skip Off the Void, Flash Charge allows the use of the Hyperwarp Drive in the opposite direction -- straight at the enemy! With a short-burst, a heavy dose of fuel and 5-15% Damage, you can drop straight into Range 4 or even 3 with an enemy. For those targets you can't allow the chance to Escape or if your craft is built to unleash hell from Range 3, Flash Charge is ready to bring you in close -- fast. Your chances to reach Range 3 over 4 are based on a Void Engine Agility contest between the two ships.
Stories Deepen
Calagan Faen's arc has improved with his Prime Pilgrimage mission now giving an introduction to the High Prince or Princess of his faction. All the more reason to get involved with the Faen. We've fixed some balance issues in the run of fights through the bloodsport story, making sure that they are living up to their storied difficulty.
Steam Requests
A huge thanks to all the players posting suggestions, UI requests and more to the boards. You'lre helping us constantly improve! Any mission that modifies the Influence of a Contact now shows not only the change to their Influence but their final score as well. No more need to dig around the Contact list to find it. During ship encounters, you can now hover over the cargo tray to see your cargo. While you could always switch to the Ship Report tab, this tooltip has more detail and is faster -- helping you make wiser surrender / loot / inspection decisions. The E-Suture Talent has had its Initiative cost reduced to 12, making it a competitive choice again. You can now see the full rules for Edict / Permit / Rank loss in the Contact offers. There were some undocumented rules about the effect of going into negative Rep. Obviously, once you go negative, the faction will start to strip away any and all Edicts / Permits / Ranks with each new transgression. Enemy ships are now using the class name of the ship ("Zartar Fang") instead of the captain's profession ("Bounty Hunter Ship"). Finally, we've updated the Hyperwarp Jump screen so that its button position matches Navigate from the main map.
v2.4.21 - 11/3/2018
- New Steel Song faction-specific ship "Zartar Fang" (Mass 2400 mid-range attack cruiser, 5 Officer, 6 mediums) - Added new Hyperwarp Navigator rank 15 Talent "Flash Charge" -- short-burst HW jump starts combat at range 3 or 4 - Improved progression of enemy challenge level in bloodsport vignette - Improved Calgan Faen's story missions -- Prime Pilgrimage gives Introduction to High Prince / Princess - Further clarified Edict, Rank and Permit rules -- if you go into negative Rep, you stand to lose any grade of these faction benefits for continuing to cross the faction - All mission steps that modify Influence for a Contact now include the Contact's new Influence score as well as the change amount - Reduced Initiative cost of Combat Medic's "E-Suture" to 12 - During Ship Encounter, hover over cargo tray to see what is in your cargo hold in tooltip -- make faster decisions - Enemy ships now use ship type names ("Galtak Heavylift" or "Solar Predator") instead of captain profession name ("Military Officer Ship") - Stashes created as rewards from Orbital Salvage are more likely to be within the same quad - Improved Damage range on Otrike Longrange Sniper Rifle - Fixed bug causing enemy combatant officers to have one less Talent than expected - Matched Hyperwarp Jump screen layout to be consistent with other Navigation actions - Prevented hovers in crew and ship combat from appearing while actions are running - Improved tooltips in card minigames
Razor's Edge Hotfix
- Fixed bug where sometimes story would set your credits to $0 in the early game - Added minor Reputation requirement before Eryn Razor will opt you into her bloodsport offer - Further improved new game selector to avoid starting Contacts in Char's faction - Fixed Orbital Salvage card "Major Setbacks" causing too much Influence loss - Fixed places where Rychart was spelled Rycart -- the shame!
[ 2018-10-30 19:40:48 CET ] [ Original post ]
As always, thanks to everyone playing, posting, telling a friend and leaving a review! Cory and I appreciate your feedback, especially with quickly finding and fixing bugs.
This hotfix addresses a few bugs introduced in the #112 Razor's Edge update. First -- there was an odd case where a story mission might set your money to $0 instead of giving you $10,000 right at the beginning of the game. Rough!
Eryn Razor now has a small Personal Rep requirement (20) before she lets you in on her big wager in the bloodsport storyline.
We've further improved the starting Contact's selector to avoid Char's faction, but have to temper this with saying -- depending on the map seed, its still possible that there will be Char-faction Contacts. Its far less likely now.
And oh the shame -- we fixed one place where Rychart was terribly mispelled ;)
v2.4.17 -
- Fixed bug where sometimes story would set your credits to $0 in the early game - Added minor Reputation requirement before Eryn Razor will opt you into her bloodsport offer - Further improved new game selector to avoid starting Contacts in Char's faction - Fixed Orbital Salvage card "Major Setbacks" causing too much Influence loss - Fixed places where Rychart was spelled Rycart -- the shame!
Update 112: Razor's Edge
If you've reached the 3rd Century Era, keep your eye out for a new story vignette invitation -- from one Eryn Razor. I won't spoil the story of the new "Bloodsport" narrative, it is a highly challenging and late-game story arc that will put your crew combatants to the test. It also has the potential for tie ins from multiple other storylines and makes available some mighty new unique story rewards. In other story news, we've added some more delays between late game Eras to slow them down a bit. We've increased the turn at which story vignettes start joining the game which will reduce the crowded feeling that can happen early in the story. And, we've fixed the issue where the Highwind Case story objective would sit as "Coming Soon" for a long time -- now it keeps its deadline correct even as your actions may extend it.
We've fine tuned and improved the balance and rate of ship encounters in the void with Update #112. Overall, ship encounter rates have been reduced about 10% with special attention paid to some types of Rumors that were spiking it beyond normal levels. This fine tuning also includes more targeted encounter types, such as more Bounty Hunters once your Rep falls below -45 with a faction. We're excited to keep tuning this rule set and these rates.
With this update, we've pushed more nuance into the rules about Rep loss when you defeat an enemy ship. The potential Rep you stand to lose is based on the enemy type and descends the farther away from lawful the captain is, the scale being: Military Officer > Merchant > Zealot > Bounty Hunter > Explorer > Spy > Smuggler > Pirate. We've also improved all of the descriptive text about Rep loss and gain in ship combat victory to help clarify the reasons behind such changes. If you happen to be facing a Pirate while carrying a Permit 2 of the Pirate's faction, we've improved the title of the Surrender option to be clear -- "Protected by Permit" as such a Pirate will not loot a licensed trader of their faction.
We've rebuilt the enemy AI's logic for picking crew combat Talents for individuals and for their team. This has made crew combat more competitive, fun and pushed our testing teams to use more of the systems. Swordsman, Pistoleer, Soldier, Assassin, Spy, Sniper are all improved, and if it goes well, we will dig into the other combat Jobs next to hone the knife. This also includes fixing issues where AI crew were not carrying Snubbers in the front row. Also, we've fixed a bug that could sometimes duplicate your crew and improved the heavy armor options in Weapons Locker A4 and A5 to make sure they are competitive.
Open up more options during captain creation, we've introduced two new starting Contacts -- the Ex-Merc and the Gestalt Explorer. Each plays to different play styles, but between them they offer Combat Medic recruits, Zealot recruits, Trait Conditioning, combat armor, exploration missions and sabotage missions. A mighty new pair to add to your set! We've also made a few tweaks to other Contact's special recruits -- Spice Tenders now hire Pirates and Diplomatic Counsels offer Quartermasters. Finally, we've changed the new game rules to prevent any of your starting Contacts from appearing in Aetaan Char's faction. For those captains getting involved in the Faen story arc, these Contacts soon lost their value as Effective Rep plummeted.
Story - Added new story vignette: 'Bloodsport' narrative, new unique story rewards and challenges - New story vignette starts sometime after 3rd Century starts and has potential for tie ins to multiple other storylines - Added some additional delay between late-game Era starts - Increase turn at which story vignettes start to add to game - Improved tutorial instructions on first escort mission about the use of saving Talents in missions to guarantee success - Resolved story bug where you decided to tell Calagan of a plot, but no option was present - Fixed story bug causing "Highwind Case" story objective to get stuck "Coming Soon" for a while before triggering Encounters and Rep - Ship Encounters: overall reduced encounter rates by 10% - Ship Encounters: improved and fine tuned effects of Quadrant Rumors on ship encounters - Ship Encounters: more quadrant faction Bounty Hunters will appear if you are criminal status (-40 Rep) - Ship Victory: Rep loss with faction now depends on enemy type of ship (Military Officer > Merchant > Zealot > Bounty Hunter > Explorer > Spy > Smuggler > Pirate) - Ship Victory: improved descriptive text for all Rep loss within ship victory, added custom explanation per enemy type - Improved description of Surrender option for Pirates when you carry Trade Permit 2 or higher, "Protected by Permit" - Improved enemy ship builder AI's ship weaponry selection Enemy Crew Combatants - Rebuilt AI that builds enemy crew combatants -- Swordsman, Pistoleer, Soldier, Assassin, Spy, Sniper all far more dangerous at picking Talents as individuals and across the team - Fixed bug preventing enemy crew combatants from picking up Snubbers in the front row - Fixed bug that sometimes allowed members of your crew to appear twice in crew combat selection - Improved Heavy Armor option in Weapons Locker A4 and A5 Starting Contacts - Added new starting Contact: Gestalt Explorer (hires Combat Medic, Trait Conditioning, exploration missions) - Added new starting Contact: Ex-Merc (hires Zealots, sells Combat Armor, saboteur missions) - Contact Recruit changes -- Spice Tender now recruits Pirates, Diplomatic Counsel recruits Quartermasters - Starting Contacts in distant quads no longer appear in Aetaan Char's faction Talent Adjustments - Swordsman Talent "Balanced Blade" now requires 1.5x Weapon's Initiative to use for powerful buff - Fixed description of Talent "Unrivaled Patch" to include the character's Repair Skill (in total, 20% + Skill) - Prize Ship Talents are displayed even if you cannot afford the court fees - Renamed Pirate's "Faked Signature" Talent to "Blackheart Fraud" and Spies "Faked Signature" Talent to "Counterfeit Identity" And More - Zone services now include time taken in their event log ("Paid $500, took 2 days") - Selling Intel to a Contact now takes 1 Turn - Increased duration of Time Lost card during any type of orbital operation - Fixed bug occasionally causing Rep displays to become incorrect after selling Intel - Fixed bug preventing crew combat debuffs from playing their SFX - Fixed bug causing Blackheart starting Contact to be locked behind Faction Defender instead of Privateer - Fixed bug with character hand positions not matching snubbers or sniper rifles sometimes - Fixed bug with save slots sometimes displaying the wrong weapon in Load Captain screens - Fixed mismatches in ship descriptions between starting and maximum crew, now listed both if different -- "24 starting crew (30 max)" - Improved size and style of Skip All button in story scenes - Improved sizing of tooltip over Date in the HUDs - Improved text in tooltips, descriptive text for some Talents, spacing in UI
[ 2018-10-29 17:21:25 CET ] [ Original post ]
We're glad to be back! After 10 days without updates, we've got the big one you deserve. New storyline, new encounter and Rep improvements, new enemy AI smarts, new starting contacts and so much more. It's packed full of the good stuff -- including lots of suggestions from right here on the Steam boards -- so be sure to review the full patch notes at the bottom!
Here's Update #112!
New Bloody Vignette
If you've reached the 3rd Century Era, keep your eye out for a new story vignette invitation -- from one Eryn Razor. I won't spoil the story of the new "Bloodsport" narrative, it is a highly challenging and late-game story arc that will put your crew combatants to the test. It also has the potential for tie ins from multiple other storylines and makes available some mighty new unique story rewards. In other story news, we've added some more delays between late game Eras to slow them down a bit. We've increased the turn at which story vignettes start joining the game which will reduce the crowded feeling that can happen early in the story. And, we've fixed the issue where the Highwind Case story objective would sit as "Coming Soon" for a long time -- now it keeps its deadline correct even as your actions may extend it.
Ship Encounters
We've fine tuned and improved the balance and rate of ship encounters in the void with Update #112. Overall, ship encounter rates have been reduced about 10% with special attention paid to some types of Rumors that were spiking it beyond normal levels. This fine tuning also includes more targeted encounter types, such as more Bounty Hunters once your Rep falls below -45 with a faction. We're excited to keep tuning this rule set and these rates.
Pirates and Rep Loss
With this update, we've pushed more nuance into the rules about Rep loss when you defeat an enemy ship. The potential Rep you stand to lose is based on the enemy type and descends the farther away from lawful the captain is, the scale being: Military Officer > Merchant > Zealot > Bounty Hunter > Explorer > Spy > Smuggler > Pirate. We've also improved all of the descriptive text about Rep loss and gain in ship combat victory to help clarify the reasons behind such changes. If you happen to be facing a Pirate while carrying a Permit 2 of the Pirate's faction, we've improved the title of the Surrender option to be clear -- "Protected by Permit" as such a Pirate will not loot a licensed trader of their faction.
Enemy Crew Combatants
We've rebuilt the enemy AI's logic for picking crew combat Talents for individuals and for their team. This has made crew combat more competitive, fun and pushed our testing teams to use more of the systems. Swordsman, Pistoleer, Soldier, Assassin, Spy, Sniper are all improved, and if it goes well, we will dig into the other combat Jobs next to hone the knife. This also includes fixing issues where AI crew were not carrying Snubbers in the front row. Also, we've fixed a bug that could sometimes duplicate your crew and improved the heavy armor options in Weapons Locker A4 and A5 to make sure they are competitive.
New Starting Contacts
Open up more options during captain creation, we've introduced two new starting Contacts -- the Ex-Merc and the Gestalt Explorer. Each plays to different play styles, but between them they offer Combat Medic recruits, Zealot recruits, Trait Conditioning, combat armor, exploration missions and sabotage missions. A mighty new pair to add to your set! We've also made a few tweaks to other Contact's special recruits -- Spice Tenders now hire Pirates and Diplomatic Counsels offer Quartermasters. Finally, we've changed the new game rules to prevent any of your starting Contacts from appearing in Aetaan Char's faction. For those captains getting involved in the Faen story arc, these Contacts soon lost their value as Effective Rep plummeted.
v2.4.15 - 10/29/2018
Story - Added new story vignette: 'Bloodsport' narrative, new unique story rewards and challenges - New story vignette starts sometime after 3rd Century starts and has potential for tie ins to multiple other storylines - Added some additional delay between late-game Era starts - Increase turn at which story vignettes start to add to game - Improved tutorial instructions on first escort mission about the use of saving Talents in missions to guarantee success - Resolved story bug where you decided to tell Calagan of a plot, but no option was present - Fixed story bug causing "Highwind Case" story objective to get stuck "Coming Soon" for a while before triggering Encounters and Rep - Ship Encounters: overall reduced encounter rates by 10% - Ship Encounters: improved and fine tuned effects of Quadrant Rumors on ship encounters - Ship Encounters: more quadrant faction Bounty Hunters will appear if you are criminal status (-40 Rep) - Ship Victory: Rep loss with faction now depends on enemy type of ship (Military Officer > Merchant > Zealot > Bounty Hunter > Explorer > Spy > Smuggler > Pirate) - Ship Victory: improved descriptive text for all Rep loss within ship victory, added custom explanation per enemy type - Improved description of Surrender option for Pirates when you carry Trade Permit 2 or higher, "Protected by Permit" - Improved enemy ship builder AI's ship weaponry selection Enemy Crew Combatants - Rebuilt AI that builds enemy crew combatants -- Swordsman, Pistoleer, Soldier, Assassin, Spy, Sniper all far more dangerous at picking Talents as individuals and across the team - Fixed bug preventing enemy crew combatants from picking up Snubbers in the front row - Fixed bug that sometimes allowed members of your crew to appear twice in crew combat selection - Improved Heavy Armor option in Weapons Locker A4 and A5 Starting Contacts - Added new starting Contact: Gestalt Explorer (hires Combat Medic, Trait Conditioning, exploration missions) - Added new starting Contact: Ex-Merc (hires Zealots, sells Combat Armor, saboteur missions) - Contact Recruit changes -- Spice Tender now recruits Pirates, Diplomatic Counsel recruits Quartermasters - Starting Contacts in distant quads no longer appear in Aetaan Char's faction Talent Adjustments - Swordsman Talent "Balanced Blade" now requires 1.5x Weapon's Initiative to use for powerful buff - Fixed description of Talent "Unrivaled Patch" to include the character's Repair Skill (in total, 20% + Skill) - Prize Ship Talents are displayed even if you cannot afford the court fees - Renamed Pirate's "Faked Signature" Talent to "Blackheart Fraud" and Spies "Faked Signature" Talent to "Counterfeit Identity" And More - Zone services now include time taken in their event log ("Paid $500, took 2 days") - Selling Intel to a Contact now takes 1 Turn - Increased duration of Time Lost card during any type of orbital operation - Fixed bug occasionally causing Rep displays to become incorrect after selling Intel - Fixed bug preventing crew combat debuffs from playing their SFX - Fixed bug causing Blackheart starting Contact to be locked behind Faction Defender instead of Privateer - Fixed bug with character hand positions not matching snubbers or sniper rifles sometimes - Fixed bug with save slots sometimes displaying the wrong weapon in Load Captain screens - Fixed mismatches in ship descriptions between starting and maximum crew, now listed both if different -- "24 starting crew (30 max)" - Improved size and style of Skip All button in story scenes - Improved sizing of tooltip over Date in the HUDs - Improved text in tooltips, descriptive text for some Talents, spacing in UI
Update #111: Roll Out the Cannons
With Update #111, the starports across the galaxy have expanded their line up of big guns. Where there was only the Retribution Gravcannon before to mount on your Large Slots, we've added 5 new impressive weapons to help pound the enemy into either bits (gravcannon) or submission (plasma cannon). There Large Slot weapons don't come cheap and they all require 4 AP to fire, but they are levels 5 to 7 and are devastators. We've also made some tweaks to Mass ratings for weapons -- reducing Large Gravcannons to 600 and Medium Plasma Cannons to 300.
All ship weapons are a little more difficult to find now. Buying new ship weapons now requires at least 4 Military Rating and all the way up to 9 for the largest and most complex weapons platforms.
In ship encounters, higher grades of Military Ranks and Edicts can now gain you additional positive points. Your Ranks have always gained you positive points with Military Officers, but now any Rank 5 or higher gains double the bonus. The same goes for Bounty Hunters at Edict 4 or higher. Carrying Rank and Edicts bear many advantages, but this new set helps your standing with the faction echo better throughout the galaxy.
If you hover over an event log for a travel or landing save -- such as Pilot, Doctor, Command -- you can now see the exact dice your crew and ship generated as well as the dice rolled by the opposition. These extra details can help you narrow down the cases in which the right solution is a saving Talent or when you have enough Skill Pool to reliably pass. Also, they can help you notice spikes in difficulty due to quadrant danger, Rumors or Conflicts. We also fixed a bug that was causing Retrain to become unavailable if you accessed an orbital ops and then tried to return to the planet. And we fixed a couple of Orbital Salvage that weren't working correctly or were display incorrect results, even though they were doing the right thing.
- Added all strong and standard dice rolls to event log tooltips while traveling - In ship encounters, Military Officers give more clout to Rank 5+ and Bounty Hunters give more clout to Edict 4+ - Added 3 new large Plasma Cannons (level 5, 6 and 7) -- massive crippling damage for 4 RP shots - Added 2 new large Gravcannons (level 5 and 6), slightly improved Crit % and Damage for Level Large Gravcannon - Minimum Military Rating requirements added to all ship weapon installs (ranging from 4 to 9 by size and type) - Fixed mass on Medium Plasma Cannons to 300M, reduced Mass on Large Gravcannons to 600 - Fixed bug preventing Talent Retraining after using an orbital op but not leaving planet - Fixed mismatched faction in description of Orbital Salvage cards "Hunted", "Military Patrol", "Pirate Ambush" - Fixed "Influence Conflict" card drawn in Orbital Salvage not having an effect
[ 2018-10-19 03:56:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #111 fills out the massive ship weapon category, adding 5 new large slot weapons. It also increases your Rank and Edict impact on ship encounters, reveals all of the dice roll details during travel and fixes lingering issues with Orbital Salvage.
Due to some travel schedule and planned build server maintenance, this will be the last update for about 10 days. We know that's a long black out for updates, but we promise that when the time comes, there will be a very large and very lovely update!
Rolling Out the Big Guns
With Update #111, the starports across the galaxy have expanded their line up of big guns. Where there was only the Retribution Gravcannon before to mount on your Large Slots, we've added 5 new impressive weapons to help pound the enemy into either bits (gravcannon) or submission (plasma cannon). There Large Slot weapons don't come cheap and they all require 4 AP to fire, but they are levels 5 to 7 and are devastators. We've also made some tweaks to Mass ratings for weapons -- reducing Large Gravcannons to 600 and Medium Plasma Cannons to 300.
Military Requirements for Military Upgrades
All ship weapons are a little more difficult to find now. Buying new ship weapons now requires at least 4 Military Rating and all the way up to 9 for the largest and most complex weapons platforms.
Your Clout: Rank and Edict
In ship encounters, higher grades of Military Ranks and Edicts can now gain you additional positive points. Your Ranks have always gained you positive points with Military Officers, but now any Rank 5 or higher gains double the bonus. The same goes for Bounty Hunters at Edict 4 or higher. Carrying Rank and Edicts bear many advantages, but this new set helps your standing with the faction echo better throughout the galaxy.
Event Log Specifics
If you hover over an event log for a travel or landing save -- such as Pilot, Doctor, Command -- you can now see the exact dice your crew and ship generated as well as the dice rolled by the opposition. These extra details can help you narrow down the cases in which the right solution is a saving Talent or when you have enough Skill Pool to reliably pass. Also, they can help you notice spikes in difficulty due to quadrant danger, Rumors or Conflicts. We also fixed a bug that was causing Retrain to become unavailable if you accessed an orbital ops and then tried to return to the planet. And we fixed a couple of Orbital Salvage that weren't working correctly or were display incorrect results, even though they were doing the right thing.
v2.4.13 - 10/18/2018
- Added all strong and standard dice rolls to event log tooltips while traveling - In ship encounters, Military Officers give more clout to Rank 5+ and Bounty Hunters give more clout to Edict 4+ - Added 3 new large Plasma Cannons (level 5, 6 and 7) -- massive crippling damage for 4 RP shots - Added 2 new large Gravcannons (level 5 and 6), slightly improved Crit % and Damage for Level Large Gravcannon - Minimum Military Rating requirements added to all ship weapon installs (ranging from 4 to 9 by size and type) - Fixed mass on Medium Plasma Cannons to 300M, reduced Mass on Large Gravcannons to 600 - Fixed bug preventing Talent Retraining after using an orbital op but not leaving planet - Fixed mismatched faction in description of Orbital Salvage cards "Hunted", "Military Patrol", "Pirate Ambush" - Fixed "Influence Conflict" card drawn in Orbital Salvage not having an effect
Update #110: The Long Haul
Update #110 adds a new faction-specific ship to the Zenrin fleet: the Arcanum Freighter. This new freighter is a lightly armored, long-haul cargo transport that excels at safe and efficient operation. Built in the tough and focused Zenrin-style, it comes with multiple reinforced components, a barracks ready to hold its full 30 crew and an impressive 135 base cargo capacity. As usual, the AI hasn't been given access to this ship, but will in future updates.
We had some great requests from within the community this week for new unlockable content -- specifically the starting profession Commander and a starting Contact who can hire out Pirates. We're excited to deliver both and to send big thanks to all the community members sending in suggestions! The "Faction Defender" achievement now unlocks Commander and the "Privateer" achievement now unlocks a new Contact type, Blackheart. Of course, Blackhearts -- retired privateers -- will appear in new games and be generated in all games regardless of the achievement, they're just locked as a starting option. They're very useful in their ability to deliver variety -- offering low grade Ranks, Edicts and Permits as well as Pirate recruits and Combat Armor for sale.
With this release, we've made some changes to the rules for a few Talents to help improve their utility, limit unfair use and fix bugs. In Black Market Talents, we've renamed "Word in the Hall" to "Underground Whispers" and made it an active Talent. Now, it removes a risk card and replaces it with a friendly Rumor card. It won't help you get into the market, but it can sure help you dodge that Confiscate card! Second, we've fixed the issues with Illicit Notoriety that were preventing it from working on some of the cards that granted you access to the markets. Finally, the Threatening Entry card -- an Intimidate check to gain entry to the black market -- now has the chance to boost you up to a access level 3, as if you had a rank 3 permit. Second, we've improved the ruleset around "Strict Search" and "Rigorous Search". Both now cannot be used more than twice in a single encounter with a Smuggler. However, in both cases, the Talent is more likely to uncover hidden cargo, even in the case where the enemy cargo hold seems full. Finally, "Bold Statements" now gives Rep to the correct Faction for Trade Bans.
There will be a long road of small tweaks to orbital salvage balance until its a perfectly tuned system. In this release, we've downgraded the max of the credit reward cards you could score. You can still get the big bonuses from Traits, Talents and Components, so rely on those to get big credit hauls. Second, we've tweaked the Trait mutation paths throughout the system, more fairly applying new traits in both negative and positive events.
- Achievement "Faction Defender" now unlocks new starting Profession: Commander - Achievement "Privateer" now unlocks new starting Contact: Blackheart - New Contact type "Blackheart" is a retired privateer, recruits pirates, offers low level rank/permit/edict and sells armor appears in all games - New Zenrin faction-specific ship "Arcanum Freighter" (Mass 5000, 5 Officer, 135 Cargo) - Arbiter's Story Missions "Seating an Emissary" and "United Defense Force" no longer canceled at end of era in which they originate - Black Market Card "Threatening Entry" improved to allow access level 1 to 3 - Fixed issue preventing Talent "Illicit Notoriety" from sometimes not adding +1 access level to Black Market access - Changed Talent "Word in the Market" to replace a risk card with a Learn Rumor card in Black Market, also renamed "Underground Whispers" - Fixed issue with "Bold Statement" Talent giving Rep bonus to the wrong faction - Fixed balance issues with "Strict Search" and "Rigorous Search" - can only be used twice, more likely to turn up hidden cargo in Smugglers - Fixed issue with boarding right before some ship combat victory conditions creating incorrect game score - Reduced Orbital Salvage credit rewards for good and rare cards - Rebalanced Orbital Salvage Trait mutations for Crew Danger, Fatal Accident and Rich Salvage
[ 2018-10-17 21:07:50 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #110 comes after a weekend break and delivers on new content, balance tweaks and new achievement rewards. We've included a new faction specific ship, new starting profession, new starting contact and some improvements to Talent rules. Enjoy! Thanks to all of our players leaving reviews and telling friends about Star Traders: Frontiers -- Cory and I thank you.
Zenrin Trader
Update #110 adds a new faction-specific ship to the Zenrin fleet: the Arcanum Freighter. This new freighter is a lightly armored, long-haul cargo transport that excels at safe and efficient operation. Built in the tough and focused Zenrin-style, it comes with multiple reinforced components, a barracks ready to hold its full 30 crew and an impressive 135 base cargo capacity. As usual, the AI hasn't been given access to this ship, but will in future updates.
Unlockable Requests
We had some great requests from within the community this week for new unlockable content -- specifically the starting profession Commander and a starting Contact who can hire out Pirates. We're excited to deliver both and to send big thanks to all the community members sending in suggestions! The "Faction Defender" achievement now unlocks Commander and the "Privateer" achievement now unlocks a new Contact type, Blackheart. Of course, Blackhearts -- retired privateers -- will appear in new games and be generated in all games regardless of the achievement, they're just locked as a starting option. They're very useful in their ability to deliver variety -- offering low grade Ranks, Edicts and Permits as well as Pirate recruits and Combat Armor for sale.
Talent Balance and Improvements
With this release, we've made some changes to the rules for a few Talents to help improve their utility, limit unfair use and fix bugs. In Black Market Talents, we've renamed "Word in the Hall" to "Underground Whispers" and made it an active Talent. Now, it removes a risk card and replaces it with a friendly Rumor card. It won't help you get into the market, but it can sure help you dodge that Confiscate card! Second, we've fixed the issues with Illicit Notoriety that were preventing it from working on some of the cards that granted you access to the markets. Finally, the Threatening Entry card -- an Intimidate check to gain entry to the black market -- now has the chance to boost you up to a access level 3, as if you had a rank 3 permit. Second, we've improved the ruleset around "Strict Search" and "Rigorous Search". Both now cannot be used more than twice in a single encounter with a Smuggler. However, in both cases, the Talent is more likely to uncover hidden cargo, even in the case where the enemy cargo hold seems full. Finally, "Bold Statements" now gives Rep to the correct Faction for Trade Bans.
Continued Orbital Balancing
There will be a long road of small tweaks to orbital salvage balance until its a perfectly tuned system. In this release, we've downgraded the max of the credit reward cards you could score. You can still get the big bonuses from Traits, Talents and Components, so rely on those to get big credit hauls. Second, we've tweaked the Trait mutation paths throughout the system, more fairly applying new traits in both negative and positive events.
v2.4.11 - 10/17/2018
- Achievement "Faction Defender" now unlocks new starting Profession: Commander - Achievement "Privateer" now unlocks new starting Contact: Blackheart - New Contact type "Blackheart" is a retired privateer, recruits pirates, offers low level rank/permit/edict and sells armor appears in all games - New Zenrin faction-specific ship "Arcanum Freighter" (Mass 5000, 5 Officer, 135 Cargo) - Arbiter's Story Missions "Seating an Emissary" and "United Defense Force" no longer canceled at end of era in which they originate - Black Market Card "Threatening Entry" improved to allow access level 1 to 3 - Fixed issue preventing Talent "Illicit Notoriety" from sometimes not adding +1 access level to Black Market access - Changed Talent "Word in the Market" to replace a risk card with a Learn Rumor card in Black Market, also renamed "Underground Whispers" - Fixed issue with "Bold Statement" Talent giving Rep bonus to the wrong faction - Fixed balance issues with "Strict Search" and "Rigorous Search" - can only be used twice, more likely to turn up hidden cargo in Smugglers - Fixed issue with boarding right before some ship combat victory conditions creating incorrect game score - Reduced Orbital Salvage credit rewards for good and rare cards - Rebalanced Orbital Salvage Trait mutations for Crew Danger, Fatal Accident and Rich Salvage
Update #109 + Hotfixes
- Salvage operation add or remove Trait cards are more clear about their result if no Trait was modified - Fixed Salvage card (Pirate Hideout, Xeno Assault) that were not delivering promised stash of goods on victory - Fixed issue preventing moving between Salvage and other orbital ops screens seamlessly - Fixed bug causing Xeno to carry odd cargo (Fighter Components) under certain Rumor situations - Fixed crashes with Scavenger "Patchwork" Talent - Fixed bug preventing "Specialty Acquisitions" achievement from unlocking - Fixed odd Javat ghost ship with 0 crew that automatically lost battles
- Fixed Salvage Bay components not improving Orbital Salvage credit rewards - Fixed crashes with "Relic Gear" card in early game - Fixed bug with Thrown Wrench Talent firing Cascading Destruction ability instead - Fixed all reported crashes
- New Ship: Sword Cutter (3400M and $800K!) by Cadar Syndicate - Contacts now sell level 7 Weapons -- added 7 new crew weapons to the game - Credit cost of buying Salvage Rumors from Contacts increased by +20% - Improved option to use a local Contact's Influence when attempting to complete a mission (gets 100% Influence Strong Dice!) - Improved unique weapons granted by story arcs - Fixed issue where game ignored low UI scaling % on smaller screens - Added more card art for orbital operations and salvage - Fixed bugs with some weapons recovered by Salvaging having duplicate stats - Fixed issues with Orbital Salvage card formatting - Fixed reported crashes in Orbital Salvage
- Fixed bug preventing Contacts from selling weapons, armor or gear - Fixed bug showing some unlearned Talents as being on cool down at start of game - Fixed mislabel of some "Salvage" Talents as "Victory" type - Improved sorting of Contacts in new game template - Improved EVA Deck and Salvage Bay upgrades
[ 2018-10-15 19:09:43 CET ] [ Original post ]
Thanks to all of the captains who helped us make last weeks sale a success and welcome to the thousands of new captains who have stepped on the bridge and are now sailing the Frontier!
Last week, we made the decision to avoid posting news items for updates that would have bumped the big Update 108: Major Milestone RELIC off the top of the list. With the sale now concluded, we're publishing a final hotfix for Salvage operations as well as the following news item that is a roll-up of all the updates and hotfixes we did during the last week.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1691556695839699697
Here is the full detailed release notes on Update #109 as well:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/discussions/0/1734341526176895258/
With this hotfix update now out (v2.4.9) we will resume regular updates with new features and content. This update includes the last fixes to reported crashes and card issues in Orbital Salvage and we are now looking down the roadmap to more exciting items -- fighters/carriers, more xeno types, more Jobs and just more.
Thanks to everyone leaving a review, especially if you enjoy the update schedule.
v2.4.9 - 10/15/2018
- Salvage operation add or remove Trait cards are more clear about their result if no Trait was modified - Fixed Salvage card (Pirate Hideout, Xeno Assault) that were not delivering promised stash of goods on victory - Fixed issue preventing moving between Salvage and other orbital ops screens seamlessly - Fixed bug causing Xeno to carry odd cargo (Fighter Components) under certain Rumor situations - Fixed crashes with Scavenger "Patchwork" Talent - Fixed bug preventing "Specialty Acquisitions" achievement from unlocking - Fixed odd Javat ghost ship with 0 crew that automatically lost battles
v2.4.7
- Fixed Salvage Bay components not improving Orbital Salvage credit rewards - Fixed crashes with "Relic Gear" card in early game - Fixed bug with Thrown Wrench Talent firing Cascading Destruction ability instead - Fixed all reported crashes
v2.4.5 - 10/9/2018
- New Ship: Sword Cutter (3400M and $800K!) by Cadar Syndicate - Contacts now sell level 7 Weapons -- added 7 new crew weapons to the game - Credit cost of buying Salvage Rumors from Contacts increased by +20% - Improved option to use a local Contact's Influence when attempting to complete a mission (gets 100% Influence Strong Dice!) - Improved unique weapons granted by story arcs - Fixed issue where game ignored low UI scaling % on smaller screens - Added more card art for orbital operations and salvage - Fixed bugs with some weapons recovered by Salvaging having duplicate stats - Fixed issues with Orbital Salvage card formatting - Fixed reported crashes in Orbital Salvage
v2.4.3 - 10/8/2018
- Fixed bug preventing Contacts from selling weapons, armor or gear - Fixed bug showing some unlearned Talents as being on cool down at start of game - Fixed mislabel of some "Salvage" Talents as "Victory" type - Improved sorting of Contacts in new game template - Improved EVA Deck and Salvage Bay upgrades
Update #108: Major Milestone "RELIC"
As we shared when the game launched, this is just the beginning. Star Traders: Frontiers is already a massive game but we have plans to keep expanding it as we've shared in our development roadmap and the RELIC milestone is the first major delivery on that roadmap. It officially ushers in the v2.4.x family which is going to be a big one -- just check out Salvage below!
Unlike other orbital opportunities, salvage sites can only be found where there are certain Rumors -- Derelict Space Hive, Abandoned Military Station, Abandoned Medical Station, Orbital Construction, Orbital Disaster. These 5 new rumors open up 5 distinct versions of the Salvage mini-game, each with a set of unique risk and reward cards. Looking for weapons -- you'll only find them on military stations. Some of the most valuable specialist gear around can be found on abandoned medical stations, but so can a lot of other bad things. To be a successful Scavenger, you'll need to travel the stars, chasing the Rumors. And it will be important to have a crew capable of picking up on rumors on the crackling wires or over the spice plate. To help Scavengers focus your efforts, Contacts like Salvage Broker, Retired Exo-Scout, Hunna Lieutenant, Spice Runner and Retired Explorer or any Contact with the Techno-Addict Trait. These Contacts all offer a new service, allowing you to pay to learn Salvage Rumors specifically. Their connections into the galactic network help them connect you with valuable salvage opportunities -- though it won't be cheap!
More than just limited by location, Salvage is also always on a timeline. The orbital construction project is sure to finish sooner or later and the crumbling wreck of a space hive your crew are risking their necks to pick apart is sure to eventually drop into the atmo and disappear forever. The high-value rewards available during Salvage are paired with very nasty risks but are also available only for a specific window. If you want to rummage that wreck, you will have to focus down while it lasts.
If you're going salvaging, you will want to hire those who are skilled at picking over wrecks -- Scavengers. This new Job packs 13 exciting Talents that mix Salvage, Explorer and Doctor. Every thing exists in some form of decay and a Scavenger knows how to patch it up or rip it apart to get the best value. The Scavenger is adept at picking over the decaying bones of orbital wrecks and at foraging the wilderness. If you want to plunge head first into crawling over a trash-heap salvage sites, Scavenger is now available as the newest starting profession, but it requires the "De Rivesh Legacy" unlock. The Scavenger Job is not the only one getting in on the fun. 10 new Salvage Talents have been added across the Crew Dog, Gunner, Electronics Tech, Mechanic, Engineer, Pirate and Smuggler Jobs. We've provided all the options to build out a salvage-specific crew.
Salvage Bays, EVA Decks and all the ship and crew protection modules from standard orbital operations all take action in salvage operations, helping to boost rewards and protect your team in this extreme risk environments. We've provided all the options you need to build out a perfect scavenger ship.
Now available at high rated shipyards, the new Warhammer and Behemoth ship engines are both built around the venerable battle-pattern Void reactor core. Depending on size, these engines are capable of generating 9 or 10 Reactor Points per turn. As a trade off, they guzzle fuel like a snob crew dog when the chilled spice beer is on the captain's tab. The rare variant, called a Behemoth engine, is over-engineered to an extreme and packs more internal armor and shielding than some ships. Both of these engines are tuned for combat, providing an emphasis on combat performance and soak pools.
Major Milestone "RELIC" - Added all new profession, way of life, path to play: Orbital Salvage is a high-risk and high-reward job of extracting valuables from derelict orbital wrecks - Added 5 new Rumors: Derelict Space Hive, Abandoned Military Station, Abandoned Medical Station, Orbital Construction, Orbital Disaster - New Scavenger Job includes 14 new Talents, mixing Orbital Salvage, Exploration, Doctor and Boarding Victory abilities - Contacts Salvage Broker, Fixer, Smuggler now offer Scavenger Job recruits - Added 10 new Orbital Salvage Talents across Crew Dog, Gunner, Electronics Tech, Mechanic, Engineer, Pirate and Smuggler Jobs - Added 45 new pieces of Gear that can be recovered during orbital salvage -- military, medical, relics up to level 8 - Added 12 new crew Weapons that can be recovered during orbital salvage - Added 6 new crew Armors that can be recovered during orbital salvage - New Traits "Crafty" and "Hazard High" increases bonuses and Morale during Orbital Salvage, "Vulture" Trait also increases salvage profits - New Contact Service "Learn Salvage Rumor" allows you to specifically pay Contacts to learn about salvage opportunities - Contacts Salvage Broker, Retired Exo-Scout, Hunna Lieutenant, Spice Runner, Retired Explorer all offer Learn Salvage Rumor - Any Contact with "Techno-Addict" Trait will also offer Learn Salvage Rumor - Added new Contact Trait "Collector" -- these Contacts will recruits Scavengers - Salvage Broker Contact now available as a Starting Contact - Achievement "De Rivesh Legacy" now unlocks new starting Profession: Scavenger - During Orbital Disaster or Orbital Construction rumors, Engineers are available to recruit in the Spice Hall - Cooldowns for all Talents that increase rewards in Exploration, Patrol, Spy and Blockade extended to 6 weeks instead of 3 weeks - Added 9 new Awards for Salvage, Recovering Relics and Discovering Rare Trade Good Stashes - Added 3 new Steam Achievements / Unlocks Other Additions - Added 7 new Ship Engines with 10 RP for hulls M7000 and above - Added 7 new Ship Engines with 9 RP for hulls M2400 to M6000 - Spice Trader Contacts now offer Smugglers for recruit - Enemy AI now uses faction-specific ships: Crimson Defender, Aegis Freighter, Royale Gladius, Corsair Interceptor, Tiberian Highliner - Corrected Faction for Crimson Defender to be Rychart - Contact Links improved with new rules that prioritize high Influence and provide counters moves to block Rumors - Increased Influence gained and lost by Contacts interacting with Rumors - Increased Influence gained by completing missions for Contacts - Increased Water-Fuel costs for Radiation Storm and Ion Storm Rumors - Crew no longer abandon ship in Templar Faction zones or when Starport is 3 or less - Fixed bug where Cargo Missions were not properly showing Permit requirements for cargo - Fixed bug where "Running Guns" mission would still be successful even if you fought and lost to scavengers
[ 2018-10-08 16:59:03 CET ] [ Original post ]
The major milestone RELIC ushers in a completely new style of play, profession and a new major system -- Salvaging at Orbitals. While Salvaging shares some cross-over with other orbital ops (Spying, Blockading, Patrolling) it is the extreme high risk and high reward variation. In addition, Salvaging operations are tied directly to fickle Rumors, so the chance to swoop in and make a credit ... or lose a few crew ... does not last forever.
Salvage operations are not for the feint of heart. But the dangers match the possible bounty offered. From big credit rewards ($5K to $80K), to high value mission offers, to relic gear (45 new gear added), specialist weapons (12 new weapons added) or armor (6 new armor added) the rewards are premium. But so are the potential disasters from double-stacked xeno fights, negative Trait mutations, massive Reputation loss, death of Contacts in the quadrant, punishing ship damage or even the terrible double-stacked fatality card.
No, not for the feint of heart at all. This one's for the scrappers, the gamblers, those tough enough to survive.
Welcome v2.4.x
As we shared when the game launched, this is just the beginning. Star Traders: Frontiers is already a massive game but we have plans to keep expanding it as we've shared in our development roadmap and the RELIC milestone is the first major delivery on that roadmap. It officially ushers in the v2.4.x family which is going to be a big one -- just check out Salvage below!
Hunt the Rumors
Unlike other orbital opportunities, salvage sites can only be found where there are certain Rumors -- Derelict Space Hive, Abandoned Military Station, Abandoned Medical Station, Orbital Construction, Orbital Disaster. These 5 new rumors open up 5 distinct versions of the Salvage mini-game, each with a set of unique risk and reward cards. Looking for weapons -- you'll only find them on military stations. Some of the most valuable specialist gear around can be found on abandoned medical stations, but so can a lot of other bad things. To be a successful Scavenger, you'll need to travel the stars, chasing the Rumors. And it will be important to have a crew capable of picking up on rumors on the crackling wires or over the spice plate. To help Scavengers focus your efforts, Contacts like Salvage Broker, Retired Exo-Scout, Hunna Lieutenant, Spice Runner and Retired Explorer or any Contact with the Techno-Addict Trait. These Contacts all offer a new service, allowing you to pay to learn Salvage Rumors specifically. Their connections into the galactic network help them connect you with valuable salvage opportunities -- though it won't be cheap!
Race the Clock
More than just limited by location, Salvage is also always on a timeline. The orbital construction project is sure to finish sooner or later and the crumbling wreck of a space hive your crew are risking their necks to pick apart is sure to eventually drop into the atmo and disappear forever. The high-value rewards available during Salvage are paired with very nasty risks but are also available only for a specific window. If you want to rummage that wreck, you will have to focus down while it lasts.
Hire the Experts
If you're going salvaging, you will want to hire those who are skilled at picking over wrecks -- Scavengers. This new Job packs 13 exciting Talents that mix Salvage, Explorer and Doctor. Every thing exists in some form of decay and a Scavenger knows how to patch it up or rip it apart to get the best value. The Scavenger is adept at picking over the decaying bones of orbital wrecks and at foraging the wilderness. If you want to plunge head first into crawling over a trash-heap salvage sites, Scavenger is now available as the newest starting profession, but it requires the "De Rivesh Legacy" unlock. The Scavenger Job is not the only one getting in on the fun. 10 new Salvage Talents have been added across the Crew Dog, Gunner, Electronics Tech, Mechanic, Engineer, Pirate and Smuggler Jobs. We've provided all the options to build out a salvage-specific crew.
Kit the Ship
Salvage Bays, EVA Decks and all the ship and crew protection modules from standard orbital operations all take action in salvage operations, helping to boost rewards and protect your team in this extreme risk environments. We've provided all the options you need to build out a perfect scavenger ship.
New Battle-Pattern Void Engines
Now available at high rated shipyards, the new Warhammer and Behemoth ship engines are both built around the venerable battle-pattern Void reactor core. Depending on size, these engines are capable of generating 9 or 10 Reactor Points per turn. As a trade off, they guzzle fuel like a snob crew dog when the chilled spice beer is on the captain's tab. The rare variant, called a Behemoth engine, is over-engineered to an extreme and packs more internal armor and shielding than some ships. Both of these engines are tuned for combat, providing an emphasis on combat performance and soak pools.
v2.4.1 - 10/8/2018
Major Milestone "RELIC" - Added all new profession, way of life, path to play: Orbital Salvage is a high-risk and high-reward job of extracting valuables from derelict orbital wrecks - Added 5 new Rumors: Derelict Space Hive, Abandoned Military Station, Abandoned Medical Station, Orbital Construction, Orbital Disaster - New Scavenger Job includes 14 new Talents, mixing Orbital Salvage, Exploration, Doctor and Boarding Victory abilities - Contacts Salvage Broker, Fixer, Smuggler now offer Scavenger Job recruits - Added 10 new Orbital Salvage Talents across Crew Dog, Gunner, Electronics Tech, Mechanic, Engineer, Pirate and Smuggler Jobs - Added 45 new pieces of Gear that can be recovered during orbital salvage -- military, medical, relics up to level 8 - Added 12 new crew Weapons that can be recovered during orbital salvage - Added 6 new crew Armors that can be recovered during orbital salvage - New Traits "Crafty" and "Hazard High" increases bonuses and Morale during Orbital Salvage, "Vulture" Trait also increases salvage profits - New Contact Service "Learn Salvage Rumor" allows you to specifically pay Contacts to learn about salvage opportunities - Contacts Salvage Broker, Retired Exo-Scout, Hunna Lieutenant, Spice Runner, Retired Explorer all offer Learn Salvage Rumor - Any Contact with "Techno-Addict" Trait will also offer Learn Salvage Rumor - Added new Contact Trait "Collector" -- these Contacts will recruits Scavengers - Salvage Broker Contact now available as a Starting Contact - Achievement "De Rivesh Legacy" now unlocks new starting Profession: Scavenger - During Orbital Disaster or Orbital Construction rumors, Engineers are available to recruit in the Spice Hall - Cooldowns for all Talents that increase rewards in Exploration, Patrol, Spy and Blockade extended to 6 weeks instead of 3 weeks - Added 9 new Awards for Salvage, Recovering Relics and Discovering Rare Trade Good Stashes - Added 3 new Steam Achievements / Unlocks Other Additions - Added 7 new Ship Engines with 10 RP for hulls M7000 and above - Added 7 new Ship Engines with 9 RP for hulls M2400 to M6000 - Spice Trader Contacts now offer Smugglers for recruit - Enemy AI now uses faction-specific ships: Crimson Defender, Aegis Freighter, Royale Gladius, Corsair Interceptor, Tiberian Highliner - Corrected Faction for Crimson Defender to be Rychart - Contact Links improved with new rules that prioritize high Influence and provide counters moves to block Rumors - Increased Influence gained and lost by Contacts interacting with Rumors - Increased Influence gained by completing missions for Contacts - Increased Water-Fuel costs for Radiation Storm and Ion Storm Rumors - Crew no longer abandon ship in Templar Faction zones or when Starport is 3 or less - Fixed bug where Cargo Missions were not properly showing Permit requirements for cargo - Fixed bug where "Running Guns" mission would still be successful even if you fought and lost to scavengers
Update #107: A Thousand Paths
We've expanded the possible playstyles and starts for your new captain by adding two new Starting Professions: Diplomat and Assassin. They are locked behind the "Nikolai's Freedom" and "Vatborn Monster" unlocks, respectively, but each allow you to try out a captain in an even more focused role -- that of a mission-running negotiator and that of a purely melee-combat focused Captain. From where, we do expect to add some of the upcoming Jobs as new Starting Professions. Both Scavenger and Xeno Hunter have the right ring for profession material!
Update #107 drops four new large hulls! Two new faction-specific ships and two unlockable ships are ready to sail. As always, we have not turned these new hulls over to the AI yet, and will not do so until we've had some time to watch how they are used in live play. The Rychart Crimson Defender (6000M) is a heavily armored combat craft designed for long range ops and battle. The Moklumnue Aegis Freighter (8000M) excels at long range hauls and is a backbone ship in the faction's trading network. To ensure the goods arrive safely, it comes well appointed with defensive weaponry. Behind the "Hunter's Bane" achievement, you can now pick a new and exciting option for your Ship A priority during captain creation -- the 7000M Delga Megalift. Boasting 7 officer potential and a beastly build, this ship gives you a unique and powerful start without the need to swap out for a long time. To sustain the cost of this new hull, Ship Priority A has gone up to $595K, which means a little extra starting cash for any other A ship option. Finally, the "Coalition Founder" achievement unlocks a new ship for sale -- the Horizon Highliner at 6000M. Built for versatility and flexibility in many roles, the Horizon excels in operations, mercantile business and, if built properly, in war as well.
A series of enhancements are coming to the orbital operations components as we prepare for the orbital salvage expansion. First up, EVA Decks and Salvage Bays join the mix in order to increase salvage rewards from picking over destroyed enemy ships. Of course, they'll have a role to play in orbital salvage very soon as well. All of the Exploration, Orbital and Protection Components have had their Mass reduced by 15% to help them fit better into a wider variety of ships that may want to focus on these types of tasks. In addition, a number of these protective components have had Shielding and Armor added to help them protect the ship in more situations than only orbital operations. A few extra points of Armor and Shield can help free up other components that may have been previously dedicated to soaking defenses and help ships be even more versatile in their roles.
While there have always been XP bonuses given to your crew for achieve awards (and unlocks), they are now properly logged within the event. You'll see the standard XP icon next to the event and if you hover over it, you can see the exact amount of XP you've gained. This means that if your captain is leading a patrol-and-fight ship, that you'll get sizeable XP bumps as you cross the different award thresholds (ship battles 10/25/50 or patrol 25/50/100) regardless of your difficulty.
- Achievement "Nikolai's Freedom" now unlocks new starting Profession: Diplomat - Achievement "Vatborn Monster" now unlocks new starting Profession: Assassin - Achievement "Hunter's Bane" now unlocks new starting Ship: Degla Megalift (7000 Mass) - New unlockable starting Professions and Ships increase options for new games and playstyles - Achievement "Coalition Founder" now unlocks Ship for Sale: Horizon Highliner (6000 Mass) - New Moklumnue Faction Ship: Aegis Freighter (8000 Mass) - New Rychart Faction Ship: Crimson Defender (6000 Mass) - New Ship Components: EVA Decks, Salvage Bays, Reinforced Barracks 3, Shielded Barracks 4 - Improved 'Mesa Radiate-Seal' Component now adds Shielding, other Seals add +1 Armor - Improved Hull Plating and Radiation Array Components now add Ship Shielding - Improved Hull Coating and Mesh/Weave Components now add Ship Armor - Reduced Mass costs for Exploration, Orbital and Protection Components by 15% - New Xeno ship subtype with +200 Cargo Hold Size - Event log for achieving awards and achievements now includes details about the granted XP bonuses - All risk cards at -5 score or below are now marked in a gold border for better recognition - Buffed 'Radiation Storm' Cards in Orbital Operations (Spy, Patrol, Blockade) - Fixes crashes with Ship Combat - Increased install times on some ship components
[ 2018-10-05 04:05:58 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #107 breaks new ground on different ways to start your captain's career with both new starting professions and a new impressive starting ship. This is also the final update before the Orbital Salvage release to kick off v2.4.x, so we're hard to work beefing up and adding components, new ships, and prepping the interlocking systems across the game. Stay tuned -- v2.4.x will be here very soon.
New Starting Professions
We've expanded the possible playstyles and starts for your new captain by adding two new Starting Professions: Diplomat and Assassin. They are locked behind the "Nikolai's Freedom" and "Vatborn Monster" unlocks, respectively, but each allow you to try out a captain in an even more focused role -- that of a mission-running negotiator and that of a purely melee-combat focused Captain. From where, we do expect to add some of the upcoming Jobs as new Starting Professions. Both Scavenger and Xeno Hunter have the right ring for profession material!
New Ships
Update #107 drops four new large hulls! Two new faction-specific ships and two unlockable ships are ready to sail. As always, we have not turned these new hulls over to the AI yet, and will not do so until we've had some time to watch how they are used in live play. The Rychart Crimson Defender (6000M) is a heavily armored combat craft designed for long range ops and battle. The Moklumnue Aegis Freighter (8000M) excels at long range hauls and is a backbone ship in the faction's trading network. To ensure the goods arrive safely, it comes well appointed with defensive weaponry. Behind the "Hunter's Bane" achievement, you can now pick a new and exciting option for your Ship A priority during captain creation -- the 7000M Delga Megalift. Boasting 7 officer potential and a beastly build, this ship gives you a unique and powerful start without the need to swap out for a long time. To sustain the cost of this new hull, Ship Priority A has gone up to $595K, which means a little extra starting cash for any other A ship option. Finally, the "Coalition Founder" achievement unlocks a new ship for sale -- the Horizon Highliner at 6000M. Built for versatility and flexibility in many roles, the Horizon excels in operations, mercantile business and, if built properly, in war as well.
Improved Operations Components
A series of enhancements are coming to the orbital operations components as we prepare for the orbital salvage expansion. First up, EVA Decks and Salvage Bays join the mix in order to increase salvage rewards from picking over destroyed enemy ships. Of course, they'll have a role to play in orbital salvage very soon as well. All of the Exploration, Orbital and Protection Components have had their Mass reduced by 15% to help them fit better into a wider variety of ships that may want to focus on these types of tasks. In addition, a number of these protective components have had Shielding and Armor added to help them protect the ship in more situations than only orbital operations. A few extra points of Armor and Shield can help free up other components that may have been previously dedicated to soaking defenses and help ships be even more versatile in their roles.
XP Bonuses for Awards
While there have always been XP bonuses given to your crew for achieve awards (and unlocks), they are now properly logged within the event. You'll see the standard XP icon next to the event and if you hover over it, you can see the exact amount of XP you've gained. This means that if your captain is leading a patrol-and-fight ship, that you'll get sizeable XP bumps as you cross the different award thresholds (ship battles 10/25/50 or patrol 25/50/100) regardless of your difficulty.
v2.3.69 - 10/4/2018
- Achievement "Nikolai's Freedom" now unlocks new starting Profession: Diplomat - Achievement "Vatborn Monster" now unlocks new starting Profession: Assassin - Achievement "Hunter's Bane" now unlocks new starting Ship: Degla Megalift (7000 Mass) - New unlockable starting Professions and Ships increase options for new games and playstyles - Achievement "Coalition Founder" now unlocks Ship for Sale: Horizon Highliner (6000 Mass) - New Moklumnue Faction Ship: Aegis Freighter (8000 Mass) - New Rychart Faction Ship: Crimson Defender (6000 Mass) - New Ship Components: EVA Decks, Salvage Bays, Reinforced Barracks 3, Shielded Barracks 4 - Improved 'Mesa Radiate-Seal' Component now adds Shielding, other Seals add +1 Armor - Improved Hull Plating and Radiation Array Components now add Ship Shielding - Improved Hull Coating and Mesh/Weave Components now add Ship Armor - Reduced Mass costs for Exploration, Orbital and Protection Components by 15% - New Xeno ship subtype with +200 Cargo Hold Size - Event log for achieving awards and achievements now includes details about the granted XP bonuses - All risk cards at -5 score or below are now marked in a gold border for better recognition - Buffed 'Radiation Storm' Cards in Orbital Operations (Spy, Patrol, Blockade) - Fixes crashes with Ship Combat - Increased install times on some ship components
Update #106: Big Xeno Hunter
To hunt the xeno is to court death itself, or it has been said. With Update #106, we've rolled out a new class of missions -- those going directly after xeno ships and spores on the ground. These missions are high risk and high reward and are offered by Retired Xeno Hunters and any Contact with a Trait in the following dubious list: Xeno Hunter, Cult Leader or Researcher. Be sure to check your weapons lockers, repair your ship, and upgrade your torpedoes before taking on such missions. The pay may be good, but death always wants a second date.
For those captain types seen as enemies by the local faction who is in control of the quadrant -- Smugglers and Pirates -- you can now gain Reputation with the local faction for defeating them in ship combat. Therefore, defeating Rychart Pirate in a Cadar quadrant will earn you a Reputation bonus with Cadar. The faction in control of the space appreciates your striking back against criminal elements working in their void, even if their faction who the Pirates and Smugglers pledge loyalty to do not. Patrol is the act of defending a system against aggressive enemy ships, chasing down pirates and catching smugglers. The act of Patrolling to catch Pirates and Smugglers just got a little better -- if you fight all the way to victory. These same bonuses are applied to enemy ships defeated in Patrol, Blockade, Spying and even Missions if the conditions are met (foreign pirate / smuggler).
Two more of the unlocks have now been filled in with exciting rewards -- starting Contacts who can recruit out Spies and Military Officers. The FDF Commander and Ex-Spy are perfect Contacts for certain professions and playstyles looking to pick up experts in these areas quickly. Thanks @Seswatha and @JimmysTheBestCop for making these specific suggestions.
With this release, we've tweaked the Doctor Job -- which is not a close combat specialist -- to increase the Initiative on their single crew combat heal Talent to 10. We've also fixed a class of story bugs causing some duplicate events and fixed a edge case that was preventing passenger pick up missions from accepting and allowing you to sequence multiple passenger missions.
- Defeating a Pirate or Smuggler who does not match the Quadrant Faction grants a small Reputation bonus with the Quadrant's Faction - Added 2 new missions to hunt xeno ships or xeno crew combat -- high risk, high reward - Retired Xeno Hunter Contact now offers xeno hunting missions - Any Contact with Xeno Hunter, Cult Leader or Researcher Traits may offer xeno hunting missions - Achievement "Covert Operative" now unlocks starting Contact Ex-Spy, who recruits Spies - Achievement "Call of the Strong" now unlocks starting Contact FDF Commander, who recruits Military Officers - New unlockable starting Contacts increase options for new games - Increased Doctor's "Field Surgery" Talent initiative cost to 10 - Fixed story bugs causing occasional duplication of something (two boss fights, etc) - Fixing edge case where passenger mission would incorrect refuse to accept due to lack of cabins - Fixed click patterns that could cause Black Market screen to freeze
[ 2018-10-01 16:29:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #106 rolls out a terrifying new class of missions, exciting tweaks to the Reputation rules when fighting Pirates and Smugglers and 2 new unlockable starting Contacts.
While we've been working on this update, we're also nearly done with the major Orbital Salvage expansion from the v2.4.x family of the roadmap. It's heading into testing and gold plating next week and should not be long before it and the new Scavenger Job drop!
We're thankful to our awesome community for continued suggestions and feedback. If you're enjoying our approach to game dev, please be sure to tell a friend and leave a review.
Xeno Hunting Missions
To hunt the xeno is to court death itself, or it has been said. With Update #106, we've rolled out a new class of missions -- those going directly after xeno ships and spores on the ground. These missions are high risk and high reward and are offered by Retired Xeno Hunters and any Contact with a Trait in the following dubious list: Xeno Hunter, Cult Leader or Researcher. Be sure to check your weapons lockers, repair your ship, and upgrade your torpedoes before taking on such missions. The pay may be good, but death always wants a second date.
Pirates and Smugglers: Quadrant Patrol
For those captain types seen as enemies by the local faction who is in control of the quadrant -- Smugglers and Pirates -- you can now gain Reputation with the local faction for defeating them in ship combat. Therefore, defeating Rychart Pirate in a Cadar quadrant will earn you a Reputation bonus with Cadar. The faction in control of the space appreciates your striking back against criminal elements working in their void, even if their faction who the Pirates and Smugglers pledge loyalty to do not. Patrol is the act of defending a system against aggressive enemy ships, chasing down pirates and catching smugglers. The act of Patrolling to catch Pirates and Smugglers just got a little better -- if you fight all the way to victory. These same bonuses are applied to enemy ships defeated in Patrol, Blockade, Spying and even Missions if the conditions are met (foreign pirate / smuggler).
New Unlockable Starting Contacts
Two more of the unlocks have now been filled in with exciting rewards -- starting Contacts who can recruit out Spies and Military Officers. The FDF Commander and Ex-Spy are perfect Contacts for certain professions and playstyles looking to pick up experts in these areas quickly. Thanks @Seswatha and @JimmysTheBestCop for making these specific suggestions.
And More!
With this release, we've tweaked the Doctor Job -- which is not a close combat specialist -- to increase the Initiative on their single crew combat heal Talent to 10. We've also fixed a class of story bugs causing some duplicate events and fixed a edge case that was preventing passenger pick up missions from accepting and allowing you to sequence multiple passenger missions.
v2.3.67 - 8/1/2018
- Defeating a Pirate or Smuggler who does not match the Quadrant Faction grants a small Reputation bonus with the Quadrant's Faction - Added 2 new missions to hunt xeno ships or xeno crew combat -- high risk, high reward - Retired Xeno Hunter Contact now offers xeno hunting missions - Any Contact with Xeno Hunter, Cult Leader or Researcher Traits may offer xeno hunting missions - Achievement "Covert Operative" now unlocks starting Contact Ex-Spy, who recruits Spies - Achievement "Call of the Strong" now unlocks starting Contact FDF Commander, who recruits Military Officers - New unlockable starting Contacts increase options for new games - Increased Doctor's "Field Surgery" Talent initiative cost to 10 - Fixed story bugs causing occasional duplication of something (two boss fights, etc) - Fixing edge case where passenger mission would incorrect refuse to accept due to lack of cabins - Fixed click patterns that could cause Black Market screen to freeze
Update #105: Chatter in the Hall
Update #105 delivers on the second half of the starport UI rework released in Update #101. In the first step of replacing a component in the starport, you can now see your entire ship's status -- Skill Pools, Engine stats, weapons-by-range -- along with the entire component set. Due to popular demand, we've switched the upgrade selection to start with the grid of components with the option to switch to the list -- just click the one you want to swap!
The same ship detail available when replacing a component is now available for your dry docked ships as well. Now, even if you can't launch a ship or are examining a ship from a distance, you can see its entire detail stack and all the stats as if you had launched the ship. Notably, this can be misleading, because you may have some Skill Pools that won't work if your crew is too large to fit on the ship, but you can see all the stats and components in exhaustive detail anyway.
A long list of pre-combat and combat victory Talents had their cool downs extended to 6 weeks in this update, pushing more Talents out of the 3 week cool down window. While this may be painful for some builds, this balance helps align these Talents with the rest of the abilities in the game and to force a better pace of Talent use, or push captains to stack more of the same Jobs and Talents if they are truly Talents you want to use constantly (Unauthorized Access, Treat Wounded, etc).
Of course, there is more! The random Ship Encounter card that is rated -1 will no longer turn up a xeno ship in orbital ops. Be careful, the -4 card (Powerful Ship) still does! Also, when you're looking at buying Rare Trade Goods from a Contact, the exact places where those goods are in demand is now listed in the offer. And we fixed a host of other small bugs and issues - always improving!
- From dry dock, view a ship's status to see its components as well as its statistics if your crew were to board (even if not feasible) - Rebuilt starport upgrade screen to pick which component to upgrade -- now allows grid or list view - Starport upgrade pick list also includes full ship status including Skills and weapon ranges - Fixed issues with Mission option to rely on local Contact's Influence to complete step - Display of officer bonuses matches crew detail screen: "Value [Final Value]" - Increased cool down to 6 weeks for some combat and post-combat Talent: Solace in Battle, Treat Wounded, Unrivaled Patch, Dredge Artifacts, Face the Terror, Call to Arms, Rushed Patches, Calming Speech, Unauthorized Access - Xeno ships no longer appear from the -1 "Ship Encounter" card in orbital ops - Added list of zones where Rare Trade Goods are in demand to Contact's offer - Fixed inconsistency between Contact Introduction offer and final price - Switched Tiberian Highliner to use Javat colors (green and gold) - Fixed issues with Crippling Grenade Attack descriptions - Fixed Crew Combat debuff icons that were missing - Fixed bug with swapping Mass reducing component not updating Mass always - Fixed story and UI bugs
[ 2018-09-26 20:32:29 CET ] [ Original post ]
Chatter in the hall grows quiet as a new update walks in. It's been a few days because we are ripping up things to support the new Orbital Salvage systems, Rumors, Jobs and Talents. But -- the new update has arrived with UI updates, balance rework, bug fixes, recolored ships and more!
Ship Detail in Replace
Update #105 delivers on the second half of the starport UI rework released in Update #101. In the first step of replacing a component in the starport, you can now see your entire ship's status -- Skill Pools, Engine stats, weapons-by-range -- along with the entire component set. Due to popular demand, we've switched the upgrade selection to start with the grid of components with the option to switch to the list -- just click the one you want to swap!
Dry Dock Detail
The same ship detail available when replacing a component is now available for your dry docked ships as well. Now, even if you can't launch a ship or are examining a ship from a distance, you can see its entire detail stack and all the stats as if you had launched the ship. Notably, this can be misleading, because you may have some Skill Pools that won't work if your crew is too large to fit on the ship, but you can see all the stats and components in exhaustive detail anyway.
Talent Cool Down Extension
A long list of pre-combat and combat victory Talents had their cool downs extended to 6 weeks in this update, pushing more Talents out of the 3 week cool down window. While this may be painful for some builds, this balance helps align these Talents with the rest of the abilities in the game and to force a better pace of Talent use, or push captains to stack more of the same Jobs and Talents if they are truly Talents you want to use constantly (Unauthorized Access, Treat Wounded, etc).
And More
Of course, there is more! The random Ship Encounter card that is rated -1 will no longer turn up a xeno ship in orbital ops. Be careful, the -4 card (Powerful Ship) still does! Also, when you're looking at buying Rare Trade Goods from a Contact, the exact places where those goods are in demand is now listed in the offer. And we fixed a host of other small bugs and issues - always improving!
v2.3.63 - 9/26/2018
- From dry dock, view a ship's status to see its components as well as its statistics if your crew were to board (even if not feasible) - Rebuilt starport upgrade screen to pick which component to upgrade -- now allows grid or list view - Starport upgrade pick list also includes full ship status including Skills and weapon ranges - Fixed issues with Mission option to rely on local Contact's Influence to complete step - Display of officer bonuses matches crew detail screen: "Value [Final Value]" - Increased cool down to 6 weeks for some combat and post-combat Talent: Solace in Battle, Treat Wounded, Unrivaled Patch, Dredge Artifacts, Face the Terror, Call to Arms, Rushed Patches, Calming Speech, Unauthorized Access - Xeno ships no longer appear from the -1 "Ship Encounter" card in orbital ops - Added list of zones where Rare Trade Goods are in demand to Contact's offer - Fixed inconsistency between Contact Introduction offer and final price - Switched Tiberian Highliner to use Javat colors (green and gold) - Fixed issues with Crippling Grenade Attack descriptions - Fixed Crew Combat debuff icons that were missing - Fixed bug with swapping Mass reducing component not updating Mass always - Fixed story and UI bugs
Update #104: Friendlier Merchants
Some of the work we were doing in new game introduced a crash if you deselected or deleted a Template. This is now resolved -- our apologies.
We've made some modifications to the hostility thresholds for Merchants and Smugglers. Now, regardless of any circumstances (Blockading, your own villainy and bad reputation, Trade Wars, etc) neither captain type will ever forcibly remove the Retreat option and force a fight. Merchants will offer Bribes at more hostility levels and Smugglers -- disinterested in searching anyone's ship -- will not accept Surrender but instead prefer Retreat. Thanks to all the players suggesting improvements across the board, reporting bugs and helping us make Star Traders: Frontiers better daily!
- Fixes crashes in New Game / Template Management - The 'delete' function for Templates fixed - Rules changes based on player feedback regarding Merchant and Smuggler Ship Combat AI - Merchants now prefer Bribes, offer Retreat option at all hosiltities - Smugglers no longer accept Surrender, but offer Retreat option instead - No matter the player's Reputation, Merchants/Smugglers no longer force combat
[ 2018-09-17 21:15:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #104 follows closely behind its predecessor due to the need for a hotfix, but also contains a very important functional change and therefore -- has received its own number!
Hotfix New Game
Some of the work we were doing in new game introduced a crash if you deselected or deleted a Template. This is now resolved -- our apologies.
Merchant and Smugglers
We've made some modifications to the hostility thresholds for Merchants and Smugglers. Now, regardless of any circumstances (Blockading, your own villainy and bad reputation, Trade Wars, etc) neither captain type will ever forcibly remove the Retreat option and force a fight. Merchants will offer Bribes at more hostility levels and Smugglers -- disinterested in searching anyone's ship -- will not accept Surrender but instead prefer Retreat. Thanks to all the players suggesting improvements across the board, reporting bugs and helping us make Star Traders: Frontiers better daily!
v2.3.60 - 9/17/2018
- Fixes crashes in New Game / Template Management - The 'delete' function for Templates fixed - Rules changes based on player feedback regarding Merchant and Smuggler Ship Combat AI - Merchants now prefer Bribes, offer Retreat option at all hosiltities - Smugglers no longer accept Surrender, but offer Retreat option instead - No matter the player's Reputation, Merchants/Smugglers no longer force combat
Update #103: A Little Ursalite Plating
The values required to bribe enemy captains and that you can extort from captains in the void now scale up with their ship captain's level. These values are already affected by captain type and faction, but now are modified by scaled by captain level and ship mass. Notably, large ships give less tribute and small ships require less bribe. While these values still have a pretty low cap, they do now increase throughout the game and have more dramatic stacking increases as the factors all work together.
Unlocks are typically earned on either Normal or Hard, but many players are using Custom Difficulty with a mix of settings. The difficulty checker for Unlocks is now aware of Custom Difficulty and can detect "Normal or harder" and "Hard or harder" so that you can now earn Unlocks from your Custom Difficulty. Just be sure not to make any aspect of the game easier than these difficulty's default values.
Between loads of your saved game, your ship now remembers its landing zone. This will enable the Land button in the HUD and also allow you to land on that zone without any fuel cost, landing save or any other hindrance. It is a small bit of plating, but caps off the landing zone feature in a very nice way.
You may have encountered an issue where Estelle refused to accept one of the missions she had given you. This was due to returning after the eras related to her storyline started moving forward. We've now fixed the issue so that there is no invisible cut-off -- she is willing to accept these completed missions regardless of the timeline.
We've made a needed distinction between "Landing" Talents and "At Port" Talents. Landing Talents are those Talents like Orderly Drop that help you reach a faction holding safely, perhaps faster or with less fuel. At Port Talents are those like Generous in Service or Port Maintenance that fire once per arrival in a starport. It is important to separate the two categories (which were both previously called "Landing") as one of each can fire per landing and arrival in port (which happens at the same instant in the game)
- Bribe and Tribute values scale by enemy level, mass of enemy ship, captain type, faction - Achievements and Unlocks recognize when Custom Difficulty qualifies for Normal/Hard/etc - Current landing zone is remembered between different loads of a saved game - Fixed story bug preventing Arbiter from accepting story quests once the Coalition era moves ahead - Less likely to draw Learn Contact card during Blockade orbital ops - Learning a Contact during Blockade will most often learn a foreign Contact (not local faction) - Improved story officer Elsa Nariman's Attributes for future hires to improve combat Initiate and viability - Improved type label on Talents that fire "At Port" such as Generous Service and Port Maintenance versus "Landing" which help land the ship safely or efficiently - Improved click and hover scheme in New Game > New Template - Fixed starting/ending event lists entries for Faen Duel being flipped
[ 2018-09-17 03:22:22 CET ] [ Original post ]
To cap off this weekend, we've returned to a few of the features we added throughout the Early Access process and worked on adding the bells and whistles they didn't get on their first pass. We've also fixed the last reported Arbiter Estelle bug, tweaked the balance of Blockading and finding Contacts, improved the stats of the story officer Elsa and differentiated two closely related types of Talents.
If you enjoy the updates, please tell a friend and leave a review!
Bribe and Tribute Scaling
The values required to bribe enemy captains and that you can extort from captains in the void now scale up with their ship captain's level. These values are already affected by captain type and faction, but now are modified by scaled by captain level and ship mass. Notably, large ships give less tribute and small ships require less bribe. While these values still have a pretty low cap, they do now increase throughout the game and have more dramatic stacking increases as the factors all work together.
Unlocks Recognize Custom Difficulty
Unlocks are typically earned on either Normal or Hard, but many players are using Custom Difficulty with a mix of settings. The difficulty checker for Unlocks is now aware of Custom Difficulty and can detect "Normal or harder" and "Hard or harder" so that you can now earn Unlocks from your Custom Difficulty. Just be sure not to make any aspect of the game easier than these difficulty's default values.
Landing Zone Memory
Between loads of your saved game, your ship now remembers its landing zone. This will enable the Land button in the HUD and also allow you to land on that zone without any fuel cost, landing save or any other hindrance. It is a small bit of plating, but caps off the landing zone feature in a very nice way.
Late Return to Estelle
You may have encountered an issue where Estelle refused to accept one of the missions she had given you. This was due to returning after the eras related to her storyline started moving forward. We've now fixed the issue so that there is no invisible cut-off -- she is willing to accept these completed missions regardless of the timeline.
At Port and Landing Talents
We've made a needed distinction between "Landing" Talents and "At Port" Talents. Landing Talents are those Talents like Orderly Drop that help you reach a faction holding safely, perhaps faster or with less fuel. At Port Talents are those like Generous in Service or Port Maintenance that fire once per arrival in a starport. It is important to separate the two categories (which were both previously called "Landing") as one of each can fire per landing and arrival in port (which happens at the same instant in the game)
v2.3.59 - 9/16/2018
- Bribe and Tribute values scale by enemy level, mass of enemy ship, captain type, faction - Achievements and Unlocks recognize when Custom Difficulty qualifies for Normal/Hard/etc - Current landing zone is remembered between different loads of a saved game - Fixed story bug preventing Arbiter from accepting story quests once the Coalition era moves ahead - Less likely to draw Learn Contact card during Blockade orbital ops - Learning a Contact during Blockade will most often learn a foreign Contact (not local faction) - Improved story officer Elsa Nariman's Attributes for future hires to improve combat Initiate and viability - Improved type label on Talents that fire "At Port" such as Generous Service and Port Maintenance versus "Landing" which help land the ship safely or efficiently - Improved click and hover scheme in New Game > New Template - Fixed starting/ending event lists entries for Faen Duel being flipped
Update #102: Highliner
Javat's first faction-specific ship takes to the stars! The Tiberian Highliner is a heavily shielded transport ship with a large crew and long travel range. Fitted with passenger cabins and prison cells, the Tiberian functions as a long distance cruiser for Clan Javat. As with all Faction-specific ships, the Tiberian Highliner requires at least Military Rank 4 to purchase.
With Update #102, we've added 2 new small size options to increase your cargo or fuel capacity. In conjunction with an increase of cargo capacity for both Storage Hold and Storage Cache, those captains looking for extra flexibility in ways to use small slot cargo or squeeze a little more cargo or fuel capacity into their ship have an expanded set of options. We've also added Reinforced Barracks 4 option, which brings both Shield and Armor to the table and rebalanced the Jump Cost penalties for all Reinforced Barracks.
Following the last major update to the starport, we've improved a few of the default filtering and sorting rules. Those components that are faction-specific to your local faction now appear without any need to change the filtering. We've also modified the faction sort routine to place faction-specific items first and not last.
We continue to focus on the big items, but make time each week to work on the little items as well. To make map seed sharing easier and faster, we've added a copy seed button to each captain's description when you're picking a captain to load. We've done some work to improve and focus the descriptions of each starting profession and improved screen elements and how they are scaled on larger screens. Finally, we're always looking to add any illogical Trait combinations to the exclusion tables. Thanks to the players who sent in a few of these -- they have been cut out for future possible mutations.
- New 7000 Mass Clan Javat Ship: Tiberia Highliner - Added new 'Reinforced Barracks 4' medium size component - Added new 'Cargo-Fuel Pod' small size component - Added new 'Reinforced Fuel Pod' small size component - Added button to copy map seed when looking at list of saved games - By default local Faction-specific components appear in upgrade list without setting any filters - Flipped Faction sort for component upgrades -- Faction-specific come first - Fixed story bugs related to Zette's boss fight and Faen court - Improved exclusion rules withing Crew Trait mutation to avoid additional odd combos - Improved profession descriptions in new game - Improved game scaling for large screens - Reduced price of 'Cargo Hold 5' by 20% - Increased cargo storage of medium size 'Storage Hold' component by 25% - Increased cargo storage of small size 'Storage Cache' component by 50% - Balanced Jump Cost penalties for Reinforced Barracks
[ 2018-09-13 22:46:38 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #102 releases a slew of new components to increase ship design flexibility, a new Javat-only ship, a small set of fixes to the new starport filters, and a lovely package of bug fixes and quality of life improvements. Here at Trese Brothers HQ, we are hard at work on the first major dev roadmap item, hammering away on all the exciting Orbital Rumors and Salvage opportunities. It will feel good to burn down the first item from the new roadmap!
Tiberian Highliner
Javat's first faction-specific ship takes to the stars! The Tiberian Highliner is a heavily shielded transport ship with a large crew and long travel range. Fitted with passenger cabins and prison cells, the Tiberian functions as a long distance cruiser for Clan Javat. As with all Faction-specific ships, the Tiberian Highliner requires at least Military Rank 4 to purchase.
Cargo and Fuel
With Update #102, we've added 2 new small size options to increase your cargo or fuel capacity. In conjunction with an increase of cargo capacity for both Storage Hold and Storage Cache, those captains looking for extra flexibility in ways to use small slot cargo or squeeze a little more cargo or fuel capacity into their ship have an expanded set of options. We've also added Reinforced Barracks 4 option, which brings both Shield and Armor to the table and rebalanced the Jump Cost penalties for all Reinforced Barracks.
Starport Filter/Sort
Following the last major update to the starport, we've improved a few of the default filtering and sorting rules. Those components that are faction-specific to your local faction now appear without any need to change the filtering. We've also modified the faction sort routine to place faction-specific items first and not last.
Little Things
We continue to focus on the big items, but make time each week to work on the little items as well. To make map seed sharing easier and faster, we've added a copy seed button to each captain's description when you're picking a captain to load. We've done some work to improve and focus the descriptions of each starting profession and improved screen elements and how they are scaled on larger screens. Finally, we're always looking to add any illogical Trait combinations to the exclusion tables. Thanks to the players who sent in a few of these -- they have been cut out for future possible mutations.
v2.3.57 - 9/12/2018
- New 7000 Mass Clan Javat Ship: Tiberia Highliner - Added new 'Reinforced Barracks 4' medium size component - Added new 'Cargo-Fuel Pod' small size component - Added new 'Reinforced Fuel Pod' small size component - Added button to copy map seed when looking at list of saved games - By default local Faction-specific components appear in upgrade list without setting any filters - Flipped Faction sort for component upgrades -- Faction-specific come first - Fixed story bugs related to Zette's boss fight and Faen court - Improved exclusion rules withing Crew Trait mutation to avoid additional odd combos - Improved profession descriptions in new game - Improved game scaling for large screens - Reduced price of 'Cargo Hold 5' by 20% - Increased cargo storage of medium size 'Storage Hold' component by 25% - Increased cargo storage of small size 'Storage Cache' component by 50% - Balanced Jump Cost penalties for Reinforced Barracks
Update #101: Between the Stars
This update has focused our UI improvements on the second screen of the upgrade shopping experience -- the one where you pick the new component to install. We've rebuilt the filter set to be more expressive, allow picking multiple filter criteria, to be faction aware, and to allow you to see components that cannot be locally installed. The "96/105 Shown" field at the top also keeps an up-to-date count of how many components you can see and how many are hidden -- which is especially helpful when it comes to shopping beyond your local starport. With the "Ignore Mins" filter, you can look at all components regardless of their starport / military / economy requirements.
Components that are faction-specific now feature a faction flag hanging over their icon while shopping. You can use the faction filter to look for specific faction's upgrades, as well as the Any Faction filter to show upgrades from every faction, even if they aren't available for install.
If you're using the Ignore Mins filter, you can now spot components that can't be installed with the label in their bottom right, listing out the specific conditions that they fail to meet. The next UI improvement in this set of screens will focus on the first screen -- picking the component from your ship that you want to replace. So, more upgrades coming, stay tuned.
A lot of important rebalancing work has gone into Update #101. Thanks to a great player suggestion, the Bounty Hunter's Blood Game now works for boarding from range 1-3 even without a Mission. Also, Bladesman Rally is no longer a self-Talent but keeps its awesome AoE ability. Stealth Armors from weapon lockers have all been improved moderately, and the prices of high level weapons and armor from Contacts has been increased. When selling Intel to a Contact, we've tweaked the balance of Rep gained. Specifically, if you have negative Rep with the faction, it is harder to dig yourself out of a hole by selling Intel.
We've added 2 new filters and a new sort option to your Contact list based directly off player requests. First up, filter by Trait Conditioning, which only snags Gestalt at the moment, but soon will have a few more options. Second, you can now cut through the chafe by filtering to only see Contacts with whom you have a negative or positive Personal Reputation. This means, any Contacts you've had no engagement with will get cut from the list. This helps you focus on your core crew quickly. Finally, sort by Influence to help you see who is most powerful or weakest in the bunch. Also, if you are working with a Contact who sells Rare Trade Goods, the cool down (if any) for their ability to sell more goods is now shown in the Contact List, so you can check it from a distance. Finally, we've fixed 4 big story bugs -- Erik Faen telling lies, Zette Faen missing her mission bonus, a repeatable fight in Erik Faen's storyline and issues with 1 of 3 possible ending to Nikolai's storyline not activating his achievement.
- Improved filter and sort in Starport upgrade screen where you shop for new component - Now apply multiple filters, filter by range, filter by faction, sort by range etc - Now able to set filter to ignore faction holding ratings -- see even components you cannot install locally - Now able to set filter to show other factions -- see even components you cannot install locally - Faction flags now hang over component icons when offered for sale - Next round of improvements coming for Starport upgrade screen where you pick which component to replace - Hyperwarp Navigators are now recruitable based on Spice Rating (5+) instead of Economy - Bounty Hunter "Blood Game" Talent can now be used to board from ranges 1-3 without a mission; ranges 4-5 still require Mission - Added new Contact List filter that only shows Contacts with a relationship (positive or negative Personal Rep) - Added new Contact List filter for Contacts with Trait Conditioning services - Added new Contact List sort option to sort by high Influence - Added cool down timing for Rare Trade Goods to Contact List > Detail so you can check from a distance - Improved balance of Stealth armors from Weapons Lockers - Increased prices of Contact-sold Weapons and Armor, rebalanced L6 Sniper - Changed Swordsman "Bladesman Rally" Talent to not be self-only, keeps AoE, Init cost increased to 6 - Selling Intel to Contacts with negative faction Rep results in less Rep gain - Improved story for end of Erik Faen's arc, now directly impacts Conflict - Prevented Signature Jammer Talent from firing in cases of 1 Rep loss where it cannot mitigate - Improved Enemy Ship builder AI to build better Palace Interceptor, Vindex and Bolt Liners - Fixed story bug causing Erik Faen to make claims about Val's fate that were not always true - Fixed story bug potentially causing repeat story fights in Erik Faen's questline - Fixed story bug preventing Zette Faen from giving higher bonus for final mission as negotiated - Fixed story bug preventing achievement from unlocking in one of 3 Nikolai story endings - Fixed issue with Palace Interceptor having the wrong size Engine - Fixed bug causing some Contact recruits, such as Spies, to recruit 1 level lower than expected - Fixed story bugs with Contacts incorrectly appearing as indie - Fixed bug Enormous Space Hat floating on screen occasionally
[ 2018-09-09 22:23:27 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #101 is a massive package of upgrades, new filters, balance changes, Talent improvements, story fixes and more! This one is clearing the decks as we prep to tackle the first big roadmap item of our dev roadmap. Get ready -- there is a lot more coming.
If you're enjoying the relentless pace of updates -- please tell a friend and leave a review! For anyone who has seen the famous "Enormous Floating Space Hat" -- that is also now fixed!
Rebuilt Upgrade Shopping
This update has focused our UI improvements on the second screen of the upgrade shopping experience -- the one where you pick the new component to install. We've rebuilt the filter set to be more expressive, allow picking multiple filter criteria, to be faction aware, and to allow you to see components that cannot be locally installed. The "96/105 Shown" field at the top also keeps an up-to-date count of how many components you can see and how many are hidden -- which is especially helpful when it comes to shopping beyond your local starport. With the "Ignore Mins" filter, you can look at all components regardless of their starport / military / economy requirements.
Components that are faction-specific now feature a faction flag hanging over their icon while shopping. You can use the faction filter to look for specific faction's upgrades, as well as the Any Faction filter to show upgrades from every faction, even if they aren't available for install.
If you're using the Ignore Mins filter, you can now spot components that can't be installed with the label in their bottom right, listing out the specific conditions that they fail to meet. The next UI improvement in this set of screens will focus on the first screen -- picking the component from your ship that you want to replace. So, more upgrades coming, stay tuned.
Rebalances
A lot of important rebalancing work has gone into Update #101. Thanks to a great player suggestion, the Bounty Hunter's Blood Game now works for boarding from range 1-3 even without a Mission. Also, Bladesman Rally is no longer a self-Talent but keeps its awesome AoE ability. Stealth Armors from weapon lockers have all been improved moderately, and the prices of high level weapons and armor from Contacts has been increased. When selling Intel to a Contact, we've tweaked the balance of Rep gained. Specifically, if you have negative Rep with the faction, it is harder to dig yourself out of a hole by selling Intel.
New Contact Filters and Sort
We've added 2 new filters and a new sort option to your Contact list based directly off player requests. First up, filter by Trait Conditioning, which only snags Gestalt at the moment, but soon will have a few more options. Second, you can now cut through the chafe by filtering to only see Contacts with whom you have a negative or positive Personal Reputation. This means, any Contacts you've had no engagement with will get cut from the list. This helps you focus on your core crew quickly. Finally, sort by Influence to help you see who is most powerful or weakest in the bunch. Also, if you are working with a Contact who sells Rare Trade Goods, the cool down (if any) for their ability to sell more goods is now shown in the Contact List, so you can check it from a distance. Finally, we've fixed 4 big story bugs -- Erik Faen telling lies, Zette Faen missing her mission bonus, a repeatable fight in Erik Faen's storyline and issues with 1 of 3 possible ending to Nikolai's storyline not activating his achievement.
v2.3.55 - 9/9/2018
- Improved filter and sort in Starport upgrade screen where you shop for new component - Now apply multiple filters, filter by range, filter by faction, sort by range etc - Now able to set filter to ignore faction holding ratings -- see even components you cannot install locally - Now able to set filter to show other factions -- see even components you cannot install locally - Faction flags now hang over component icons when offered for sale - Next round of improvements coming for Starport upgrade screen where you pick which component to replace - Hyperwarp Navigators are now recruitable based on Spice Rating (5+) instead of Economy - Bounty Hunter "Blood Game" Talent can now be used to board from ranges 1-3 without a mission; ranges 4-5 still require Mission - Added new Contact List filter that only shows Contacts with a relationship (positive or negative Personal Rep) - Added new Contact List filter for Contacts with Trait Conditioning services - Added new Contact List sort option to sort by high Influence - Added cool down timing for Rare Trade Goods to Contact List > Detail so you can check from a distance - Improved balance of Stealth armors from Weapons Lockers - Increased prices of Contact-sold Weapons and Armor, rebalanced L6 Sniper - Changed Swordsman "Bladesman Rally" Talent to not be self-only, keeps AoE, Init cost increased to 6 - Selling Intel to Contacts with negative faction Rep results in less Rep gain - Improved story for end of Erik Faen's arc, now directly impacts Conflict - Prevented Signature Jammer Talent from firing in cases of 1 Rep loss where it cannot mitigate - Improved Enemy Ship builder AI to build better Palace Interceptor, Vindex and Bolt Liners - Fixed story bug causing Erik Faen to make claims about Val's fate that were not always true - Fixed story bug potentially causing repeat story fights in Erik Faen's questline - Fixed story bug preventing Zette Faen from giving higher bonus for final mission as negotiated - Fixed story bug preventing achievement from unlocking in one of 3 Nikolai story endings - Fixed issue with Palace Interceptor having the wrong size Engine - Fixed bug causing some Contact recruits, such as Spies, to recruit 1 level lower than expected - Fixed story bugs with Contacts incorrectly appearing as indie - Fixed bug Enormous Space Hat floating on screen occasionally
Update #100: Celebratory Hats
Update #100 is celebrated with a new Rychart creation -- a feathered tricorn hat! Matched the redmoon glasses or a more traditional pirate's eyepatch, your crew and officers have a trove of new options for their looks.
Your ship's Hyperwarp Drive is one of the link components that you can't remove or swap out for another type. With this update, we've introduced a new set of HW Drives that are armored and prepared for battle. While their Jump cost in Fuel is the highest yet, these drives can help create unique ship builds that are short-ranged but focused on combat. We also took the liberty to rename some of the Hyperwarp Drives and some other ship components as well to make their names more clear. For example, Reinforced Officer Suties has been renamed Shielded Officer Suites for clarity of effect.
As the ship component catalog grows, more and more of the new additions are going to slot under different faction specialties. We've added 5 new ship components this release -- including those from Javat, Moklumnue, Zenrin, Cadar and Alta Mesa. An upcoming set of improvements to the filtering and sorting capabilities of the starport upgrade screen will make these far easier to find in a very near term update.
We've completed a project to further differentiate the Interceptor class ships based on discussions we've had with players which revealed that they were too similar to each other. The Palace Interceptor remains an unlockable starting ship and is now focused on Medium Sized components. The Corsair Interceptor's Engine has been upgraded and focuses on Small Size components that make it better suited to carry a variety of weapons.
Many thanks to our players for continuing to suggest improvements to the game! We're happy to deliver :D Update #100 includes new display in crew combat showing the primary Job of every character as well as highlighting Captains and Officers from among the crowd. We fixed all known bugs with different map seeds! Thanks to everyone reporting issues with Aetaan Char being indie or the first mission being 8 jumps away! We also improved the Plague Era by ensuring that medical supplies can always be sold during the unique Rumors of that time.
- Added new hat type -- feathered tricorn - Added new glasses -- redmoon glass - Added 7 new battle-ready combat-focused Hyperwarp Drives - New Clan Alta Mesa ship component 'Reinforced Fuel Tank' - New Clan Zenrin ship component 'Armored Officer Suites' - New Cadar Syndicate ship component 'Battle Prow 4' - New Clan Javat ship component 'Hull Plating 4' - New Clan Moklumnue ship component 'Cargo Hold 5' - Reworked 'Palace Interceptor' and 'Corsair Interceptor' ship designs - Improved naming of Hyperwarp Drive ship components - Crew combat character display now includes primary job as well as indicator for Officers / Captains - During Plague Era, if any plague rumor is in effect, all medical cargo types can always be sold regardless of Trade Law - Improved Legality displays for Stash screens - Fixed bugs with certain map seeds creating Aetaan Char as indie, first mission 8 jumps or your ship starting randomly floating in the void - Fixed issue where Ransom Talents like Honorable Release were not going into cooldown - Fixed issues with Mission Accept causing doubled missions - Prevented overlaps of combat floating status text (Morale, HP, Stunned!) - Fixed issues with very large tooltips going off the edge of the screen - Fixed hanging dialog from Tuko Malgin when you did not accept his mission offer - Fixed issues with Demand Tribute, tribute bonuses and repeating Tributes - Renamed 'Reinforced Officer Suites' to 'Shielded Officer Suites' for less confusion
[ 2018-09-05 02:25:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #100 feels like a big milestone to cross! We wanted to make sure this update was extra special and so took our time over the weekend to pack it full of new content, new visuals, new components, new fixes and more. What better way to celebrate than more hats!
Thanks to everyone who is helping us share the game -- by telling a friend or leaving a review.
New Looks
Update #100 is celebrated with a new Rychart creation -- a feathered tricorn hat! Matched the redmoon glasses or a more traditional pirate's eyepatch, your crew and officers have a trove of new options for their looks.
Combat Jump Drives
Your ship's Hyperwarp Drive is one of the link components that you can't remove or swap out for another type. With this update, we've introduced a new set of HW Drives that are armored and prepared for battle. While their Jump cost in Fuel is the highest yet, these drives can help create unique ship builds that are short-ranged but focused on combat. We also took the liberty to rename some of the Hyperwarp Drives and some other ship components as well to make their names more clear. For example, Reinforced Officer Suties has been renamed Shielded Officer Suites for clarity of effect.
Faction-specific Ship Components
As the ship component catalog grows, more and more of the new additions are going to slot under different faction specialties. We've added 5 new ship components this release -- including those from Javat, Moklumnue, Zenrin, Cadar and Alta Mesa. An upcoming set of improvements to the filtering and sorting capabilities of the starport upgrade screen will make these far easier to find in a very near term update.
Palace and Corsair Interceptors
We've completed a project to further differentiate the Interceptor class ships based on discussions we've had with players which revealed that they were too similar to each other. The Palace Interceptor remains an unlockable starting ship and is now focused on Medium Sized components. The Corsair Interceptor's Engine has been upgraded and focuses on Small Size components that make it better suited to carry a variety of weapons.
QoL in the Void
Many thanks to our players for continuing to suggest improvements to the game! We're happy to deliver :D Update #100 includes new display in crew combat showing the primary Job of every character as well as highlighting Captains and Officers from among the crowd. We fixed all known bugs with different map seeds! Thanks to everyone reporting issues with Aetaan Char being indie or the first mission being 8 jumps away! We also improved the Plague Era by ensuring that medical supplies can always be sold during the unique Rumors of that time.
v2.3.53 - 9/1/2018
- Added new hat type -- feathered tricorn - Added new glasses -- redmoon glass - Added 7 new battle-ready combat-focused Hyperwarp Drives - New Clan Alta Mesa ship component 'Reinforced Fuel Tank' - New Clan Zenrin ship component 'Armored Officer Suites' - New Cadar Syndicate ship component 'Battle Prow 4' - New Clan Javat ship component 'Hull Plating 4' - New Clan Moklumnue ship component 'Cargo Hold 5' - Reworked 'Palace Interceptor' and 'Corsair Interceptor' ship designs - Improved naming of Hyperwarp Drive ship components - Crew combat character display now includes primary job as well as indicator for Officers / Captains - During Plague Era, if any plague rumor is in effect, all medical cargo types can always be sold regardless of Trade Law - Improved Legality displays for Stash screens - Fixed bugs with certain map seeds creating Aetaan Char as indie, first mission 8 jumps or your ship starting randomly floating in the void - Fixed issue where Ransom Talents like Honorable Release were not going into cooldown - Fixed issues with Mission Accept causing doubled missions - Prevented overlaps of combat floating status text (Morale, HP, Stunned!) - Fixed issues with very large tooltips going off the edge of the screen - Fixed hanging dialog from Tuko Malgin when you did not accept his mission offer - Fixed issues with Demand Tribute, tribute bonuses and repeating Tributes - Renamed 'Reinforced Officer Suites' to 'Shielded Officer Suites' for less confusion
Update #99: Wilderness Lost
With this update, we've added another benefit to high level military Ranks within the faction. At Rank 13+, you now get a bonus +1 level to any recruit from a Contact, pushing the maximum recruit level to 9 or even up to 13 with the right Rumors and Contact Traits. We've also made some changes to the Attribute matrix for zone ratings, roughly adding a +10% boost for those zones with higher ratings.
If you were having any issues with Mac UI scaling, we've now enabled the UI Scaling in the options menu. You should able to use this to resolve any issues you were having. We're looking forward to hearing feedback from the Mac crew on this new option!
We're always excited to add awesome features suggested by the community here on Steam. We've added cargo legality directly to the buy / sell / cargo and stash screens to make it really clear where all the goods stand. Thanks @Phasmaphobic for the great suggestion.
We've made 4 big improvements across heavily played areas of storylines to help smooth out issues, improve communication of the world and lore and to help reduce things that just were confusing. First up -- the Early Coalition Era is about 25% longer, giving you more time to work with the Arbiter or take care of other storylines appearing there. During the Plague Era, you'll now find Arbiter Brokstrom more responsive. The Crowned Smuggler story got a sizeable overhaul with new deadlines shown for every story objective, improved entries in the captain's log and also improved fail alerts -- if you fail to deliver on the crowning planning, the Smuggler/Fixer will talk to you about it instead of oddly cold-shouldering. Finally, we added a number of additional lines of dialog to the end of the Faen case to ensure that its resolution and timing are clearer to all players.
- Military Rank 13+ now grants additional +1 bonus level to any recruit from a Contact - Increased Recruit attribute rolls by around 10% depending on Zone Ratings - Added Legality value directly to 4th column in Exchange - Increased the duration of the Early Coalition Era by 25% - Improved Arbiter Brokstrom's reaction to Plague Era, she now provides Introduction to Chaesin effort - Improved Crowned Smuggler story vignette to have clear story deadlines as well as being clear when it has failed - Improved and clarified story explanation of Faen case ending in Erik and Valencia storylines - Corrected description for 4 crew combat Talents that always removed all enemy buffs, but did not list it (Plas-Charge Slugs, Damning Aim, Terrifying Accuracy, Bullet Trace) - Fixed issues with Contact Influence overflowing above 100 - Plague Rumors now have greater impacts on effected Contacts - Fixed issues with Coalition Contact titles ("Coalition Coalition") - Fixed captains log > score not perfectly counting every crew fight - Improved consistency of clickable regions in zone services tray - Fixed Screen Scaling support and improved fullscreen performance for Mac OS X
[ 2018-09-01 01:56:47 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #99 welcomes the weekend with a big burst of new improvements, balances and tightening up in some of the major storylines.
Recruiter's Eye
With this update, we've added another benefit to high level military Ranks within the faction. At Rank 13+, you now get a bonus +1 level to any recruit from a Contact, pushing the maximum recruit level to 9 or even up to 13 with the right Rumors and Contact Traits. We've also made some changes to the Attribute matrix for zone ratings, roughly adding a +10% boost for those zones with higher ratings.
Mac UI Scaling
If you were having any issues with Mac UI scaling, we've now enabled the UI Scaling in the options menu. You should able to use this to resolve any issues you were having. We're looking forward to hearing feedback from the Mac crew on this new option!
Legality at a Glance
We're always excited to add awesome features suggested by the community here on Steam. We've added cargo legality directly to the buy / sell / cargo and stash screens to make it really clear where all the goods stand. Thanks @Phasmaphobic for the great suggestion.
Stories Running Smoother
We've made 4 big improvements across heavily played areas of storylines to help smooth out issues, improve communication of the world and lore and to help reduce things that just were confusing. First up -- the Early Coalition Era is about 25% longer, giving you more time to work with the Arbiter or take care of other storylines appearing there. During the Plague Era, you'll now find Arbiter Brokstrom more responsive. The Crowned Smuggler story got a sizeable overhaul with new deadlines shown for every story objective, improved entries in the captain's log and also improved fail alerts -- if you fail to deliver on the crowning planning, the Smuggler/Fixer will talk to you about it instead of oddly cold-shouldering. Finally, we added a number of additional lines of dialog to the end of the Faen case to ensure that its resolution and timing are clearer to all players.
v2.3.51 - 8/31/2018
- Military Rank 13+ now grants additional +1 bonus level to any recruit from a Contact - Increased Recruit attribute rolls by around 10% depending on Zone Ratings - Added Legality value directly to 4th column in Exchange - Increased the duration of the Early Coalition Era by 25% - Improved Arbiter Brokstrom's reaction to Plague Era, she now provides Introduction to Chaesin effort - Improved Crowned Smuggler story vignette to have clear story deadlines as well as being clear when it has failed - Improved and clarified story explanation of Faen case ending in Erik and Valencia storylines - Corrected description for 4 crew combat Talents that always removed all enemy buffs, but did not list it (Plas-Charge Slugs, Damning Aim, Terrifying Accuracy, Bullet Trace) - Fixed issues with Contact Influence overflowing above 100 - Plague Rumors now have greater impacts on effected Contacts - Fixed issues with Coalition Contact titles ("Coalition Coalition") - Fixed captains log > score not perfectly counting every crew fight - Improved consistency of clickable regions in zone services tray - Fixed Screen Scaling support and improved fullscreen performance for Mac OS X
Update #98: Unrivaled Rarity
Rare Trade Goods have been for some time, an unbalanced gold mine within the Contact structure. This update brings them back into the fold -- keep them exciting, some of the highest order of trading for a merchant or smuggler but also keep them more challenge and less of a run on the bank. First, Rare Trade Goods now conform to the same ladder structure used by all of the other Contact services. The Rare Trade Goods ladder has 8 levels. As you climb this ladder of Influence and Effective Rep, you'll see the price for the goods decrease up to 20%. But more importantly, you'll be able to get more frequent repeat access to the supply for the Rare Trade Good. The new Rare Trade Goods system puts a cool down in place, in which a Contact can only sell you Rare Trade Goods so often, based on their own Influence and your Effective Rep. Invest in a big cargo hold -- your Contacts will sell you large piles of Rare Trade Goods but then are unable to use you as a distributor again until the cool down expires. In addition to rebuilding and balancing the purchase of Rare Trade Goods, we've improved their rules for selling. First, you simply cannot sell the Rare Trade Good back into its quadrant of origin. This is the only quadrant from which the RTG can be purchased which makes it the one supply house. So close to the supply, there is no demand and the cartel behind the RTG has ensured there is no buyer. The farther you travel from the quadrant of origin, the better the Reputation and Influence rewards for selling RTG will be. The first two jumps give limited rewards but after that, the rewards just keep growing. We know it is a big switch from what was previously there for Rare Trade Goods. We are excited to hear traders' sharing the feedback about the new system!
Following on Update #97's option to double the speed of map travel, we have introduced the option to double the speed of card game play. All the animations and delays are crunched down and with the option turned on, the play is extremely fast. The same warning that went with the double map travel speed applies here -- you can now play really fast, just don't play without looking to see if there are 3 xeno cards!!! We're going to keep hammering this set of features, improving efficiency of play for our veteran captains! Combat is next.
With the recently rules allowing Black Markets on any world, regardless of Trade Law, we are opening the Contact list up a bit more with Update #98. Hunna Lieutenant contacts will always offer a Black Market, while Merchant and Weapons Dealer Contacts both join the ranks of those Contacts willing to offer Black Market access only if they have the Greedy, Corrupt or Underworld Trait. Of course, we've also fixed a pile of bugs. We resolved 2 crew combat animation issues around pistols and throwing grenades or shooting a pistol while holding a blade. We fixed an issue where the weapons or Talents list in ship combat could become oddly stuck at times. The new Conflict events were flipped -- now they are properly aligned. And more -- check the full list below. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please leave a review and tell a friend!
- Added new option for faster results / animation speed during minigames - Rebuilt Rare Trade Goods Contact service and benefits of selling them - Contacts can sell you Rare Trade Goods and then cannot sell again for a time; time is determined by Contact Influence and Rep - As you climb the Rare Trade Goods ladder with Contacts, the price of Rare Trade Goods decreases and you can buy them more quickly - Rare Trade Goods can no longer be sold in the quadrant from which they originate (where the Contact is) - Selling Rare Trade Goods is more beneficial the farther away you are -- selling within 2 jumps has significantly less bonuses, where 3+ jumps the bonuses grow - More Contacts offer Black Market - Hunna Lieutenant always offers as well as Merchants and Weapon Dealers with Corrupt, Greedy or Underworld Trait - Updated description of Edict benefits -- Edict 3 or higher prevents inspection from enemy ship - Improved Trait mutation rules to avoid Traits that do not work well together (Driven + Fearless) - Fixed occassional freeze of Talents or Weapons list in ship combat - Fixed animation issue with pistol occasionally disappearing after throwing grenade in crew combat - Improved animation for firing a pistol while carrying an offhand blade in crew combat - Fixed issue with Stash screen always setting waypoint to last Stash - Fixed issues with event logs of Conflict start and end not matching up
[ 2018-08-29 04:49:31 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #98 brings a major rebalance to the Rare Trade Goods system, both expanding it and limiting. It also includes a second speed-play option, this one focusing on Explorer, Spying, Blockade, Patrol and Black Market card games. It's a big release with some major improvements for players at all levels. If you're enjoying the crazy pace of updates (didn't we just do this yesterday?) please tell a friend and leave a review!
Rare Trade Goods Rebuild
Rare Trade Goods have been for some time, an unbalanced gold mine within the Contact structure. This update brings them back into the fold -- keep them exciting, some of the highest order of trading for a merchant or smuggler but also keep them more challenge and less of a run on the bank. First, Rare Trade Goods now conform to the same ladder structure used by all of the other Contact services. The Rare Trade Goods ladder has 8 levels. As you climb this ladder of Influence and Effective Rep, you'll see the price for the goods decrease up to 20%. But more importantly, you'll be able to get more frequent repeat access to the supply for the Rare Trade Good. The new Rare Trade Goods system puts a cool down in place, in which a Contact can only sell you Rare Trade Goods so often, based on their own Influence and your Effective Rep. Invest in a big cargo hold -- your Contacts will sell you large piles of Rare Trade Goods but then are unable to use you as a distributor again until the cool down expires. In addition to rebuilding and balancing the purchase of Rare Trade Goods, we've improved their rules for selling. First, you simply cannot sell the Rare Trade Good back into its quadrant of origin. This is the only quadrant from which the RTG can be purchased which makes it the one supply house. So close to the supply, there is no demand and the cartel behind the RTG has ensured there is no buyer. The farther you travel from the quadrant of origin, the better the Reputation and Influence rewards for selling RTG will be. The first two jumps give limited rewards but after that, the rewards just keep growing. We know it is a big switch from what was previously there for Rare Trade Goods. We are excited to hear traders' sharing the feedback about the new system!
Card Game Speed
Following on Update #97's option to double the speed of map travel, we have introduced the option to double the speed of card game play. All the animations and delays are crunched down and with the option turned on, the play is extremely fast. The same warning that went with the double map travel speed applies here -- you can now play really fast, just don't play without looking to see if there are 3 xeno cards!!! We're going to keep hammering this set of features, improving efficiency of play for our veteran captains! Combat is next.
Extended Black Market
With the recently rules allowing Black Markets on any world, regardless of Trade Law, we are opening the Contact list up a bit more with Update #98. Hunna Lieutenant contacts will always offer a Black Market, while Merchant and Weapons Dealer Contacts both join the ranks of those Contacts willing to offer Black Market access only if they have the Greedy, Corrupt or Underworld Trait. Of course, we've also fixed a pile of bugs. We resolved 2 crew combat animation issues around pistols and throwing grenades or shooting a pistol while holding a blade. We fixed an issue where the weapons or Talents list in ship combat could become oddly stuck at times. The new Conflict events were flipped -- now they are properly aligned. And more -- check the full list below. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please leave a review and tell a friend!
v2.3.49 - 8/28/2018
- Added new option for faster results / animation speed during minigames - Rebuilt Rare Trade Goods Contact service and benefits of selling them - Contacts can sell you Rare Trade Goods and then cannot sell again for a time; time is determined by Contact Influence and Rep - As you climb the Rare Trade Goods ladder with Contacts, the price of Rare Trade Goods decreases and you can buy them more quickly - Rare Trade Goods can no longer be sold in the quadrant from which they originate (where the Contact is) - Selling Rare Trade Goods is more beneficial the farther away you are -- selling within 2 jumps has significantly less bonuses, where 3+ jumps the bonuses grow - More Contacts offer Black Market - Hunna Lieutenant always offers as well as Merchants and Weapon Dealers with Corrupt, Greedy or Underworld Trait - Updated description of Edict benefits -- Edict 3 or higher prevents inspection from enemy ship - Improved Trait mutation rules to avoid Traits that do not work well together (Driven + Fearless) - Fixed occassional freeze of Talents or Weapons list in ship combat - Fixed animation issue with pistol occasionally disappearing after throwing grenade in crew combat - Improved animation for firing a pistol while carrying an offhand blade in crew combat - Fixed issue with Stash screen always setting waypoint to last Stash - Fixed issues with event logs of Conflict start and end not matching up
Update #97: Sub-Light Speed
For veteran players looking to cover more space faster, the new travel speed doubles your rate of flying across the quadrant map. This new option took a while to complete, as a lot of optimization was required to keep the game and the underlying simulator running smoothly as turns tick past. While this option does allow you to play roughly twice as fast as before, it is probably not the best choice for new players or perhaps even in the early game for veteran players. As you move more quickly, the same number of events will be flashing by in the event screen, and it is easier to miss the need to reroute to a nearby system or change your plans as an accident on board leaves crew or ship components maimed. As it's an option -- the choice is yours.
The start and end of galactic conflicts and treaties will now appear in your event log as you travel, land or complete any activity that passes time. These new notifications can give improved visibility into the state of politics or a reminder of a new opportunity of which you should take advantage, or a vulnerable Contact that you need to protect. Hovering over the end of a Conflict notification includes the final score.
The enemy ship and captain builder has gained 3 new advanced AI types -- a Pirate that flies the Palace Interceptor, a Military Officer that flies the Cautela Titan and a Bounty Hunter who hunts in a Sword Battlecruiser. These advanced AI are flying deadly ships but appear in high difficulties and we have tuned their appearance on the time-based difficulty curve to line up with when players should be ready to face them. Veteran captains -- beware the factions who hunt you! We've also fixed a pile of bugs in ship and crew combat, improved logging of use of the Doctor Life Saver's Talent and implemented the Flashbacks Trait. Flashbacks is especially bad -- the 25% Stun basically knocks the character out of crew combat viability immediately. If you have a character who suffers from this debilitating Trait, seek out a Gestalt Technologist who can use Gestalt trait conditioning to remove it.
- Added option for faster movement/animation speed during map travel - Added Event Log notifications for start and end of Conflicts, improved Spice Hall News entries on Conflicts - Added new Captain's Log entries for Doctor's Lifesaver Talent - Added new Pirate AI that flies 'Palace Interceptor' - Added new Military AI that flies 'Cautela Titan' - Added new Bounty Hunter AI that flies 'Sword Battlecruiser' - Fixed issues where both ships use Twitch Surge not giving chance to advance twice - Fixed issues with Crew HP not being saved after specific crew combat situations - Fixed issue with Turn 2 displaying as Turn 3 in crew combat - Updated "Flashbacks" Crew Trait to always cause 25% Stun during crew combat (visit a Gestalt to cure) - Fixed issues with some stories creating indie contacts or indie contacts offering rank/edict/permit - Fixed issues with price displays in table for Shortage, Surplus and Tax Rumors - Fixed crashes in new game with deleting maps
[ 2018-08-27 19:59:05 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #97 rolls out on a Monday afternoon with another one of the most hotly requested improvements since the game's launch in August. We've been hammering our way down the priority list and will continue to do so as we work to rolling out bigger story and feature bursts of the roadmap.
If you're enjoying seeing your feedback in the game and the pace of updates, please tell a friend and leave a review!
Double the Speed!
For veteran players looking to cover more space faster, the new travel speed doubles your rate of flying across the quadrant map. This new option took a while to complete, as a lot of optimization was required to keep the game and the underlying simulator running smoothly as turns tick past. While this option does allow you to play roughly twice as fast as before, it is probably not the best choice for new players or perhaps even in the early game for veteran players. As you move more quickly, the same number of events will be flashing by in the event screen, and it is easier to miss the need to reroute to a nearby system or change your plans as an accident on board leaves crew or ship components maimed. As it's an option -- the choice is yours.
Conflict Notifications
The start and end of galactic conflicts and treaties will now appear in your event log as you travel, land or complete any activity that passes time. These new notifications can give improved visibility into the state of politics or a reminder of a new opportunity of which you should take advantage, or a vulnerable Contact that you need to protect. Hovering over the end of a Conflict notification includes the final score.
High Challenge Enemy Captains
The enemy ship and captain builder has gained 3 new advanced AI types -- a Pirate that flies the Palace Interceptor, a Military Officer that flies the Cautela Titan and a Bounty Hunter who hunts in a Sword Battlecruiser. These advanced AI are flying deadly ships but appear in high difficulties and we have tuned their appearance on the time-based difficulty curve to line up with when players should be ready to face them. Veteran captains -- beware the factions who hunt you! We've also fixed a pile of bugs in ship and crew combat, improved logging of use of the Doctor Life Saver's Talent and implemented the Flashbacks Trait. Flashbacks is especially bad -- the 25% Stun basically knocks the character out of crew combat viability immediately. If you have a character who suffers from this debilitating Trait, seek out a Gestalt Technologist who can use Gestalt trait conditioning to remove it.
v2.3.47 - 8/27/2018
- Added option for faster movement/animation speed during map travel - Added Event Log notifications for start and end of Conflicts, improved Spice Hall News entries on Conflicts - Added new Captain's Log entries for Doctor's Lifesaver Talent - Added new Pirate AI that flies 'Palace Interceptor' - Added new Military AI that flies 'Cautela Titan' - Added new Bounty Hunter AI that flies 'Sword Battlecruiser' - Fixed issues where both ships use Twitch Surge not giving chance to advance twice - Fixed issues with Crew HP not being saved after specific crew combat situations - Fixed issue with Turn 2 displaying as Turn 3 in crew combat - Updated "Flashbacks" Crew Trait to always cause 25% Stun during crew combat (visit a Gestalt to cure) - Fixed issues with some stories creating indie contacts or indie contacts offering rank/edict/permit - Fixed issues with price displays in table for Shortage, Surplus and Tax Rumors - Fixed crashes in new game with deleting maps
Update #96: Widening Net
Despite the best efforts of the faction militaries, the Hunna Collective's revolutionary effort continues to eke out an existence of the edge indie zones and harsh wilderness environments. With Update #96, your Star Trader captain can chose to become further involved with the shadowy, violent revolutionaries. We've added 8 new mission types to help support the Hunna, mostly in the form of dropping off a variety of dangerous or high value goods to their camps in the wilderness. It is a good place to start and opens the door to all kinds of more pro (and anti!) Hunna missions in near term updates. Notably, any Contact who has the Hunna Agent Trait will also start cycling these missions into their set.
We have heard a lot of feedback about the challenge of re-hiring basic crew (Pilots, Navs, E-Techs) as the best you can get out of a spice hall is often level 1 to 3. When your crew is already level 20, this can be a hard pill to swallow. With this update, we've now cycled more of the core jobs into Contacts, allowing you to possibly recruit these characters to your crew at as high as level 8 or all the way up to 11 with the right set of Rumors or Contact Traits. If you're looking for E-Techs, find an Intelligence Officer or Archivist. For Hyerwarp Navs, check with a local Spicetender, as the navigators are known for their love of the spice hall. Finally, Flight Academy Provost (Alta Mesa only) now hire Pilots instead of Quartermasters. We've boosted the Starport Boom Rumor now to all provide Engineers in the spice hall if you visit the faction holding. And one more -- Science Officer Contacts have gained the ability to hire out Engineers as well. Overall, its an exciting set of changes, making core crew more accessible and also widening the total number of Contacts offering the Recruit service which is fun for all.
Both the Aeternum Vindex and Scout Cutter ships have received improvements through their components in this release. We've increased the Navigation, Pilot and Safety Rating on 2400 Mass Void Engines to reduce critical accident damage. This will allow both ships to take better advantage of their Speed, pass more tests and overall be more effective in travel, combat and operations.
We have now added confirmation steps along the way throughout the Faen storylines when you are about to take a major branch. The power players in the Faen court are jealous and some will not brook you working with other members of the court. At these points when you are about to limit your future options for the story, we now have helpful warnings in place to allow you to weigh your decision accordingly.
- Added new mission giver type Hunna Supporter -- support the revolution! - Added 8 new stash mission types, delivering supplies to Hunna camps - Hunna Lieutenant Contact and any Contact with Hunna Agent Trait may assign these missions - Engineers are now available for hire at spice hall during Boosted Starport Rumors - Contacts offer new recruit options: Intelligence Officers and Archivist hire E-Techs, Science Officer hire Engineers, Spicetenders hire Hyperwarp Navigators - Flight Academy Provost now hires Pilots instead of Quartermasters - Added clear warnings and confirmations at major branches in Faen storylines - Improved support for offline Steam Achievements - Clarified rules for ship repair Talents like Rushed Patches and Unrivaled Patch - Rebalanced prices for medium slot missiles - Fixed occasional crashes on specific mission generation on small maps - Buffed Aeternum Vindex and Scout Cutter ships - Increased Safety Rating on 2400 Mass Engines to reduce critical accident damage - Fixed missing SFX on some UI elements - Additional game performance improvements, crash fixes
[ 2018-08-22 23:21:36 CET ] [ Original post ]
Following our roadmap publish, we are now hammering down on the content expansion goals and marching toward our next big feature addition -- Salvaging Orbitals and Wrecks. With this update, we've added a new mission giver type as well as 8 new missions -- you can now start to actively support the Hunna. There will be a lot more coming in this department on both sides of the line. We've made some exciting changes to further widen the availability of Contact recruits and different Job types, improved some M2400 ship engines, and caught up with the most requested fix for the Faen storyline -- confirmations on branches! It's a big release with balancing, new content, bug fixes and more.
If you enjoy the relentless update pace, leave a review and tell a friend!
Support the Revolution
Despite the best efforts of the faction militaries, the Hunna Collective's revolutionary effort continues to eke out an existence of the edge indie zones and harsh wilderness environments. With Update #96, your Star Trader captain can chose to become further involved with the shadowy, violent revolutionaries. We've added 8 new mission types to help support the Hunna, mostly in the form of dropping off a variety of dangerous or high value goods to their camps in the wilderness. It is a good place to start and opens the door to all kinds of more pro (and anti!) Hunna missions in near term updates. Notably, any Contact who has the Hunna Agent Trait will also start cycling these missions into their set.
Wider Recruitment
We have heard a lot of feedback about the challenge of re-hiring basic crew (Pilots, Navs, E-Techs) as the best you can get out of a spice hall is often level 1 to 3. When your crew is already level 20, this can be a hard pill to swallow. With this update, we've now cycled more of the core jobs into Contacts, allowing you to possibly recruit these characters to your crew at as high as level 8 or all the way up to 11 with the right set of Rumors or Contact Traits. If you're looking for E-Techs, find an Intelligence Officer or Archivist. For Hyerwarp Navs, check with a local Spicetender, as the navigators are known for their love of the spice hall. Finally, Flight Academy Provost (Alta Mesa only) now hire Pilots instead of Quartermasters. We've boosted the Starport Boom Rumor now to all provide Engineers in the spice hall if you visit the faction holding. And one more -- Science Officer Contacts have gained the ability to hire out Engineers as well. Overall, its an exciting set of changes, making core crew more accessible and also widening the total number of Contacts offering the Recruit service which is fun for all.
Mass 2400 Balancing
Both the Aeternum Vindex and Scout Cutter ships have received improvements through their components in this release. We've increased the Navigation, Pilot and Safety Rating on 2400 Mass Void Engines to reduce critical accident damage. This will allow both ships to take better advantage of their Speed, pass more tests and overall be more effective in travel, combat and operations.
Faen Branching
We have now added confirmation steps along the way throughout the Faen storylines when you are about to take a major branch. The power players in the Faen court are jealous and some will not brook you working with other members of the court. At these points when you are about to limit your future options for the story, we now have helpful warnings in place to allow you to weigh your decision accordingly.
v2.3.46 - 8/22/2018
- Added new mission giver type Hunna Supporter -- support the revolution! - Added 8 new stash mission types, delivering supplies to Hunna camps - Hunna Lieutenant Contact and any Contact with Hunna Agent Trait may assign these missions - Engineers are now available for hire at spice hall during Boosted Starport Rumors - Contacts offer new recruit options: Intelligence Officers and Archivist hire E-Techs, Science Officer hire Engineers, Spicetenders hire Hyperwarp Navigators - Flight Academy Provost now hires Pilots instead of Quartermasters - Added clear warnings and confirmations at major branches in Faen storylines - Improved support for offline Steam Achievements - Clarified rules for ship repair Talents like Rushed Patches and Unrivaled Patch - Rebalanced prices for medium slot missiles - Fixed occasional crashes on specific mission generation on small maps - Buffed Aeternum Vindex and Scout Cutter ships - Increased Safety Rating on 2400 Mass Engines to reduce critical accident damage - Fixed missing SFX on some UI elements - Additional game performance improvements, crash fixes
Update #95: Honor in the Void
On a mission to deliver the most hotly requested feature from the player base, we have now tackled dry dock upgrade queuing. If you have a second ship in dry dock and want to replace one or more of its components, you have the option to load them into a queue or finish the work while waiting. If you queue the upgrades, the ship is moved into the starport's bays for its upgrade work and you are free to go on your merry way. When upgrades are queued, the dry dock listing for the ship reports how much longer you have to wait for them to complete and prevents you from launching the ship. However, queue up a big engine overhaul, a hyperwarp drive replacement, three new weapons and a medium officer suite drop in and plan to come back in 2 years -- you've now got all new freedom in running ship upgrades without interrupting your play or story. The option to wait at the starport until all the work is finished is also present, if you want to continue to upgrade your ships that way, or are planning to immediately finish the work and hop in the new ship.
Update #95 adds two new Talents to deepen your options during ship encounters. First is Raider's Scrutiny a rank 1 Pirate Talent that allows you to get a reading on what cargo the enemy ship is carrying during the encounter phase -- in the form of "0 raw resources, 20 manufactured goods and 5 rare trade goods." A well trained pirate is a master of the arc scanner and can spot the slightest anomalies created by different type of cargo containers. Second is Dubious Nod a rank 1 Smuggler Talent that allows one Smuggler captain to give the other a subtle hello-and-goodbye without stirring up any trouble. Dubious Nod allows you to end a Smuggler encounter in a draw, regardless of hostility. You may end up with Reputation loss, but there doesn't need to be any trouble between two criminals in the void. Finally, a new rule has been added for Military Officer encounters and captains carrying military rank. If you have at least Rank 3 in a faction military, when you encounter Military Officers, they will no longer be more hostile due to the local quadrant reputation. You may be known as a criminally in the local space, but your standing in their faction military overrides it.
With this update, we've hammered through a series of bugs, incorrect descriptions and balance improvements for a big pile of Talents. Rushed Patches and other ship component repair Talents no longer have an unlisted restriction that they won't repair Talents with less than 10% Damage. Now, they will repair any damaged component! The weapon repairing Talent Ordnance Overhaul now focuses its efforts first on weapons that are disabled (60% or more) and then spends any remaining points on simply damaged weapons. A number of the ship encounter and victory Talents have been rebalanced from a 3 week to 6 week cooldown. While this is a pretty minor tweak to the timeline, it does mean more of these Talents will not be available in immediately back to back combats. Traits and Talents affecting rewards in Patrol and Spying have all been fixed. Our apologies that a bug crept in here at all.
- Added choice to put upgrades to dry docked ships into a queue so that you can keep flying your other ship while they finish - Improved encounter hostility rules -- if you carry Rank 3 with a faction, their military officer's ignore your Reputation with the local quadrant faction - Added new rank 1 Pirate Talent "Raider's Scrutiny" allows you to detect count of raw, manufactured and rare trade goods in enemy cargo hold during encounter - Added new rank 1 Smuggler Talent "Dubious Nod" turns an encounter with a fellow Smuggler Captain into an immediate draw - Improved Mechanic "Ordnance Overhaul" to focus on returning disabled weapons (60% or more damage) to being ready to fire - Added details to Ship encounter with Pirates about rules that rank 2 Permit avoiding looting - Improved "Rushed Patches" Talent and other mid-battle repair Talents repar even components that have less than 10% damage - Corrected Morale restoring ship combat Talents to match description -- "Solace in Battle" heals Doctor Skill in Morale to 20 crew members - Rebalanced cooldowns on some ship encounter and victory Talents (going from 3 weeks to 6 weeks) - Reclassified some Gear between Offensive and Defense type - Fixed bug with passive Patrol Talents and Traits not granting correct bonuses - Fixed bug with "High Stakes" Talent indicating that it increased intel rewards by 0% - Fixed bug with selling generic Intel and Conflict scores - Fixed bug with indie pirates in Patrol not being associated with a valid conflict - Fixed bug with story characters being affected by auto assign outfits
[ 2018-08-19 22:58:58 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #95 comes close on the heels of our development roadmap which went live on Friday. Be sure to check out the roadmap for our ambitious plans for future version milestones and content expansions. If you've been playing Star Traders: Frontiers even for a week, you probably have already had a taste of our relentless update style. If you are enjoying it -- tell a friend and consider leaving a review!
https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1696055855739611821
Update #95 adds 2 new ship encounter Talents, deepens the complexity of ship encounter hostility rules when it comes to military Rank and delivers on a highly requested feature for the starport: queuing upgrades for dry docked ships. Queue 'em up, and then just keep flying!
Dry Dock Upgrade Queuing
On a mission to deliver the most hotly requested feature from the player base, we have now tackled dry dock upgrade queuing. If you have a second ship in dry dock and want to replace one or more of its components, you have the option to load them into a queue or finish the work while waiting. If you queue the upgrades, the ship is moved into the starport's bays for its upgrade work and you are free to go on your merry way. When upgrades are queued, the dry dock listing for the ship reports how much longer you have to wait for them to complete and prevents you from launching the ship. However, queue up a big engine overhaul, a hyperwarp drive replacement, three new weapons and a medium officer suite drop in and plan to come back in 2 years -- you've now got all new freedom in running ship upgrades without interrupting your play or story. The option to wait at the starport until all the work is finished is also present, if you want to continue to upgrade your ships that way, or are planning to immediately finish the work and hop in the new ship.
Ship Encounter Talents and New Rank Rules
Update #95 adds two new Talents to deepen your options during ship encounters. First is Raider's Scrutiny a rank 1 Pirate Talent that allows you to get a reading on what cargo the enemy ship is carrying during the encounter phase -- in the form of "0 raw resources, 20 manufactured goods and 5 rare trade goods." A well trained pirate is a master of the arc scanner and can spot the slightest anomalies created by different type of cargo containers. Second is Dubious Nod a rank 1 Smuggler Talent that allows one Smuggler captain to give the other a subtle hello-and-goodbye without stirring up any trouble. Dubious Nod allows you to end a Smuggler encounter in a draw, regardless of hostility. You may end up with Reputation loss, but there doesn't need to be any trouble between two criminals in the void. Finally, a new rule has been added for Military Officer encounters and captains carrying military rank. If you have at least Rank 3 in a faction military, when you encounter Military Officers, they will no longer be more hostile due to the local quadrant reputation. You may be known as a criminally in the local space, but your standing in their faction military overrides it.
Other Talent Fixes
With this update, we've hammered through a series of bugs, incorrect descriptions and balance improvements for a big pile of Talents. Rushed Patches and other ship component repair Talents no longer have an unlisted restriction that they won't repair Talents with less than 10% Damage. Now, they will repair any damaged component! The weapon repairing Talent Ordnance Overhaul now focuses its efforts first on weapons that are disabled (60% or more) and then spends any remaining points on simply damaged weapons. A number of the ship encounter and victory Talents have been rebalanced from a 3 week to 6 week cooldown. While this is a pretty minor tweak to the timeline, it does mean more of these Talents will not be available in immediately back to back combats. Traits and Talents affecting rewards in Patrol and Spying have all been fixed. Our apologies that a bug crept in here at all.
v2.3.43 - 8/19/2018
- Added choice to put upgrades to dry docked ships into a queue so that you can keep flying your other ship while they finish - Improved encounter hostility rules -- if you carry Rank 3 with a faction, their military officer's ignore your Reputation with the local quadrant faction - Added new rank 1 Pirate Talent "Raider's Scrutiny" allows you to detect count of raw, manufactured and rare trade goods in enemy cargo hold during encounter - Added new rank 1 Smuggler Talent "Dubious Nod" turns an encounter with a fellow Smuggler Captain into an immediate draw - Improved Mechanic "Ordnance Overhaul" to focus on returning disabled weapons (60% or more damage) to being ready to fire - Added details to Ship encounter with Pirates about rules that rank 2 Permit avoiding looting - Improved "Rushed Patches" Talent and other mid-battle repair Talents repar even components that have less than 10% damage - Corrected Morale restoring ship combat Talents to match description -- "Solace in Battle" heals Doctor Skill in Morale to 20 crew members - Rebalanced cooldowns on some ship encounter and victory Talents (going from 3 weeks to 6 weeks) - Reclassified some Gear between Offensive and Defense type - Fixed bug with passive Patrol Talents and Traits not granting correct bonuses - Fixed bug with "High Stakes" Talent indicating that it increased intel rewards by 0% - Fixed bug with selling generic Intel and Conflict scores - Fixed bug with indie pirates in Patrol not being associated with a valid conflict - Fixed bug with story characters being affected by auto assign outfits
Development Roadmap
As we've said before -- the void is merciless and so too will be our update schedule. During the Early Access period, we worked constantly to engage the community, improve the game and crank updates. Now that we have gone to full launch status ... the plan has not changed! All the work we did in Early Access has created a very stable, multi-layered and deep game onto which we will be piling a relentless stream of updates. This powerful foundation will allow us to focus more on story and content, UI quality of life improvements and just exciting features. Let the update rolls!
We’ve broken the Dev Roadmap down into major version milestones, starting with v2.4.x. We'll be working our way through each major version milestone one after another, knocking out all the sub-items before marching on. We are working on a fast-iteration style of updates, so there will be no 3 months wait for mega updates. Updates -- and these milestones -- will be falling continuously.
In addition, we have listed our long term content expansion goals, indicating how much more content, story and visuals we want to add during the game's time in aggressive update mode. For example, we’re working on doubling the number of character uniforms (+100%) and working to triple the available set of ship hulls (+200%). These content additions will be a constant drip of new, fun stuff to enjoy, see and try. In closing, we’d like to give a big shout out to all of KickStarter backers who supported us and pushed us to create Star Traders: Frontiers! We could not have gotten here without you!
[ 2018-08-18 03:23:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
With the help of thousands of new captains, Star Traders: Frontiers launched out orbit in early August. However, this is only the beginning -- we've got an ambitious roadmap to grow this already massive space RPG into even more of a behemoth. We're sharing this dev roadmap to give clear insight into the big things coming down the pipe.
Relentless Update Schedule
As we've said before -- the void is merciless and so too will be our update schedule. During the Early Access period, we worked constantly to engage the community, improve the game and crank updates. Now that we have gone to full launch status ... the plan has not changed! All the work we did in Early Access has created a very stable, multi-layered and deep game onto which we will be piling a relentless stream of updates. This powerful foundation will allow us to focus more on story and content, UI quality of life improvements and just exciting features. Let the update rolls!
Major Version Milestones
We’ve broken the Dev Roadmap down into major version milestones, starting with v2.4.x. We'll be working our way through each major version milestone one after another, knocking out all the sub-items before marching on. We are working on a fast-iteration style of updates, so there will be no 3 months wait for mega updates. Updates -- and these milestones -- will be falling continuously.
Content Expansion Goals
In addition, we have listed our long term content expansion goals, indicating how much more content, story and visuals we want to add during the game's time in aggressive update mode. For example, we’re working on doubling the number of character uniforms (+100%) and working to triple the available set of ship hulls (+200%). These content additions will be a constant drip of new, fun stuff to enjoy, see and try. In closing, we’d like to give a big shout out to all of KickStarter backers who supported us and pushed us to create Star Traders: Frontiers! We could not have gotten here without you!
Update #94: Duranthium Sheen
When weaving narrative and sandbox together, sometimes the unexpected happen. The extension of the story timers in Update #91 created an surprising consequence with a unrelated story -- the Stowaway Smuggler. A jam formed in the story event pipe which prevented Valencia's storyline from starting [spoiler]after she joins your crew[/spoiler]. For anyone who had this happen -- she is just hanging on the crew, never talked and there were no compelling events -- the story is going to start up again after Update #94. It may be late ... in some games, very late ... but it will now move through to completion.
All three of the possible result screens after ship combat -- victory, defeat and draw -- have synchronized their data display with the lead-in encounter screen. All screens how display the quadrant owner, their Rep and flag for tooltip, as well as the faction of the opposing ship, that ship's flag for tooltip and the captain type. The Ship report tab also includes details about the ship's hull, captain's health, crew count and cargo count. A big thanks to the players requesting these details. They help keep the thread going throughout the entire encounter and give much needed access to certain data points, such as current Reputation.
We're hard at work to expand the artistic catalogs within the game and have added two new contact character faces with this update. Expect more uniforms, hats, accessories, faces, weapons -- the art team has dived back in to increase the game's art variety and options for players.
Update #93's Officer Suite addition was a bit of a bust due to a rule that prevented you from upgrading your ship over max officer count. That rule has been downgraded to a warning, and now upgrading to medium Officer Suites is quick and painless. We did too much testing on dry dock ships!
- Added 2 new contact character faces - Added quadrant faction, enemy ship and faction to ship combat victory / escape / defeat to match encounters - Ship combat victory screen now includes hull and captain HP under the Ship tab - Fixed bug with Ship Encounter / Victory / Defeat screen getting locked up after a story event - Allowed installation of Officer Suite even when exceeding max officer count - Improved self buff on Military Officer's Boarding Rush Talent - Fixed bug where Valencia's story could get stuck even after Duel has ended; be careful, if she is onboard, the story will start again after update! - If a ship is in drydock, you can now always access it regardless of starport rating fluctuation - Fixed issue with starports over-reporting their value by +3 - Clarified rules for looting Smugglers and their goods that require permits in ship victory - Fixed Medical Drop missions not adding to the plague score in Plague Era - Improved tooltip description of medical rating
[ 2018-08-17 04:29:42 CET ] [ Original post ]
The glue-grey alloy of duranthium is known to shine best when polished mightily. Update #94 represents a continued push for polish and improvements across the board. We're implementing player suggestions, fixing newly discovered bugs with the story and tweaking balance.
If you enjoy the updates, leave a review and tell a friend! Without further delay, here we go!
Valencia Jam - Minor Spoilers
When weaving narrative and sandbox together, sometimes the unexpected happen. The extension of the story timers in Update #91 created an surprising consequence with a unrelated story -- the Stowaway Smuggler. A jam formed in the story event pipe which prevented Valencia's storyline from starting [spoiler]after she joins your crew[/spoiler]. For anyone who had this happen -- she is just hanging on the crew, never talked and there were no compelling events -- the story is going to start up again after Update #94. It may be late ... in some games, very late ... but it will now move through to completion.
Expanded Ship Combat Results
All three of the possible result screens after ship combat -- victory, defeat and draw -- have synchronized their data display with the lead-in encounter screen. All screens how display the quadrant owner, their Rep and flag for tooltip, as well as the faction of the opposing ship, that ship's flag for tooltip and the captain type. The Ship report tab also includes details about the ship's hull, captain's health, crew count and cargo count. A big thanks to the players requesting these details. They help keep the thread going throughout the entire encounter and give much needed access to certain data points, such as current Reputation.
New Contact Faces
We're hard at work to expand the artistic catalogs within the game and have added two new contact character faces with this update. Expect more uniforms, hats, accessories, faces, weapons -- the art team has dived back in to increase the game's art variety and options for players.
Officer Suites
Update #93's Officer Suite addition was a bit of a bust due to a rule that prevented you from upgrading your ship over max officer count. That rule has been downgraded to a warning, and now upgrading to medium Officer Suites is quick and painless. We did too much testing on dry dock ships!
v2.3.41 - 8/16/2018
- Added 2 new contact character faces - Added quadrant faction, enemy ship and faction to ship combat victory / escape / defeat to match encounters - Ship combat victory screen now includes hull and captain HP under the Ship tab - Fixed bug with Ship Encounter / Victory / Defeat screen getting locked up after a story event - Allowed installation of Officer Suite even when exceeding max officer count - Improved self buff on Military Officer's Boarding Rush Talent - Fixed bug where Valencia's story could get stuck even after Duel has ended; be careful, if she is onboard, the story will start again after update! - If a ship is in drydock, you can now always access it regardless of starport rating fluctuation - Fixed issue with starports over-reporting their value by +3 - Clarified rules for looting Smugglers and their goods that require permits in ship victory - Fixed Medical Drop missions not adding to the plague score in Plague Era - Improved tooltip description of medical rating
Hotfix for Talents
- Fixed crashes with Talents
[ 2018-08-15 14:04:23 CET ] [ Original post ]
Our apologies for the overnight bugs with Talents. Crashes occurred during leveling and when using certain Talents during ship combat.
We have resolved the bug and a hotfix is now live.
For a small studio that prides ourselves on stability, this one is our bad.
v2.3.40 - 8/15/2018
- Fixed crashes with Talents
Update #93: Short Omega Loop
We've made important adjustments to 3 Rumors -- Civil Unrest, Quarantine and Starport Boosted. The changes are to remove the traps or blockers that these rumors create, which are completely out of the player's control. For Civil Unrest, all of the spice hall services are still shuttered. This is not a fun place to land. However, you can reach Contacts. But, reaching a Contact require leaving the controlled district and risks the chance of being attacked by rioters. The chance to be attacked by rioters is reduced somewhat by your crew's Tactics score, but the risk is always there. If you are attacked by rioters, you must defend yourself and the local security forces do not take kindly to your stirring up trouble -- you will lose Rep. However, you can reach your Contacts, albeit with higher risk. Quarantine is now within your captain's control to end. If you reach a quarantined planet, you can perform patrolling actions over the planet. Special Quarantine reduction cards are dealt into the hand and each one will reduce the Quarantine by 26 weeks. With some Talents some dedication, you can break a Quarantine rumor completely and land on the world. Starport Boosted now ensures that the starport is ready to repair and provide juicy upgrades to your ship. No more chance to sail the stars only to reach the Rumor world and discover it was a nasty trick.
We've expanded and filled in the catalog of missiles and railguns to include both more small slot Railguns and medium slot Missiles. This increases the options for players as well as for the AI ship builder, which will now be able to build a more versatile set of enemies to face you. To help differentiate between S and M missiles, we've renamed some of the small slot missiles to the Dracos line.
Small slots on a ship are often at a premium. We have now added Officer Suites -- a set of two separate officer cabins. You can now trade 2 small slot Officer Cabins for one medium slot Officer cabin. We've also fixed a host of bugs, improve UIs and resolved crashes. Every report, post and thread helps us to keep making STF better so thank you! Please, tell a friend and leave a review today!
- Added 6 new small slot Railguns and medium slot Missiles -- for sale in starports now! - Renamed some small slot Missile weapons (Dracos missiles) - Enemy ship builder uses more flexible long and mid-range weapon configurations - Added new medium slot Officer Suites which holds 2 officers and Reinforced Officer Suites with shielding - Updated Quarantine Rumor: still prevents landing but can be broken by Patrolling actions pulling special Shorten / End Quarantine cards - Updated Civil Unrest Rumor: still shuts down spice hall but allows attempt to visit Contacts with a risk of being caught in crew combat with rioters and rebels - Updated Boosted Starport Rumor: now boosts all Starports that have the Rumor to at least +6 - Updated Boosted Starport Rumor: now increases ratings of Starport for all uses, not just Upgrades - Rebalanced time requirement for landing on a planet - Improved UI for interuptions during attempted landings in Blockades, Pirate Fleet Rumors, etc - Enemy AI no longer incorrectly uses "Burrowing Shots" Talent against you - Fixed bug where Zealot's "Retribution Justice" Talent was never going on cooldown - Fixed misleading prompt in Stash Missions when you have exactly the right amount of cargo - Fixed issues with Mission waypoints not updating in Quadrant Map - Fixed bug allowing duplicates in combat if automatically selected - Fixed description of Morale healing Talents in ship combat, like Furious Prodding - Fixed issues with 'Starport Closed' not fully closing Starport
[ 2018-08-15 04:42:50 CET ] [ Original post ]
Cory and I draw so much inspiration from the community -- suggestions, bug fixes, motivations, new ideas -- your stories, your victories and your defeats. This update, we've focused on cycling some of the most critical of that feedback into the game. Thank you for post, sharing and helping us improve the game.
Rumor Adjustments
We've made important adjustments to 3 Rumors -- Civil Unrest, Quarantine and Starport Boosted. The changes are to remove the traps or blockers that these rumors create, which are completely out of the player's control. For Civil Unrest, all of the spice hall services are still shuttered. This is not a fun place to land. However, you can reach Contacts. But, reaching a Contact require leaving the controlled district and risks the chance of being attacked by rioters. The chance to be attacked by rioters is reduced somewhat by your crew's Tactics score, but the risk is always there. If you are attacked by rioters, you must defend yourself and the local security forces do not take kindly to your stirring up trouble -- you will lose Rep. However, you can reach your Contacts, albeit with higher risk. Quarantine is now within your captain's control to end. If you reach a quarantined planet, you can perform patrolling actions over the planet. Special Quarantine reduction cards are dealt into the hand and each one will reduce the Quarantine by 26 weeks. With some Talents some dedication, you can break a Quarantine rumor completely and land on the world. Starport Boosted now ensures that the starport is ready to repair and provide juicy upgrades to your ship. No more chance to sail the stars only to reach the Rumor world and discover it was a nasty trick.
New Missiles and Railguns
We've expanded and filled in the catalog of missiles and railguns to include both more small slot Railguns and medium slot Missiles. This increases the options for players as well as for the AI ship builder, which will now be able to build a more versatile set of enemies to face you. To help differentiate between S and M missiles, we've renamed some of the small slot missiles to the Dracos line.
Officers in Luxury
Small slots on a ship are often at a premium. We have now added Officer Suites -- a set of two separate officer cabins. You can now trade 2 small slot Officer Cabins for one medium slot Officer cabin. We've also fixed a host of bugs, improve UIs and resolved crashes. Every report, post and thread helps us to keep making STF better so thank you! Please, tell a friend and leave a review today!
v2.3.39 - 8/14/2018
- Added 6 new small slot Railguns and medium slot Missiles -- for sale in starports now! - Renamed some small slot Missile weapons (Dracos missiles) - Enemy ship builder uses more flexible long and mid-range weapon configurations - Added new medium slot Officer Suites which holds 2 officers and Reinforced Officer Suites with shielding - Updated Quarantine Rumor: still prevents landing but can be broken by Patrolling actions pulling special Shorten / End Quarantine cards - Updated Civil Unrest Rumor: still shuts down spice hall but allows attempt to visit Contacts with a risk of being caught in crew combat with rioters and rebels - Updated Boosted Starport Rumor: now boosts all Starports that have the Rumor to at least +6 - Updated Boosted Starport Rumor: now increases ratings of Starport for all uses, not just Upgrades - Rebalanced time requirement for landing on a planet - Improved UI for interuptions during attempted landings in Blockades, Pirate Fleet Rumors, etc - Enemy AI no longer incorrectly uses "Burrowing Shots" Talent against you - Fixed bug where Zealot's "Retribution Justice" Talent was never going on cooldown - Fixed misleading prompt in Stash Missions when you have exactly the right amount of cargo - Fixed issues with Mission waypoints not updating in Quadrant Map - Fixed bug allowing duplicates in combat if automatically selected - Fixed description of Morale healing Talents in ship combat, like Furious Prodding - Fixed issues with 'Starport Closed' not fully closing Starport
Experience Star Traders from a New Perspective
[ 2018-08-13 21:48:31 CET ] [ Original post ]
More than 200 years before your captain steps onto the bridge of his or her vessel in Star Traders: Frontiers the colony ships of the great Exodus were beginning to settle their new homes, settling new quadrants scattered to the galactic winds. In the dusty and unlikely stretch of space known as the Cirm Sector, a weakened and battered force of Templar Militant strive to protect the fledgling faction colonies. In the following years, your captain will be called to lead the elite strike force of mech pilots into the most harrowing battles against xeno and humans alike. It rests on the shoulders of your leviathan battle mech to preserve the colonies, the save the quadrant. If you are enjoying the lore of Star Traders: Frontiers, step into the turn-based tactical combat of Templar Battleforce and experience the galaxy and its history from a completely different perspective and through the eyes of a Zendu. Save 50% and pick up a copy today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/370020/Templar_Battleforce/
Update #92: Sounds of the Void
With Update #92, we've doubled the length of the musical soundtrack for the game. We've introduced 2 new dramatic combat tracks -- music for the heightened tension of deadly ship and crew battle. We've also introduced a second extend track for travel, exploration and management. All of this music was already included in the game's Soundtrack DLC -- if you haven't checked that out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/912470/Star_Traders_Frontiers_Soundtrack/
For a long time, there was a rule stating that if a world had a Trade Law of 3 or less, no criminal Black Market would exist there. To the great benefit of smugglers and pirates everywhere, we have removed this rule. Even in places where the Trade Law is lax, there is still law -- the Exchange has rules, taxes, annoying clerks who keep record of every trade and worse the Exchange bows to faction Conflicts. So now, on any world there can be a Black Market. Those Contacts who were offering Black Markets due to Traits are especially empowered by this change.
We're soaking up feedback from the community and fixing bugs and improving the game with every release. If you're seeking a Contact service, the Contact's detail panel now includes the specifics of what level Rank / Edict / Permit they can offer. If you're trying to watch the clock closely, hover over the date in the HUD -- you can now see the exact Turn and Day of the week as you can see in the Ship Status screen.
The price to Retrain Talents for higher level crew is now set to increase per level after 8. We've resolved issues with the starting story (if you skipped the Arbiter), hanging story objectives, bugs with returning the De Rivesh blade and issues with Auto-equip stealing weapons. A huge thanks to everyone helping us polish Star Traders: Frontiers into a diamond -- crashes are going down, bugs are falling, polish is shining.
- Added two new dramatic combat tracks to the in-game sound track (7m) - Added one additional ambient background track for the main game map (9m30s) - Remixed the in-game sound track to provide better consistency and higher quality playback - Huge boost for Smugglers - removed restriction of high Trade Law on Black Market Contact Services, Black Markets now available on any world! - Contact Details now includes maximum rank offered for Military Ranks, Trade Permits and Edicts - Price to Retrain Talents increases every level once characters are above level 8 - Hover over Date in HUD includes precise date -- Year.Month plus Day and exact Turn - Fixed situations where hanging story objectives are left in multiple quest lines - Fixed issue with De Rivesh Legacy, possibly resulting in a hung dialog choice - Fixed issues where Auto-assign could steal your primary weapon - Fixed bug preventing recruits from Spice Festivals from getting bonus levels - Fixed issue if you go to Faen homeworld first that the story cannot be continued - Fixed inconsistencies in filtering drop down behavior in crew list - Fixed misprint of debuff name for On Init Talents used by enemy crew
[ 2018-08-12 19:37:18 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #92 caps off another big weekend on the Frontier. More than double the music in the game, boosting the Smuggler's black market access, improving the UI and fixing another pile of bugs -- its just Sunday demands.
If you're enjoying the game and the steady stream of updates, please tell a friend about us and leave a review!
Expanded Soundtrack
With Update #92, we've doubled the length of the musical soundtrack for the game. We've introduced 2 new dramatic combat tracks -- music for the heightened tension of deadly ship and crew battle. We've also introduced a second extend track for travel, exploration and management. All of this music was already included in the game's Soundtrack DLC -- if you haven't checked that out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/912470/Star_Traders_Frontiers_Soundtrack/
Smuggler Havens
For a long time, there was a rule stating that if a world had a Trade Law of 3 or less, no criminal Black Market would exist there. To the great benefit of smugglers and pirates everywhere, we have removed this rule. Even in places where the Trade Law is lax, there is still law -- the Exchange has rules, taxes, annoying clerks who keep record of every trade and worse the Exchange bows to faction Conflicts. So now, on any world there can be a Black Market. Those Contacts who were offering Black Markets due to Traits are especially empowered by this change.
UI Polish and Bug Fixes
We're soaking up feedback from the community and fixing bugs and improving the game with every release. If you're seeking a Contact service, the Contact's detail panel now includes the specifics of what level Rank / Edict / Permit they can offer. If you're trying to watch the clock closely, hover over the date in the HUD -- you can now see the exact Turn and Day of the week as you can see in the Ship Status screen.
The price to Retrain Talents for higher level crew is now set to increase per level after 8. We've resolved issues with the starting story (if you skipped the Arbiter), hanging story objectives, bugs with returning the De Rivesh blade and issues with Auto-equip stealing weapons. A huge thanks to everyone helping us polish Star Traders: Frontiers into a diamond -- crashes are going down, bugs are falling, polish is shining.
v2.3.37 - 8/12/2018
- Added two new dramatic combat tracks to the in-game sound track (7m) - Added one additional ambient background track for the main game map (9m30s) - Remixed the in-game sound track to provide better consistency and higher quality playback - Huge boost for Smugglers - removed restriction of high Trade Law on Black Market Contact Services, Black Markets now available on any world! - Contact Details now includes maximum rank offered for Military Ranks, Trade Permits and Edicts - Price to Retrain Talents increases every level once characters are above level 8 - Hover over Date in HUD includes precise date -- Year.Month plus Day and exact Turn - Fixed situations where hanging story objectives are left in multiple quest lines - Fixed issue with De Rivesh Legacy, possibly resulting in a hung dialog choice - Fixed issues where Auto-assign could steal your primary weapon - Fixed bug preventing recruits from Spice Festivals from getting bonus levels - Fixed issue if you go to Faen homeworld first that the story cannot be continued - Fixed inconsistencies in filtering drop down behavior in crew list - Fixed misprint of debuff name for On Init Talents used by enemy crew
Update #91: The Great Cycle
When we set out to create Star Traders: Frontiers, we decided to take a different--if not almost unique--approach to the story. To achieve a dynamic and evolving galaxy, we knew that the storylines must move as well -- not to wait for you, not to pause for your presence. This design decision has been a cornerstone of the stories we've told so far in the game and will continue to be. However, we've had a lot of feedback over the last 8 months and especially in the last week that the story deadlines are unclear and sometimes don't provide enough time to do anything but the story. So, with this update we've made some significant tuning to the timing of the story as well as the visibility of story objectives and deadlines to help encourage the mixed play of sandbox-and-story that is so key to Star Traders: Frontiers experience. First up, the Faen and Arbiter storylines have both been repaced to be a little more relaxed -- generally about 25% more Turns. We have no changed the core principles -- they are still in motion and you can still get left behind if you don't stay involved, but there is more time built into their progression to allow you to trade or pirate, upgrade your ship, get lost in a spice hall, do some side missions or whatever you please. To assist with this, we've added story objective deadlines throughout these two first critical arcs -- now you can see how long you have. We've also improved dialog and give some story justification to why you would know these dates. We'll be working timeline tuning and story objective deadlines in the other vignettes and eras throughout the game, but needed to start here. We've also done work to tune the plague era, tweaking dialog to help players have an easier introduction to the story as well as making the plague score rewards more generous.
On top of the story work, we've hammered out a ton of bug fixes and quality of life improvements. To help players avoid dumping cargo, the button been recolored red. Mutually exclusive Traits like Malcontent and Reveres Authority can longer appear in any Trait mutation scenario. If both ships try to retreat in combat, it always succeeds. If you board a ship without damaging a single component, you will get properly paid. The list is long, be sure to browse the change log below!
- Increased Story Objective timers across the board for Faen and Arbiter storylines, at least 25% more Turns - Displaying Story Objective deadlines throughout the arc, including end of the legal case - Aligned story objective and mission timelines to be more clear about timing requirements - Improved some dialogs and discussion between characters during these arcs, more timing and story state specifics included - Increased duration of all basic missions timers by about 10% - Simplified rule set for ship combat when both ships are trying to retreat - always succeeds - Improved dialog at start of Plague Era to make Dr. Kaera Gouldbern easier to find - Increased plague score boost for selling medicines to end rumors and completing plague-related missions - Boarding xeno properly counts toward score of crew combats versus xeno - Improved visual color of "Dump" button to avoid tossing cargo accidentally - Fixed bug with mutually exclusive Traits appearing (Reveres Authority + Malcontent) - Fixed issues with salvage values from completely undamaged ships (you boarding monsters!) - Fixed bug with Bootleg Profits not applying price change to purchase - Fixed bug with all gear showing unavailable from Contacts - Fixed issues with hanging Story Objectives - Fixed issue with rumor-triggered Pirates not being hostile - Fixed issue with Quadrant's owner flag and reputation hover being incorrect after hyperwarp jumps - Fixed logic for detecting Pirate I, Pirate II and Pirate III Awards - Fixes some issues with main map keybindings - Fixes some issues with swapping and selling ships in Dry Dock - Fixed missing SFX on some UI elements
[ 2018-08-10 03:45:59 CET ] [ Original post ]
A few days have passed and the team here at Trese Brothers HQ has been busy on another big update. We're soaking up feedback from the community, crushing crashes (80% down over the last 2 releases) and fixing bugs as fast as we can. We're also prepping a new public roadmap which will give better visibility into everything that is coming down the pipe.
We are very excited and honored to have Rock, Paper Shotgun publish a review this morning! If you haven't picked up the game yet, you should check out Fraser Brown's review -- he's smitten, you might be too :D
https://steamcommunity.com/news/post/2454911758740334309
Story Tuning
When we set out to create Star Traders: Frontiers, we decided to take a different--if not almost unique--approach to the story. To achieve a dynamic and evolving galaxy, we knew that the storylines must move as well -- not to wait for you, not to pause for your presence. This design decision has been a cornerstone of the stories we've told so far in the game and will continue to be. However, we've had a lot of feedback over the last 8 months and especially in the last week that the story deadlines are unclear and sometimes don't provide enough time to do anything but the story. So, with this update we've made some significant tuning to the timing of the story as well as the visibility of story objectives and deadlines to help encourage the mixed play of sandbox-and-story that is so key to Star Traders: Frontiers experience. First up, the Faen and Arbiter storylines have both been repaced to be a little more relaxed -- generally about 25% more Turns. We have no changed the core principles -- they are still in motion and you can still get left behind if you don't stay involved, but there is more time built into their progression to allow you to trade or pirate, upgrade your ship, get lost in a spice hall, do some side missions or whatever you please. To assist with this, we've added story objective deadlines throughout these two first critical arcs -- now you can see how long you have. We've also improved dialog and give some story justification to why you would know these dates. We'll be working timeline tuning and story objective deadlines in the other vignettes and eras throughout the game, but needed to start here. We've also done work to tune the plague era, tweaking dialog to help players have an easier introduction to the story as well as making the plague score rewards more generous.
Quality of Life and Balance
On top of the story work, we've hammered out a ton of bug fixes and quality of life improvements. To help players avoid dumping cargo, the button been recolored red. Mutually exclusive Traits like Malcontent and Reveres Authority can longer appear in any Trait mutation scenario. If both ships try to retreat in combat, it always succeeds. If you board a ship without damaging a single component, you will get properly paid. The list is long, be sure to browse the change log below!
v2.3.35 - 8/9/2018
- Increased Story Objective timers across the board for Faen and Arbiter storylines, at least 25% more Turns - Displaying Story Objective deadlines throughout the arc, including end of the legal case - Aligned story objective and mission timelines to be more clear about timing requirements - Improved some dialogs and discussion between characters during these arcs, more timing and story state specifics included - Increased duration of all basic missions timers by about 10% - Simplified rule set for ship combat when both ships are trying to retreat - always succeeds - Improved dialog at start of Plague Era to make Dr. Kaera Gouldbern easier to find - Increased plague score boost for selling medicines to end rumors and completing plague-related missions - Boarding xeno properly counts toward score of crew combats versus xeno - Improved visual color of "Dump" button to avoid tossing cargo accidentally - Fixed bug with mutually exclusive Traits appearing (Reveres Authority + Malcontent) - Fixed issues with salvage values from completely undamaged ships (you boarding monsters!) - Fixed bug with Bootleg Profits not applying price change to purchase - Fixed bug with all gear showing unavailable from Contacts - Fixed issues with hanging Story Objectives - Fixed issue with rumor-triggered Pirates not being hostile - Fixed issue with Quadrant's owner flag and reputation hover being incorrect after hyperwarp jumps - Fixed logic for detecting Pirate I, Pirate II and Pirate III Awards - Fixes some issues with main map keybindings - Fixes some issues with swapping and selling ships in Dry Dock - Fixed missing SFX on some UI elements
Update #90: Narrative Weave
We've heard so much great feedback about the story! Thanks to everyone who is sharing their experience and excitement. One of the most frequently asked question is about timing in the story and how it moves on without you. In some cases, this timing has been opaque and unnecessarily restricts the captain from having time to explore on their own, as they are unaware of the underlying deadlines. With Update #90, we've added the ability for story objectives to have deadlines and to display them in the missions screen. This update includes the first, small set of deadlines visible on story objectives. We've only done a few to test out the system and prepare for the larger push. Not everything will get a visible timer, some will stay unknown as they are simply out of scope of what the captain or anyone could know. Others will get helpful timers to give the player visibility into the timeline. From there, we'll have far more intel about specific parts of the story timeline that are too slow or too fast. We've also made some tweaks to some of the late game Era and story timers -- extending a number of them by a about 20%.
Your crew will equip the best fit weapon and armor based on their Skills and Talents. However, you have the option to hand equip any crew member or officer yourself. We have now added the ability to return to the auto-equip routine. Perhaps you equipped a Sniper Rifle but want to hand things back over the auto routine. Choosing Auto will put your weapons or your armor back into the auto-selection.
We had about 250 reported crashes over the launch week which is -- considering the sustained player counts -- already very stable. We've double down on that by slaying every bug and crash we could in a concerted effort. Thanks again to everyone pushing Send Report, and please keep doing so. We'll work diligently over the next week to reduce the crash count to as close to 0 as we can. Finally, we started a helpful FAQ over on our wiki, so check that out! If you see missing questions, post them up and we'll get them answered -- If you like the updates, please leave a review and tell a friend. Cory and I thank you!
- Added new matching blue uniform outfit -- more regimented crews possible - Story Objectives now capable of displaying a deadline, if it is known - First set of story objectives now display a deadline (pickup Arbiter, Kober Volpane) - Increased timeline on some story events - Added "Auto" button in equipment screen to return a character to automatic weapon / armor selection - Modified Spy Orbital Op reward factor to use Navigation instead of Pilot - [Linux] Improved support for high DPI mouse inputs - Fixed bug with System Rumors causing nasty effects if you repetetively leave and enter system orbit - Fixed bug with "Crew By Traits" report getting out of sync as it was filtered or sorted - Fixed issues with gear showing incorrect bonuses in contact buy and sell - Fixed crashes with Contact Introductions when Contact recently lost friends to old age - Fixed reported crashes with Hyperwarp jumps and entering certain jump gates on very large maps - Fixed crashes caused by rare proc gen conditions with Contact death from old age - Fixed story dialog typos and phrasing issues - Fixed typos, thanks for the reports!
[ 2018-08-08 02:10:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #90 brings us to nearly the end of our launch week sale. Star Traders: Frontiers is 20% off for only another few hours, so be sure to tell a friend and leave a review. It has been an exciting week -- we've had some bugs, a ton of feedback, thousands of new players. Update #90 both adds content, improves systems and fixes a massive ton of bugs.
A big thanks to everyone pressing "Send Report" if the game crashes on you. Also, just reload the game -- the auto-save system will ensure you haven't lost any game state.
Update #88 came with an awesome new hat, #89 got military headset and so it only seems fitting that #90 would come with a new outfit. We've added a blue uniform outfit which now creates a matching pair. For those ship captains who want to keep things regimented and run a tight ship, you can now enforce a stricter set of ship uniforms with this new addition.
Story Objective Deadlines
We've heard so much great feedback about the story! Thanks to everyone who is sharing their experience and excitement. One of the most frequently asked question is about timing in the story and how it moves on without you. In some cases, this timing has been opaque and unnecessarily restricts the captain from having time to explore on their own, as they are unaware of the underlying deadlines. With Update #90, we've added the ability for story objectives to have deadlines and to display them in the missions screen. This update includes the first, small set of deadlines visible on story objectives. We've only done a few to test out the system and prepare for the larger push. Not everything will get a visible timer, some will stay unknown as they are simply out of scope of what the captain or anyone could know. Others will get helpful timers to give the player visibility into the timeline. From there, we'll have far more intel about specific parts of the story timeline that are too slow or too fast. We've also made some tweaks to some of the late game Era and story timers -- extending a number of them by a about 20%.
Auto-Equip Return
Your crew will equip the best fit weapon and armor based on their Skills and Talents. However, you have the option to hand equip any crew member or officer yourself. We have now added the ability to return to the auto-equip routine. Perhaps you equipped a Sniper Rifle but want to hand things back over the auto routine. Choosing Auto will put your weapons or your armor back into the auto-selection.
Stability Patch
We had about 250 reported crashes over the launch week which is -- considering the sustained player counts -- already very stable. We've double down on that by slaying every bug and crash we could in a concerted effort. Thanks again to everyone pushing Send Report, and please keep doing so. We'll work diligently over the next week to reduce the crash count to as close to 0 as we can. Finally, we started a helpful FAQ over on our wiki, so check that out! If you see missing questions, post them up and we'll get them answered -- If you like the updates, please leave a review and tell a friend. Cory and I thank you!
v2.3.34 - 8/7/2018
- Added new matching blue uniform outfit -- more regimented crews possible - Story Objectives now capable of displaying a deadline, if it is known - First set of story objectives now display a deadline (pickup Arbiter, Kober Volpane) - Increased timeline on some story events - Added "Auto" button in equipment screen to return a character to automatic weapon / armor selection - Modified Spy Orbital Op reward factor to use Navigation instead of Pilot - [Linux] Improved support for high DPI mouse inputs - Fixed bug with System Rumors causing nasty effects if you repetetively leave and enter system orbit - Fixed bug with "Crew By Traits" report getting out of sync as it was filtered or sorted - Fixed issues with gear showing incorrect bonuses in contact buy and sell - Fixed crashes with Contact Introductions when Contact recently lost friends to old age - Fixed reported crashes with Hyperwarp jumps and entering certain jump gates on very large maps - Fixed crashes caused by rare proc gen conditions with Contact death from old age - Fixed story dialog typos and phrasing issues - Fixed typos, thanks for the reports!
Update #89: Bleeding Edge
We have fix a huge pile of bugs. Too many to list in the change log, though we have listed the most important ones. We've fixed a set of story bugs, including the fact that for some players, the vatborn boss was not appearing.
First up, we've added new eyewear accessory. This military targeting headset might include a vision kit or a link to your firearm to enable targeting assist. It looks good on soldiers, it looks good with hats, it looks good when you're winning too.
In the great game of the factions, intel can be king. For those Contacts who don't naturally offer to buy Intel, we've now added a new Contact Trailt: Data Hound. Any Contact with this Trait has a voracious appetite for Intel and will buy it at a +15% price. We've also adjusted the Techno Addict Contact Trait to grant a +10% Intel price bonus as well. In both cases, you only get the bonus if the Contact Trait is not hidden.
We've heard a lot of great feedback in the last 5 days and are moving quickly on as much of it as we can. Update #1 includes 2 new Talents -- one for Diplomat and one for Spy -- that allow these professional negotiators or professional sneaks to reduce Reputation loss when doing missions of their specialty. The Spy's Stealth Op Talent will reduce Rep loss if you use the Stealth Skill to complete the mission while Diplomat's Adept Mediation reduces Rep loss if you use Negotiation in a legal fashion (not bribery). We've also adjusted how the Pirate Menacing Demeanor Talent works so that it only reduce Rep loss in a similar fashion -- any time you use Intimidate or bribery during a mission.
A shout out to the community bark thread here on the forum -- we've leveraged those suggestions to add another 50 barks to the game, short commentary given by the crew whenever encountering a rumor. We've also loaded another big batch of legendary stories from our KickStarter backers into the stories told in the spice hall -- hover over storyteller alerts to see the extended versions!
We have made two important bug fixes that are going to cause balance changes for players. We fixed a bug in orbital ops (spying) that was allowing the use of over 100% Skill dice. This was much to the players advantage and ship damage and crew damage cards are going to be more dangerous now. We also fixed a bug in ship combat Talents that restore HP and Morale which was causing them to fail to heal the most wounded first. So, this fix is greatly to the player's advantage.
- Added new eyewear accessory, military targeting headset - Added new Contact Trait "Data Hound" always buys Intel, +15% Intel Price -- only if Trait is known - Contact Trait "Techno Addict" adds +10% Intel Price -- only if Trait is known - Improved many descriptions in ship encounters to make Reputation rules and impacts clearer - Added new rank 5 Spy Talent "Stealth Op" which reduces Reputation loss from Missions completed with a stealthy action - Added new rank 5 Diplomat Talent "Adept Mediation" which reduces Reputation loss from Missions completed with a diplomatic or negotiation action - Rebalanced Pirate Talent "Menacing Demeanor" to only reduce Reputation on Missions completed with intimidating or bribing actions - Improved use of Talents during missions -- one bonus Talent (increase Rep, etc) and one mitigation Talent (reduce Rep loss, etc) can activate - Added 50 crew barks about Rumors from the Steam community suggestion thread - Added another round of KickStarter "Join the Lore" stories and legends in to storytellers in the spice hall - Improved slider in Exchange Buying to be more clear about available resources - Added Gear Type (offensive mod, defensive mod, personal enhancer) to the display and reclassified some gears - Coalition Founder Achievement now immediately fires on 3rd prince mission, improved description of "Plague Breaker" unlock for clarity - Enabled Refuel white popout button to open subscreen even when no fuel is needed to toggle auto-refuel - Reduced cooldown time for Talents discovering hidden Contact Traits to 18 weeks (Shrewd Dealings, Expose Quality, Close Observation) - Rebalanced all cooldowns for Talents related completing mission steps - Fixed many story bugs, including vatborn monster not appearing - Fixed Smuggler's Cache card under-reporting size of discovered stash if increased by Talent - Fixed bug where "Unstoppable Hunt" was using the last explorer count, preventing further exploration and your reroll - Fixed bug where "Terrifying Extortion" was allowing you to loot the same cargo twice - Fixed all ship combat Talents that heal HP or restore Morale to ensure they help the crew members most in need - Fixed bug where orbital ops (spying, etc) were using Skill values over 200% of the ship's pool - Fixed bug where unknown Rumors were visible in Star Atlas - Fixed minor bug with Talents occassionally re-sorting in the mini-games - Fixed issues with M3400 Hyperwarp EFF drive - Fixed typos, thanks for the reports!
[ 2018-08-06 06:09:16 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome all new captains, the frontier awaits! Thanks to everyone who has stepped onto the bridge of their spaceship and given the order to rise up into the void. We've had a banner weekend here and are now ready to get back to business of expanding and improving the game. This will be Update #89, and it's a doozy. We had 88 updates in Early Access and in order to be able to reference updates ("we added that in update 62") we're not going to reset the count.
Also, we'd like to dedicate this update to everyone posting feedback and leaving a review. It wouldn't be so awesome without your help!
Bug Fixes and Patches
We have fix a huge pile of bugs. Too many to list in the change log, though we have listed the most important ones. We've fixed a set of story bugs, including the fact that for some players, the vatborn boss was not appearing.
Military Targeting Headset
First up, we've added new eyewear accessory. This military targeting headset might include a vision kit or a link to your firearm to enable targeting assist. It looks good on soldiers, it looks good with hats, it looks good when you're winning too.
New Intel Trait
In the great game of the factions, intel can be king. For those Contacts who don't naturally offer to buy Intel, we've now added a new Contact Trailt: Data Hound. Any Contact with this Trait has a voracious appetite for Intel and will buy it at a +15% price. We've also adjusted the Techno Addict Contact Trait to grant a +10% Intel price bonus as well. In both cases, you only get the bonus if the Contact Trait is not hidden.
Diplomatic and Stealth Missions
We've heard a lot of great feedback in the last 5 days and are moving quickly on as much of it as we can. Update #1 includes 2 new Talents -- one for Diplomat and one for Spy -- that allow these professional negotiators or professional sneaks to reduce Reputation loss when doing missions of their specialty. The Spy's Stealth Op Talent will reduce Rep loss if you use the Stealth Skill to complete the mission while Diplomat's Adept Mediation reduces Rep loss if you use Negotiation in a legal fashion (not bribery). We've also adjusted how the Pirate Menacing Demeanor Talent works so that it only reduce Rep loss in a similar fashion -- any time you use Intimidate or bribery during a mission.
Barks and Stories
A shout out to the community bark thread here on the forum -- we've leveraged those suggestions to add another 50 barks to the game, short commentary given by the crew whenever encountering a rumor. We've also loaded another big batch of legendary stories from our KickStarter backers into the stories told in the spice hall -- hover over storyteller alerts to see the extended versions!
Bugs that Rebalance
We have made two important bug fixes that are going to cause balance changes for players. We fixed a bug in orbital ops (spying) that was allowing the use of over 100% Skill dice. This was much to the players advantage and ship damage and crew damage cards are going to be more dangerous now. We also fixed a bug in ship combat Talents that restore HP and Morale which was causing them to fail to heal the most wounded first. So, this fix is greatly to the player's advantage.
v2.3.31 - 8/6/2018
- Added new eyewear accessory, military targeting headset - Added new Contact Trait "Data Hound" always buys Intel, +15% Intel Price -- only if Trait is known - Contact Trait "Techno Addict" adds +10% Intel Price -- only if Trait is known - Improved many descriptions in ship encounters to make Reputation rules and impacts clearer - Added new rank 5 Spy Talent "Stealth Op" which reduces Reputation loss from Missions completed with a stealthy action - Added new rank 5 Diplomat Talent "Adept Mediation" which reduces Reputation loss from Missions completed with a diplomatic or negotiation action - Rebalanced Pirate Talent "Menacing Demeanor" to only reduce Reputation on Missions completed with intimidating or bribing actions - Improved use of Talents during missions -- one bonus Talent (increase Rep, etc) and one mitigation Talent (reduce Rep loss, etc) can activate - Added 50 crew barks about Rumors from the Steam community suggestion thread - Added another round of KickStarter "Join the Lore" stories and legends in to storytellers in the spice hall - Improved slider in Exchange Buying to be more clear about available resources - Added Gear Type (offensive mod, defensive mod, personal enhancer) to the display and reclassified some gears - Coalition Founder Achievement now immediately fires on 3rd prince mission, improved description of "Plague Breaker" unlock for clarity - Enabled Refuel white popout button to open subscreen even when no fuel is needed to toggle auto-refuel - Reduced cooldown time for Talents discovering hidden Contact Traits to 18 weeks (Shrewd Dealings, Expose Quality, Close Observation) - Rebalanced all cooldowns for Talents related completing mission steps - Fixed many story bugs, including vatborn monster not appearing - Fixed Smuggler's Cache card under-reporting size of discovered stash if increased by Talent - Fixed bug where "Unstoppable Hunt" was using the last explorer count, preventing further exploration and your reroll - Fixed bug where "Terrifying Extortion" was allowing you to loot the same cargo twice - Fixed all ship combat Talents that heal HP or restore Morale to ensure they help the crew members most in need - Fixed bug where orbital ops (spying, etc) were using Skill values over 200% of the ship's pool - Fixed bug where unknown Rumors were visible in Star Atlas - Fixed minor bug with Talents occassionally re-sorting in the mini-games - Fixed issues with M3400 Hyperwarp EFF drive - Fixed typos, thanks for the reports!
Quick Post-Launch Patch
- Added new rank 5 Exo-Scout "Burrowing Shots": Xeno-only crippling attack causes major bleed and -Res - Rebalanced "Adventurer" and "Master Adventurer" unlocks to require less artifact finds - Fixed bugs with one of new Bounty Hunter missions - Fixed a number of bugs and mismatches with Black Market cards - Fixed all reported crashes and typos
[ 2018-08-02 16:31:50 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to the frontier, captains! It has been an exciting 36 hours since launch and the spice hall is overflowing with sharp new talent. Welcome, welcome all -- we'll see you on the boards if you have questions or feedback!
Today, we just have a small patch fixing reported crashes and a few bugs. And Exo-Scout got their missing Talent completed with something pretty deadly versus the xeno -- Burrowing Shots.
We're just pushing out this quick patch release for the weekend. We'll return to a more exciting update schedule early next week with some additional features and content.
We have also rebalanced two unlocks that were unfairly hard -- Adventurer and Master Adventurer.
Cory and I wanted to extend a personal thank you to everyone who is helping us get the word out about Star Traders: Frontiers by leaving a review or sharing the game with a friend! Remember, we're on 20% sale for a week -- don't miss it!
v2.3.29 - 8/2/2018
- Added new rank 5 Exo-Scout "Burrowing Shots": Xeno-only crippling attack causes major bleed and -Res - Rebalanced "Adventurer" and "Master Adventurer" unlocks to require less artifact finds - Fixed bugs with one of new Bounty Hunter missions - Fixed a number of bugs and mismatches with Black Market cards - Fixed all reported crashes and typos
Update #88: Full Launch Status in 5 ... 4 ...
It wouldn’t be a real celebration without a free hat. So -- Update #88 has added a new military-styled hat to the mix. We’ve also added 2 more environmental art boards to different landing zones -- a new radiation wilderness and a major urban zone that appears on either garden or jungle worlds.
We are proud to announce the release of the Star Traders: Soundtrack as well. Thanks to Peter Venne from Viking Studios, the soundtrack includes 11 minutes of completely unreleased new music for a total of 33 minutes across 6 tracks. The new music will be coming to the game soon but for now you can check it out in the soundtrack. Thanks to everyone choosing to support our efforts and composer through this DLC. https://store.steampowered.com/app/912470/Star_Traders_Frontiers_Soundtrack/
Edict-bearing hunters gained 2 missions in the last update and now 2 more extended fugitive hunt missions have been added, featuring tracking down a target across multiple urban and wilderness zones. More Edict-specific missions will be rolling off the assembly line over the next few updates, so get your blood badge and get ready to ride!
We always release new ships to players-only first in order to make sure there isn’t a lurking balance issue or problem that enemy captains and AI could unfairly use against your captains. With enough time for extra testing and metrics under their belts, the Aeternum Vindex and Palace Interceptor have now been handed off to enemy captains to use. Which also opens up a new possibility of getting one of these locked ships -- using a Prize Ship Talent to pick on up! As always, a huge thanks to our community and captains for giving us such momentum and energy through Early Access. We’re carrying that energy forward into the next phase and onto the next dev roadmap! We hope you’ll take a moment to press ‘F’ to leave a review or tell a friend.
- Star Traders: Frontiers launches out of Early Access! - Released Original Sound Track -- 33 minutes across 6 songs - Added new hat type -- military cap - Added 2 new environment arts (radiation wild, garden or jungle urban) - Added 2 new Bounty Hunter mission types -- multi-hop fugitive hunts among urban and wilderness - Added Smuggler and Pirate AI that uses the Aeternum Vindex - Added Bounty Hunter and Pirate AI that uses the Palace Interceptor - Improved several Crew Combat sound effects for weapons and damage - Talents "Menacing Demeanor" and "Red Badge" no longer incorrectly fires against Independents - Fixed bugs in some unlocks not showing correct eligiblity - Fixed bugs with Talent cooldown display
[ 2018-08-01 05:40:32 CET ] [ Original post ]
Tonight, Star Traders: Frontiers is rising up out of Early Access and into its full launch status on Steam. Throughout these 8 months, the community response and level of engagement has been phenomenal. We’ve worked closely with so many of our players to improve the game across the 88 Early Access updates. While we are thanking people who helped make the game what it is today, we can’t miss a chance to thank all of our KickStarter backers who supported the vision for STF from the very beginning.
Early Access may be over but this is far from the end. We will shut down the Early Access Dev Roadmap but will be spinning up a new one with any remaining feature copied over. If you know our studio and our games, you know that we love supporting them and updating them. Star Traders: Frontiers will be no different, so you can expect the updates and continual improvements to continue.
To celebrate the launch, Star Traders: Frontiers is 20% off for the week. There is no better time to tell a friend, leave a review or share the game with your neighborhood streamer, gamer or games community. Thank you as always for helping Cory and I get the word out.
Celebratory Hat
It wouldn’t be a real celebration without a free hat. So -- Update #88 has added a new military-styled hat to the mix. We’ve also added 2 more environmental art boards to different landing zones -- a new radiation wilderness and a major urban zone that appears on either garden or jungle worlds.
Original Soundtrack
We are proud to announce the release of the Star Traders: Soundtrack as well. Thanks to Peter Venne from Viking Studios, the soundtrack includes 11 minutes of completely unreleased new music for a total of 33 minutes across 6 tracks. The new music will be coming to the game soon but for now you can check it out in the soundtrack. Thanks to everyone choosing to support our efforts and composer through this DLC. https://store.steampowered.com/app/912470/Star_Traders_Frontiers_Soundtrack/
Bounty Hunter Missions
Edict-bearing hunters gained 2 missions in the last update and now 2 more extended fugitive hunt missions have been added, featuring tracking down a target across multiple urban and wilderness zones. More Edict-specific missions will be rolling off the assembly line over the next few updates, so get your blood badge and get ready to ride!
Enemy AI Gains Ships
We always release new ships to players-only first in order to make sure there isn’t a lurking balance issue or problem that enemy captains and AI could unfairly use against your captains. With enough time for extra testing and metrics under their belts, the Aeternum Vindex and Palace Interceptor have now been handed off to enemy captains to use. Which also opens up a new possibility of getting one of these locked ships -- using a Prize Ship Talent to pick on up! As always, a huge thanks to our community and captains for giving us such momentum and energy through Early Access. We’re carrying that energy forward into the next phase and onto the next dev roadmap! We hope you’ll take a moment to press ‘F’ to leave a review or tell a friend.
v2.3.27 - 8/1/2018
- Star Traders: Frontiers launches out of Early Access! - Released Original Sound Track -- 33 minutes across 6 songs - Added new hat type -- military cap - Added 2 new environment arts (radiation wild, garden or jungle urban) - Added 2 new Bounty Hunter mission types -- multi-hop fugitive hunts among urban and wilderness - Added Smuggler and Pirate AI that uses the Aeternum Vindex - Added Bounty Hunter and Pirate AI that uses the Palace Interceptor - Improved several Crew Combat sound effects for weapons and damage - Talents "Menacing Demeanor" and "Red Badge" no longer incorrectly fires against Independents - Fixed bugs in some unlocks not showing correct eligiblity - Fixed bugs with Talent cooldown display
Update #87: Call of the Void
Two new focused Bounty Hunter missions have come online with this update -- where contacts assign you death or capture warrants for a fugitive hiding in an urban zone. More of these Edict-requiring types of missions will be coming online over the next series of updates as well to fill out this part of the mission set.
As we continue to balance in advance of the carriers/fighters release, we have made adjustments to both the baseline and upgraded Engines and Hyperwarp Drive components to improve diversity. Previously, many of the upgrade engines (Chaser, Longhaul, Traveler) had the same Skill requirements as stats as the baseline in Pilot, Electronics and Ship Ops. This patch has rebalanced those Skill requirements to provide more variety for both the player and the AI to use. The overall net averages within the system have remained the same, while many individual engines have seen stat changes between 1 and 3 points per pool. Small Ship Void Engines and Hyperwarps also received small survivability bonuses including some additional Armor and Shielding for the higher-end upgrades.
As we continue to fill out the unlockable content, we've added 5 new unlockable starting Contacts. Every one of them provides access to otherwise harder to find recruits as well as a wider array of mission types and services. The Prospector recruits Explorers, the Retired Xeno-Hunter recrutis Exo-Scouts, the Academy Doctor recruits Combat Medics, the Weapons Smuggler recruits Snipers and the Court Assassin recruits Assassins! The five them pack a mighty punch and offer great new options for new games and new templates. In addition, the new Weapons Smuggler gives Smugglers a boost with the third starting Contact who can offer Black Market access -- it is easier than ever to start with a good foundation for your illegal trading network. And finally, Retired Xeno-Hunter and Court Assassin both sell Combat Armor which is an exciting opportunity for those chasing early game crew combat survivability.
We've upgraded the new ship shopping experience to make sure that Faction-specific ships are always visible even when you can't purchase them. In addition, we've updated the rules so that these ships require at least Military Rank 4 in order to access. De Valtos doesn't sell the Corsair Interceptor to just anyone!
We've had a few questions about whether or not achievements should have fired during different games, so have now updated the Captains Log > Awards screen to include a short note about your eligibility to score an achievement and its unlock. For each one, you can see if your eligible or cannot get the achievement due to time limit, condition or difficulty level.
- Added 2 new Bounty Hunter mission types -- hunting fugitives among urban zones with capture of death warrant - Added 5 new unlockable rewards! Starting Contacts: Prospector (recruits Explorers), Academy Doctor (recruits Combat Medics), Court Assassin (recruits Assassins, sells combat armor), Retired Xeno-Hunter (recruits Exo-Scouts, sells combat armor) and Weapons Smuggler (3rd Black Market starter, recruits Snipers) - Faction specific ships require at least Military Rank 4 to purchase - Faction-specific ships are now shown in all starports, but can only be purchased at faction's starports - Improved Captain's Log > Awards screen to indicate if you are eligible for any give unlock (difficulty, date, condition) - Fixed issue with Trait-based Black Market offers not showing up (Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld Traits) - If Black Market access is Trait-based and you do not know the Trait (Greedy, Corrupt or Underworld), access is no longer offered - Addressed issues with some starting ships (Palace Interceptor, Vindex) not having Passenger Cabins - Added bonus Armor and Deflection to Mass 2400 and 3400 Ship Engines - Additional statistical diversification of upgrades for Ship Engines, Hyperwarp Drives
[ 2018-07-31 03:48:31 CET ] [ Original post ]
Spacers feel at home in the void and many of them are uncomfortable staying for long periods of time on faction holdings. Space and its endless expanse calls them back. As this crazy Early Access period wraps up, we're glad that so many Captains have joined us, heard the call and come aboard to help us improve the game. We've striven to do Early Access in the Trese Brothers way -- true community engagement, constantly being present, and updating like there are more than 10 of us instead of 2. We hope you've enjoyed it and this will be the final update in Early Access mode before Wednesday's launch.
Tell a friend, leave a review.
If you've played our other games, like Templar Battleforce, you'll know that this isn't going to be an end to the updates. We're working on a new Dev Roadmap now that the EA one is nearly complete, and we'll just slide those last few items over onto the new one.
Hunter Missions
Two new focused Bounty Hunter missions have come online with this update -- where contacts assign you death or capture warrants for a fugitive hiding in an urban zone. More of these Edict-requiring types of missions will be coming online over the next series of updates as well to fill out this part of the mission set.
Void Engine and Hyperwarp Drives
As we continue to balance in advance of the carriers/fighters release, we have made adjustments to both the baseline and upgraded Engines and Hyperwarp Drive components to improve diversity. Previously, many of the upgrade engines (Chaser, Longhaul, Traveler) had the same Skill requirements as stats as the baseline in Pilot, Electronics and Ship Ops. This patch has rebalanced those Skill requirements to provide more variety for both the player and the AI to use. The overall net averages within the system have remained the same, while many individual engines have seen stat changes between 1 and 3 points per pool. Small Ship Void Engines and Hyperwarps also received small survivability bonuses including some additional Armor and Shielding for the higher-end upgrades.
New Starting Contacts
As we continue to fill out the unlockable content, we've added 5 new unlockable starting Contacts. Every one of them provides access to otherwise harder to find recruits as well as a wider array of mission types and services. The Prospector recruits Explorers, the Retired Xeno-Hunter recrutis Exo-Scouts, the Academy Doctor recruits Combat Medics, the Weapons Smuggler recruits Snipers and the Court Assassin recruits Assassins! The five them pack a mighty punch and offer great new options for new games and new templates. In addition, the new Weapons Smuggler gives Smugglers a boost with the third starting Contact who can offer Black Market access -- it is easier than ever to start with a good foundation for your illegal trading network. And finally, Retired Xeno-Hunter and Court Assassin both sell Combat Armor which is an exciting opportunity for those chasing early game crew combat survivability.
Faction-Specific Rank Ships
We've upgraded the new ship shopping experience to make sure that Faction-specific ships are always visible even when you can't purchase them. In addition, we've updated the rules so that these ships require at least Military Rank 4 in order to access. De Valtos doesn't sell the Corsair Interceptor to just anyone!
Unlock Eligibility
We've had a few questions about whether or not achievements should have fired during different games, so have now updated the Captains Log > Awards screen to include a short note about your eligibility to score an achievement and its unlock. For each one, you can see if your eligible or cannot get the achievement due to time limit, condition or difficulty level.
v2.3.25 - 7/30/2018
- Added 2 new Bounty Hunter mission types -- hunting fugitives among urban zones with capture of death warrant - Added 5 new unlockable rewards! Starting Contacts: Prospector (recruits Explorers), Academy Doctor (recruits Combat Medics), Court Assassin (recruits Assassins, sells combat armor), Retired Xeno-Hunter (recruits Exo-Scouts, sells combat armor) and Weapons Smuggler (3rd Black Market starter, recruits Snipers) - Faction specific ships require at least Military Rank 4 to purchase - Faction-specific ships are now shown in all starports, but can only be purchased at faction's starports - Improved Captain's Log > Awards screen to indicate if you are eligible for any give unlock (difficulty, date, condition) - Fixed issue with Trait-based Black Market offers not showing up (Greedy, Corrupt, Underworld Traits) - If Black Market access is Trait-based and you do not know the Trait (Greedy, Corrupt or Underworld), access is no longer offered - Addressed issues with some starting ships (Palace Interceptor, Vindex) not having Passenger Cabins - Added bonus Armor and Deflection to Mass 2400 and 3400 Ship Engines - Additional statistical diversification of upgrades for Ship Engines, Hyperwarp Drives
Update #86: Penultimate + Save Slots
Update #86 deploys a major feature that we have been discussing and designing since of the start of Early Access. It took a few months but Save Slots are finally wrapped up, and we finished final testing this weekend. Now any game that does not feature Captain permadeath offers four save slots to store snapshots of your captain’s career. These slots can be restored and played at any time and they store the entire game state. For example, you can start a template you love, do the first few Arbiter missions and then save your progress to one of your save slots. Then you can always come back there quickly from within that game. Or, as I tried in testing today, you could branch your save into 4 directions -- following Erik Faen, Zette Faen, Valencia and the Arbiter’s storylines, each with their own save slot. The new save slot system will help those players who are looking for ways to explore, try new things, backtrack on mistakes and explore the game in a non-permadeath setting.
To create save slot, open the game menu from within your save and choose Save Slots. Then pick slot you would to use to store your current game state. To restore a save slot, choose Load Captain from the main menu and then use the Save Slots button on the right hand side to expand the list of slots. Pick any to restore. Please take your time, because all save and restore actions are final and cannot be undone.
As now is the time to finish things, so we have finished the final Talents for the starting set of jobs that are not implemented. Pilot has picked up a new rank 11 Talent -- Wild Flying -- for when you are feeling like a leaf on the wind. Buffing defense and armor, Wild Flying also reduces Accuracy slightly does a small amount of Morale damage to your crew as the ship careens through the void. For the Crew Dog, Engine Lockdown is the new rank 8 Talent which adds a unique ability. When Engine Lockdown is active, your ship’s void engine is completely protected from damage. This lockdown effect does cost -2 RP, but it can be an important move to make at the clutch moment of battle when engine protection is critical. As an added bonus, locking down the engine frees up power to be rerouted to weaponry with a nice Radiation Damage bonus.
We’ve also added 11 new Talent icons and will be finishing the remaining 15 very soon.
We’ve also polished all of the new game screens, improved interfaces, spacing and positioning across the board. Typos and small bugs have died in droves. The forges are burning hot at Trese Brothers HQ! If you love these updates, please leave a review for the game or tell a friend! Or, join us on the Trese Brothers Discord server where both brothers are available, welcoming Captains and players of our games to come and chat. We’re on there daily -- come share your stories, feedback and join our crew!
- Save and Restore from 4 save slots per Captain in difficulties without captain permadeath - Added new rank 11 Talent for Pilots - "Wild Flying" defensive buff - Added new rank 8 Talent for Crew Dogs - "Engine Lockdown" buff momentarily protects engines from damage - Rebuilt New Game Skills page with more information and sliders - Added Reset button to New Game Skills and New Game Attributes for quick changes - Fixed all variety of refresh bugs in orbit screen (new contact, etc) - Fixed issue with Trade Law not updating for Rumors in Orbit screen and invisible Quad Rumor bug - Fixed issues with some ship Talent results such as healing or morale restore not appearing on screen
[ 2018-07-29 02:39:38 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #86 has brought us to the the final moments of this game’s Early Access phase. It has been a busy 8 months and we owe a huge thanks to the thousands of Captains who have helped us improve the game. But -- we're not done yet!
While the game is coming out of Early Access on Wednesday this week, it does not mean that the content and feature expansions are ending. We don’t plan to slow down or change direction. Exiting Early Access is a milestone on our larger roadmap indicating the game’s readiness, stability and completeness against the goals we laid out for EA. Once we transition out of EA, we will be publishing the Dev Roadmap, looking out into the next year.
Save Slots
Update #86 deploys a major feature that we have been discussing and designing since of the start of Early Access. It took a few months but Save Slots are finally wrapped up, and we finished final testing this weekend. Now any game that does not feature Captain permadeath offers four save slots to store snapshots of your captain’s career. These slots can be restored and played at any time and they store the entire game state. For example, you can start a template you love, do the first few Arbiter missions and then save your progress to one of your save slots. Then you can always come back there quickly from within that game. Or, as I tried in testing today, you could branch your save into 4 directions -- following Erik Faen, Zette Faen, Valencia and the Arbiter’s storylines, each with their own save slot. The new save slot system will help those players who are looking for ways to explore, try new things, backtrack on mistakes and explore the game in a non-permadeath setting.
To create save slot, open the game menu from within your save and choose Save Slots. Then pick slot you would to use to store your current game state. To restore a save slot, choose Load Captain from the main menu and then use the Save Slots button on the right hand side to expand the list of slots. Pick any to restore. Please take your time, because all save and restore actions are final and cannot be undone.
Talent Wrap Up
As now is the time to finish things, so we have finished the final Talents for the starting set of jobs that are not implemented. Pilot has picked up a new rank 11 Talent -- Wild Flying -- for when you are feeling like a leaf on the wind. Buffing defense and armor, Wild Flying also reduces Accuracy slightly does a small amount of Morale damage to your crew as the ship careens through the void. For the Crew Dog, Engine Lockdown is the new rank 8 Talent which adds a unique ability. When Engine Lockdown is active, your ship’s void engine is completely protected from damage. This lockdown effect does cost -2 RP, but it can be an important move to make at the clutch moment of battle when engine protection is critical. As an added bonus, locking down the engine frees up power to be rerouted to weaponry with a nice Radiation Damage bonus.
We’ve also added 11 new Talent icons and will be finishing the remaining 15 very soon.
Polish
We’ve also polished all of the new game screens, improved interfaces, spacing and positioning across the board. Typos and small bugs have died in droves. The forges are burning hot at Trese Brothers HQ! If you love these updates, please leave a review for the game or tell a friend! Or, join us on the Trese Brothers Discord server where both brothers are available, welcoming Captains and players of our games to come and chat. We’re on there daily -- come share your stories, feedback and join our crew!
v2.3.23 - 7/28/2018
- Save and Restore from 4 save slots per Captain in difficulties without captain permadeath - Added new rank 11 Talent for Pilots - "Wild Flying" defensive buff - Added new rank 8 Talent for Crew Dogs - "Engine Lockdown" buff momentarily protects engines from damage - Rebuilt New Game Skills page with more information and sliders - Added Reset button to New Game Skills and New Game Attributes for quick changes - Fixed all variety of refresh bugs in orbit screen (new contact, etc) - Fixed issue with Trade Law not updating for Rumors in Orbit screen and invisible Quad Rumor bug - Fixed issues with some ship Talent results such as healing or morale restore not appearing on screen
Update #46: Echos of War
We're starting off a drive of new features, improvements and services for Contacts by putting some focus on the Gestalt Technologists. Known as a secretive medical tradition, the Gestalt grew out of a combat medic unit hardened and trained in the decade long siege of Rypok 4 in the Guild War. They played an indispensable role during the Guild War and since the end fo the Exodus have championed many medical advances, new augmetics, life extending technologies and cutting-edge vat-grown application. Gestalt are the first group of Contacts to get a special set of character art. For new games and newly created Gestalt, they will only use faces that are match the Gestalt tradition of face marking. Gestalt face tattoos originated during the Guild War. During those years, the Gestalt combat medics were targeted constantly by Guild assassins. As a matter of pride, the Gestalt identified themselves to their would-be killers by taking facial markings. While thousands of Gestalt Technologists died on the front lines of the Guild War, the demand for their skills helped the order grow regardless.
We've also added 2 standard contact faces to the rotation and updated a few of the existing ones.
Traits already mutate today on the actions your captain and crew take. As you take each type of action, different mutation pathways are tested. If you explore enough times, expect to see Adventurous and Wanderer Traits appearing. With Update #46, we've added some new mutation paths covering ship defeat and very bad things that can happen in orbit such as meteor storms or fatal accidents. Neither of these new pathways are good, so expect your crew to have potential negative mutations in these less than good moments. We've also added a Morale penalty for being defeated in ship combat. It is a small bug meaningful ding to the crew Morale.
A big rebalance is coming to Crew Combat soon. In preparation for that, we're working through a punch list of needed features. First, Heavy Armor has now gained an Initiative penalty. You get the extra stopping power, but pay the cost in moving a little slower. Second, we've separated buff, gear and debuffs handling of Melee and Ranged damage. Now, Swordsman buffs and gear only add to Melee Damage, while Soldiers buff Ranged Damage. Some debuffs specify which Damage type is being targeted, but most affect "All Damage" to ensure they are useful as possible. Third, you can now see if a weapon or armor was auto-assigned from your weapons locker or was picked by hand. This helps you keep an eye on your crew EQ assignments and opens up the next logical step -- a button that lets you revert to auto-assignment.
If you are above Rank 11, Permit 2 or Edict 4 you will lose a rank whenever you suffer Rep loss with that Faction. Therefore, if you have high Military Rank you can't offend the faction in the least bit without losing a Rank. This has always been the case -- but now these occurrences are clearly logged to the Event Log! This is going to be great and really help cut down on confusion about disappearing Permits!
- Added 6 new Gestalt Contact character faces (new games and new contacts) - Added 2 new Contact character faces - Expanded hover tooltip on map to include Starport, Trade Law - Crew Combat Attacks / Buffs / Debuffs / Gear -- separated Melee and Ranged Damage bonuses - Heavy Armor now incurs Crew Combat Initiative penalties - Weapons and Armor now indicate if Auto-Assigned or Picked from Weapons Locker or from Inventory - Balancing Ship Combat Defeat with new Morale Loss mechanic - New Crew Trait mutation paths for Ship Defeat (Disgraced, Looted, Searched) - Improved logging for lost Rank, Permit and Edict caused by Alliances or Rep loss - New Crew Trait mutations for Meteor storms, "Time Lost" and "Fatal Injuries" cards - Travel Events: slightly reduced the RNG in Ship Damage to make results more consistent - Added missing back button to contact mission offer screen - Improved Calagan and Valencia's start and end of Duel reactions - Fixed issues with 'Lightbow Raptor' ship and Officer Cabins - Fixed issues with 'Reinforced Structures' upgrades and damage during combat - Fixed issues with recruiting Story Crew/Officers with a badly damaged ship - Fixed hover tooltip to prevent overruns - Fixed typos and crashes
[ 2018-03-22 00:33:34 CET ] [ Original post ]
Even 500 years later, the reverberations of the Guild War are still felt within the Star Traders society. It defines their heroic ideals, their fierce independence and their very concept of law, tradition and government. Update #46 honors those heroes with a big boost to the Gestalt tradition as well as a host of improvements, balance tweaks and fixes and preparation steps for some of the really big updates just around the corner.
Thanks to all of our Captains who are supporting the game with reviews and by telling a friend! Your support helps us keep this pace as we chase the final nail in the v2.1.x family (the Faen!) and push forward into v2.2.x!
Gestalt Technologists
We're starting off a drive of new features, improvements and services for Contacts by putting some focus on the Gestalt Technologists. Known as a secretive medical tradition, the Gestalt grew out of a combat medic unit hardened and trained in the decade long siege of Rypok 4 in the Guild War. They played an indispensable role during the Guild War and since the end fo the Exodus have championed many medical advances, new augmetics, life extending technologies and cutting-edge vat-grown application. Gestalt are the first group of Contacts to get a special set of character art. For new games and newly created Gestalt, they will only use faces that are match the Gestalt tradition of face marking. Gestalt face tattoos originated during the Guild War. During those years, the Gestalt combat medics were targeted constantly by Guild assassins. As a matter of pride, the Gestalt identified themselves to their would-be killers by taking facial markings. While thousands of Gestalt Technologists died on the front lines of the Guild War, the demand for their skills helped the order grow regardless.
We've also added 2 standard contact faces to the rotation and updated a few of the existing ones.
Trait Mutation and Ship Defeat
Traits already mutate today on the actions your captain and crew take. As you take each type of action, different mutation pathways are tested. If you explore enough times, expect to see Adventurous and Wanderer Traits appearing. With Update #46, we've added some new mutation paths covering ship defeat and very bad things that can happen in orbit such as meteor storms or fatal accidents. Neither of these new pathways are good, so expect your crew to have potential negative mutations in these less than good moments. We've also added a Morale penalty for being defeated in ship combat. It is a small bug meaningful ding to the crew Morale.
Crew Combat Prep
A big rebalance is coming to Crew Combat soon. In preparation for that, we're working through a punch list of needed features. First, Heavy Armor has now gained an Initiative penalty. You get the extra stopping power, but pay the cost in moving a little slower. Second, we've separated buff, gear and debuffs handling of Melee and Ranged damage. Now, Swordsman buffs and gear only add to Melee Damage, while Soldiers buff Ranged Damage. Some debuffs specify which Damage type is being targeted, but most affect "All Damage" to ensure they are useful as possible. Third, you can now see if a weapon or armor was auto-assigned from your weapons locker or was picked by hand. This helps you keep an eye on your crew EQ assignments and opens up the next logical step -- a button that lets you revert to auto-assignment.
Maintaining Rank, Permit, Edict
If you are above Rank 11, Permit 2 or Edict 4 you will lose a rank whenever you suffer Rep loss with that Faction. Therefore, if you have high Military Rank you can't offend the faction in the least bit without losing a Rank. This has always been the case -- but now these occurrences are clearly logged to the Event Log! This is going to be great and really help cut down on confusion about disappearing Permits!
v2.2.15 - 3/21/2018
- Added 6 new Gestalt Contact character faces (new games and new contacts) - Added 2 new Contact character faces - Expanded hover tooltip on map to include Starport, Trade Law - Crew Combat Attacks / Buffs / Debuffs / Gear -- separated Melee and Ranged Damage bonuses - Heavy Armor now incurs Crew Combat Initiative penalties - Weapons and Armor now indicate if Auto-Assigned or Picked from Weapons Locker or from Inventory - Balancing Ship Combat Defeat with new Morale Loss mechanic - New Crew Trait mutation paths for Ship Defeat (Disgraced, Looted, Searched) - Improved logging for lost Rank, Permit and Edict caused by Alliances or Rep loss - New Crew Trait mutations for Meteor storms, "Time Lost" and "Fatal Injuries" cards - Travel Events: slightly reduced the RNG in Ship Damage to make results more consistent - Added missing back button to contact mission offer screen - Improved Calagan and Valencia's start and end of Duel reactions - Fixed issues with 'Lightbow Raptor' ship and Officer Cabins - Fixed issues with 'Reinforced Structures' upgrades and damage during combat - Fixed issues with recruiting Story Crew/Officers with a badly damaged ship - Fixed hover tooltip to prevent overruns - Fixed typos and crashes
Update #45: Interstellar Rover
Anyone trying to play the main storyline at the Faen court since the release of Update #44 has found it to be a jumble. A bug slipped through testing in the last update which has now been fixed with Update #45. If you're new to the game and tried the story, we apologize for the fact that it made no since as of Tuesday. Please give it another shot now and enjoy some political intrigue!
With Update #45, we're rolling out a heavily requested feature. The map and orbit screen now remember your current landing zone. You are no longer charged fuel, and Talents and Traits no longer run when you return to that landing zone. Therefore, you can pop out to the map and back again without incurring cost in time, Talents or fuel. Of course, if you land on a different zone, perform an orbital operation or move in space you've left the zone and must complete a full landing again.
Two new ships have launched from the starports across the galaxy. The Hammerhead Jammer is a heavily armored combat hull designed to soak up mass like a 6K mass ship but fuels and flies like a 5K mass. The Cautela Titan is a sprawling heavy cargo ship with ultra heavy Hyperwarp Drive and massive fuel tanks to extend its range. Both modern hulls are built tough to take a beating in battle and survive. As new ships come out, we've been training the AI to use other ships in more intelligent ways. Both the Paladin Cruiser and Strikecruiser have received newly trained enemy AI for a certain set of professions.
New Passenger Suites have been added to help personal-transport captains move more passengers with less components. The medium size component opens up some new options and the new Luxury Suites models also can increase Shielding and Armor.
Contact connection visibility has been highly improved, allowing you to see both out-going and incoming connections. The connection display also now includes a known indicator, letting you quickly see which Contacts you know in the links. We've also fixed the links between Calagan Faen and Aetaan Char -- they now correctly hate each other!
Your ship combat logs now include defeat and victory conditions (which can be viewed from the victory/defeat/draw screens). This allows you to see exactly why you won or lost. In addition, we've improved the Ship Combat Logs so that they do not get wiped after a boarding battle. Now your log persists between multiple boardings and allows you to keep the common thread.
- New 5000 Mass Ship: "Hammerhead Jammer" - New 9000 Mass Ship: "Cautela Titan" - Free relanding in Zone after using orbital screen or map (no Fuel, Turns, Encounters, etc) - New Trained enemy AI for Paladin Defender (Military Officer, Bounty Hunter, Pirate) - New Trained enemy AI for Strikecruiser ships (Spy, Explorer, Smuggler) - Synchronized HUD and Filters for low Health and low Morale - Reduced time and cost to repair Hull damage on the ship - Improved Contact Connection lists by showing both directions (to/from) - Added "Contact is Known" icon to Contact Connection lists - New Ship Component: Passenger Suites: Medium Size, Holds 2x Passengers - Buffed Luxury Cabin and Luxury Suites: Minor Armor and Shielding Boosts - Fixed issues with Calagan Faen's court skipping dialogs - Corrected hatred links between Calagan Faen and Aetaan Char for new games - Ship Combat Log persists between rounds of boarding - Ship Combat Log now includes causes of victory or defeat - Improved Crew Combat Pistol animations - 18 new crew barks from Twitch chat (thx y'all)
[ 2018-03-16 17:57:14 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #45 is a wrecker and is packed full of new content, fixes, heavily requested features and delicious spiced things of all kinds. Two new powerhouse ships are coming off the production line and the first ship to crack the 9,000 Mass barrier has now arrived -- the Cautela Titan. Now, relanding on the same zone is now free -- check the map with impunity! And the Faen court works again, sorry the story was broken for 3 days! It is time Captain -- download the latest update and sail the galaxy today!
Thanks to all of our Captains who are sharing the game and leaving reviews!
Faen Court Jumble
Anyone trying to play the main storyline at the Faen court since the release of Update #44 has found it to be a jumble. A bug slipped through testing in the last update which has now been fixed with Update #45. If you're new to the game and tried the story, we apologize for the fact that it made no since as of Tuesday. Please give it another shot now and enjoy some political intrigue!
Free Relanding
With Update #45, we're rolling out a heavily requested feature. The map and orbit screen now remember your current landing zone. You are no longer charged fuel, and Talents and Traits no longer run when you return to that landing zone. Therefore, you can pop out to the map and back again without incurring cost in time, Talents or fuel. Of course, if you land on a different zone, perform an orbital operation or move in space you've left the zone and must complete a full landing again.
Titan and Hammerhead
Two new ships have launched from the starports across the galaxy. The Hammerhead Jammer is a heavily armored combat hull designed to soak up mass like a 6K mass ship but fuels and flies like a 5K mass. The Cautela Titan is a sprawling heavy cargo ship with ultra heavy Hyperwarp Drive and massive fuel tanks to extend its range. Both modern hulls are built tough to take a beating in battle and survive. As new ships come out, we've been training the AI to use other ships in more intelligent ways. Both the Paladin Cruiser and Strikecruiser have received newly trained enemy AI for a certain set of professions.
New Components
New Passenger Suites have been added to help personal-transport captains move more passengers with less components. The medium size component opens up some new options and the new Luxury Suites models also can increase Shielding and Armor.
Contact Connections
Contact connection visibility has been highly improved, allowing you to see both out-going and incoming connections. The connection display also now includes a known indicator, letting you quickly see which Contacts you know in the links. We've also fixed the links between Calagan Faen and Aetaan Char -- they now correctly hate each other!
Ship Combat Logs
Your ship combat logs now include defeat and victory conditions (which can be viewed from the victory/defeat/draw screens). This allows you to see exactly why you won or lost. In addition, we've improved the Ship Combat Logs so that they do not get wiped after a boarding battle. Now your log persists between multiple boardings and allows you to keep the common thread.
v2.2.13 - 3/16/2018
- New 5000 Mass Ship: "Hammerhead Jammer" - New 9000 Mass Ship: "Cautela Titan" - Free relanding in Zone after using orbital screen or map (no Fuel, Turns, Encounters, etc) - New Trained enemy AI for Paladin Defender (Military Officer, Bounty Hunter, Pirate) - New Trained enemy AI for Strikecruiser ships (Spy, Explorer, Smuggler) - Synchronized HUD and Filters for low Health and low Morale - Reduced time and cost to repair Hull damage on the ship - Improved Contact Connection lists by showing both directions (to/from) - Added "Contact is Known" icon to Contact Connection lists - New Ship Component: Passenger Suites: Medium Size, Holds 2x Passengers - Buffed Luxury Cabin and Luxury Suites: Minor Armor and Shielding Boosts - Fixed issues with Calagan Faen's court skipping dialogs - Corrected hatred links between Calagan Faen and Aetaan Char for new games - Ship Combat Log persists between rounds of boarding - Ship Combat Log now includes causes of victory or defeat - Improved Crew Combat Pistol animations - 18 new crew barks from Twitch chat (thx y'all)
Update #44: Faltering Containment
There have always been a number of very cool Contact Recruitment traits -- Political, Uses Assassins, Uses Pirates -- that allowed for trait-based recruiting. However, these Traits only activated in the case that the contact's type didn't have a normal recruit option. With Update #44, we've now allowed Contact's to recruit BOTH their recruit-by-type as well as recruit-by-trait. So, you'll see Contacts who recruit a "Spy or Pirate". This makes certain Contacts even more valuable than before. Notably, if you don't know the Contact Trait that leads to recruiting, the recruit isn't offered. So, as you get to know your Contacts, new recruit options may appear.
For the last few releases, we've had some reports of high level trade permits disappearing without clear reason. We've found and resolved a bug related to Edict and Permit removal and now the system is back on the right track. If you have Military Rank above 11, Permit above 2 or Edict above 4, you will lose 1 Rank any time you offend the faction. However, you do not lose below these thresholds (your Permit falls to 2 and stays at 2) until you get into negative Reputation with the Faction.
For both crew and ship combat, we've enabled viewing of the combat log from the victory, defeat or draw summaries. This lets you especially look back into ship combat to see the final hits on the last turn which brought you to victory or defeat. With this new viewing possible, we'll be beefing up the logs in future updates to include data on range change rolls as well as adding a log for the specific defeat reason. Next up, we'll get combat logs persisting through boarding attempts.
- Contacts with Recruit traits now always offer that type for recruit (Pirate, Diplomat, Bounty Hunters) in addition to other recruit option - Contacts with Military Trait can recruit Military Officers - Contacts with hidden Traits do not offer recruit -- learn your Contact's Traits! - Fixed bug causing Trading Permits to disappear oddly - Crew Combat Log visible from Defeat/Victory after end of combat - Ship Combat Log visible from Defeat/Draw/Victory after end of combat - Ship Combat Victory Talents that repair components list components and exact repair %s - Fixed three dry dock issues - swapping officer cabins, weapon locker replacement bug, multiple upgrades inexplicably locked - Improved event list icons related to trait mutation - Prevented accidental delete of default map
[ 2018-03-14 17:15:41 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #44 is here and with it a bevy of improvements to contacts, combat logs and dry docking procedures. Thanks to all of our captain's posting feedback, suggestions and bug reports -- you're feeding the fire of constant polish, improvements and relentless pace of updates!
We've been working on a lot of things at Trese Brothers HQ that aren't quite ready for release yet -- finishing the Faen storyline, some big reworks to the zone UI and the prize ship Talents. The containment fields are faltering and it won't be long before these big features hit the update stream!
Templar Battleforce, which is set in the same universe and allows you to command a squad of Templar mechs in harrowing battle against the xeno, cultists and worse is on sale this week -- 50% off! If you want to see the STF galaxy from another perspective, try out this turn-based tactics RPG!
http://store.steampowered.com/app/370020/Templar_Battleforce/
Contact Recruits
There have always been a number of very cool Contact Recruitment traits -- Political, Uses Assassins, Uses Pirates -- that allowed for trait-based recruiting. However, these Traits only activated in the case that the contact's type didn't have a normal recruit option. With Update #44, we've now allowed Contact's to recruit BOTH their recruit-by-type as well as recruit-by-trait. So, you'll see Contacts who recruit a "Spy or Pirate". This makes certain Contacts even more valuable than before. Notably, if you don't know the Contact Trait that leads to recruiting, the recruit isn't offered. So, as you get to know your Contacts, new recruit options may appear.
Trade Permit Disappearing
For the last few releases, we've had some reports of high level trade permits disappearing without clear reason. We've found and resolved a bug related to Edict and Permit removal and now the system is back on the right track. If you have Military Rank above 11, Permit above 2 or Edict above 4, you will lose 1 Rank any time you offend the faction. However, you do not lose below these thresholds (your Permit falls to 2 and stays at 2) until you get into negative Reputation with the Faction.
Logs After Combat
For both crew and ship combat, we've enabled viewing of the combat log from the victory, defeat or draw summaries. This lets you especially look back into ship combat to see the final hits on the last turn which brought you to victory or defeat. With this new viewing possible, we'll be beefing up the logs in future updates to include data on range change rolls as well as adding a log for the specific defeat reason. Next up, we'll get combat logs persisting through boarding attempts.
v2.2.11 - 3/14/2018
- Contacts with Recruit traits now always offer that type for recruit (Pirate, Diplomat, Bounty Hunters) in addition to other recruit option - Contacts with Military Trait can recruit Military Officers - Contacts with hidden Traits do not offer recruit -- learn your Contact's Traits! - Fixed bug causing Trading Permits to disappear oddly - Crew Combat Log visible from Defeat/Victory after end of combat - Ship Combat Log visible from Defeat/Draw/Victory after end of combat - Ship Combat Victory Talents that repair components list components and exact repair %s - Fixed three dry dock issues - swapping officer cabins, weapon locker replacement bug, multiple upgrades inexplicably locked - Improved event list icons related to trait mutation - Prevented accidental delete of default map
Update #43: Multi-Filter Era
- Added multi-filter to Contact List - filter for contacts who provide missions and permits (etc) - Added multi-filter to System Atlas - filter for planets that have fuel and wild zone (etc) - Added multi-filter to Crew List - filter for fighters with blue star (etc) - Added multi-filter to Crew Combat Select - filter for fighters ready to level (etc) - Selected filters are highlighted for easy read in missions, contacts, system atlas, crew selection - Properly limited crew combat selection to only include combat trained characters plus officers or captain (cannot pick ship ops crew) - Fixed issue with Crew Combat Talents printing fake cooldowns (these Talents have no cooldowns) - Fixed inconsistencies with difficulty display and customizing difficulty - Fixed two dry dock ship issues - component counts using current ship, passenger cabin count using current ship
[ 2018-03-09 20:21:08 CET ] [ Original post ]
On the auspicious date of 210.13 AE, a new era was born. After our last update added services filter for Contacts, it became obvious that we needed to deliver on another repeat request from the player base -- the ability to apply multiple filters simultaneously. And while Update #43 doesn't drop an official story era, the Multi-Filter Era is a major step forward for quality of life and speed of play. It will pale in comparison to the coming Single-Click Era, but heck -- its still shiny.
Now it is easy to search by multiple criteria within the System Atlas -- such as looking for planets that have a zone that offers refuel and at least one zone marked with a yellow star --
Or browse your extensive contact list, asking to see all local contacts who have a yellow star and provide introductions --
Or filter down your crew list looking for those characters who have a red star and are also ready to spend Job or Talent points to level up --
We've also fixed a few minor issues. Crew Combat Talents were showing that they had a cooldown, which is NOT the case -- they do not.
The selection of crew for crew combat was allowing you to pick non-fighters like ship ops crew. This is now properly disabled -- you may only pick officers or fighting crew, any empty slots are assigned randomly.
Finally, we've fixed a few issues with upgrading ships in dry dock. We've still got an issue with swapping officer cabins in dry dock which we are working to resolve for the next update.
v2.2.9 - 3/8/2018
- Added multi-filter to Contact List - filter for contacts who provide missions and permits (etc) - Added multi-filter to System Atlas - filter for planets that have fuel and wild zone (etc) - Added multi-filter to Crew List - filter for fighters with blue star (etc) - Added multi-filter to Crew Combat Select - filter for fighters ready to level (etc) - Selected filters are highlighted for easy read in missions, contacts, system atlas, crew selection - Properly limited crew combat selection to only include combat trained characters plus officers or captain (cannot pick ship ops crew) - Fixed issue with Crew Combat Talents printing fake cooldowns (these Talents have no cooldowns) - Fixed inconsistencies with difficulty display and customizing difficulty - Fixed two dry dock ship issues - component counts using current ship, passenger cabin count using current ship
Update #42: Far-flung Denizens
As your Captain becomes better connected, your list of Contacts will grow and so will the number of services you rely upon to get you work done as a Captain. Update #42 includes a very helpful filter-by-service option for Contacts, allow you to quickly look at the contacts who offer missions and then sort by distance for example. We are working toward a multi-filter capability, but we needed to get this capability into the game.
In preparation for a big set of changes to crew combat (which Cory has been previewing on our Twitch channel) we've been grinding hard to get everything right in the last few releases. With Update #42, we've improved the way that "On Init" crew combat Talents work. At the start of each turn, one On Init Talent from each team is fired. We've improved the selection method to ensure that no repeat buffs happen and that each team gets the most out of their On Init buffs. Previously, it was possible that one character would fire their buff on repeat and other players would be left without theirs. We've also tuned up the Stealth rules -- the AI now plays by the rules and the Sneak Attack Talent properly ends Stealth as it says it will on use.
I mentioned to @bloodbeard a while back that we would add more bearded faces to the game. So, this has been a long time coming but we've added a rascal -- bearded and scarred just for him.
We've included the first phase of map deletion in Update #42. You can now permanently delete maps that do not have any Captains linked to them. In the future, we will remove this requirement and just allow you to delete any map (and recreate it by seed for the Captain as needed) but for now, we're excited to let everyone clean up their maps list! If you're enjoying the constant stream of updates, please leave a review!
- Added Contact filter by services (Missions, Rank, Edict, Recruit, etc) - Added ability to delete maps that no Captains are using - Added new male character face with beard - Improved selection of "On Init" Talents in Crew Combat - avoids repeat buffing, more characters get benefits - Crew combat enemy AI correctly follows Stealth Rules - Sneak Attack Spy attack Talent cancels Stealth correctly on use - Fixed issue with relic De Rivesh Blade reporting "Wrong Weapon" for melee attacks - Easier Route Planning: Added Quadrant Danger to Quadrant Map Hovers - Expanded early game Rumor protection from Quarantine, Xeno and Radiation - Fixed typos and reported crashes - Fixed issues with hat placement like military beret - Correctly disabled Stash button in Explorer when completing a mission
[ 2018-03-07 20:04:03 CET ] [ Original post ]
The galactic week begins and another Star Traders: Frontiers update comes rolling out of the factory! This one is packed full of highly requested features from players as well as some important crew combat balancing and a host of small tweaks and fixes. If you're enjoying the constant stream of updates, please leave a review!
If you're enjoying the constant stream of updates, please leave a review!
Contact Service Filter
As your Captain becomes better connected, your list of Contacts will grow and so will the number of services you rely upon to get you work done as a Captain. Update #42 includes a very helpful filter-by-service option for Contacts, allow you to quickly look at the contacts who offer missions and then sort by distance for example. We are working toward a multi-filter capability, but we needed to get this capability into the game.
Crew Combat Init Talents & Tweaks
In preparation for a big set of changes to crew combat (which Cory has been previewing on our Twitch channel) we've been grinding hard to get everything right in the last few releases. With Update #42, we've improved the way that "On Init" crew combat Talents work. At the start of each turn, one On Init Talent from each team is fired. We've improved the selection method to ensure that no repeat buffs happen and that each team gets the most out of their On Init buffs. Previously, it was possible that one character would fire their buff on repeat and other players would be left without theirs. We've also tuned up the Stealth rules -- the AI now plays by the rules and the Sneak Attack Talent properly ends Stealth as it says it will on use.
New Beard!
I mentioned to @bloodbeard a while back that we would add more bearded faces to the game. So, this has been a long time coming but we've added a rascal -- bearded and scarred just for him.
Delete Unused Maps
We've included the first phase of map deletion in Update #42. You can now permanently delete maps that do not have any Captains linked to them. In the future, we will remove this requirement and just allow you to delete any map (and recreate it by seed for the Captain as needed) but for now, we're excited to let everyone clean up their maps list! If you're enjoying the constant stream of updates, please leave a review!
v2.2.7 - 3/6/2018
- Added Contact filter by services (Missions, Rank, Edict, Recruit, etc) - Added ability to delete maps that no Captains are using - Added new male character face with beard - Improved selection of "On Init" Talents in Crew Combat - avoids repeat buffing, more characters get benefits - Crew combat enemy AI correctly follows Stealth Rules - Sneak Attack Spy attack Talent cancels Stealth correctly on use - Fixed issue with relic De Rivesh Blade reporting "Wrong Weapon" for melee attacks - Easier Route Planning: Added Quadrant Danger to Quadrant Map Hovers - Expanded early game Rumor protection from Quarantine, Xeno and Radiation - Fixed typos and reported crashes - Fixed issues with hat placement like military beret - Correctly disabled Stash button in Explorer when completing a mission
Update #41: Shadow of Distant Suns
The newest 6000 Mass hull is available both in character creation and in the starports across the quadrants. Costing $500,000 it is just within the low end of the Ship A range, giving the option for a slightly smaller ship that will leave some starting credits in your bank. The Stellar Falcon was designed for short-range interdiction and Quadrant patrols. This popular military hull puts an emphasis on torpedo range engagement and heavy internal shielding. Carrying a crew of 30, the Stellar Falcon is popular with Bounty Hunters and Military Officers alike. During this release, the enemy AI will not use the Falcon yet. We're still collecting data and want to be sure to get everything setup before turning it over to the enemy. Early testing has shown it to be a devastating hull in the hands of an adversary!
Cargo components in the Small and Medium lines have had their cargo capacity boosted. We've also renamed the confusing Smuggler's Hold, as the name implied that it protected illegal goods from confiscation, which it does not.
We've dropped a lot of exciting new art into Update #41 including 2 new types of hats. Tons of new character outfit combinations are now possible with the mix of gender, outfit, eyewear and 5 total hats. Of course, more coming but for now enjoy the gray knit cap and classic space cowboy hat. We've added 2 new wilderness art options for desert and radiations zones as well as 4 new contact character faces to continue to expand the catalog.
Another set of crew combat improvements are smoothing things out in prep for some very big changes. We've shifted the order of the Talent list to move Refocus, Move and your standard attack Talent to the left side of the list and all your Job's Talents to the right. We've fixed a bug that allowed you to use Talents with the wrong type of weapons and resolved some crashes happening when your enemies scored Critical Hits. For those players on lower resolutions, we fixed the issue where some crew were being cut off the edge of the screen.
- Added 2 new hats: gray knit cap and space cowboy for lots of new character setups - Added 2 new wild environment artwork for desert wilderness and radiation wilderness - Added 4 new Contact character faces - New Ship: Stellar Falcon (6000 Mass Starting Hull) - Major buffs to cargo storage components for Small and Medium compartments - Rebalanced Storage Hold, renamed confusing "Smuggler Cache" - Hyperwarp jumps cost a minimum of 1 Fuel always - Shifted all default crew combat Talents to the left side of the list together - Fixed resolution issue in crew combat where 4th crew member was half off the screen - Prevented use of Talents that do not match currently equipped weapon (Balanced Blade with a Rifle) - Fixed occasional crashes in crew combat - Magnanimous Victory Talent cannot be used against xeno
[ 2018-03-02 23:44:44 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #41, we've taken a few days to hammer new content into game readiness. We've started with a new 6000 Mass ship, new hats for your officers, captain and crew, new art for wilderness environments and new contact faces.
With v2.2.x in full swing, we've got a lot more coming here in the next week with some very big updates. We'll keep expanding and improving across the entire game! Please leave a review and tell a friend to help us keep moving forward at our relentless pace!
Launching the Stellar Falcon
The newest 6000 Mass hull is available both in character creation and in the starports across the quadrants. Costing $500,000 it is just within the low end of the Ship A range, giving the option for a slightly smaller ship that will leave some starting credits in your bank. The Stellar Falcon was designed for short-range interdiction and Quadrant patrols. This popular military hull puts an emphasis on torpedo range engagement and heavy internal shielding. Carrying a crew of 30, the Stellar Falcon is popular with Bounty Hunters and Military Officers alike. During this release, the enemy AI will not use the Falcon yet. We're still collecting data and want to be sure to get everything setup before turning it over to the enemy. Early testing has shown it to be a devastating hull in the hands of an adversary!
Cargo Re-balance
Cargo components in the Small and Medium lines have had their cargo capacity boosted. We've also renamed the confusing Smuggler's Hold, as the name implied that it protected illegal goods from confiscation, which it does not.
New Art Booster
We've dropped a lot of exciting new art into Update #41 including 2 new types of hats. Tons of new character outfit combinations are now possible with the mix of gender, outfit, eyewear and 5 total hats. Of course, more coming but for now enjoy the gray knit cap and classic space cowboy hat. We've added 2 new wilderness art options for desert and radiations zones as well as 4 new contact character faces to continue to expand the catalog.
Crew Combat Improvements
Another set of crew combat improvements are smoothing things out in prep for some very big changes. We've shifted the order of the Talent list to move Refocus, Move and your standard attack Talent to the left side of the list and all your Job's Talents to the right. We've fixed a bug that allowed you to use Talents with the wrong type of weapons and resolved some crashes happening when your enemies scored Critical Hits. For those players on lower resolutions, we fixed the issue where some crew were being cut off the edge of the screen.
v2.2.3 - 3/2/2018
- Added 2 new hats: gray knit cap and space cowboy for lots of new character setups - Added 2 new wild environment artwork for desert wilderness and radiation wilderness - Added 4 new Contact character faces - New Ship: Stellar Falcon (6000 Mass Starting Hull) - Major buffs to cargo storage components for Small and Medium compartments - Rebalanced Storage Hold, renamed confusing "Smuggler Cache" - Hyperwarp jumps cost a minimum of 1 Fuel always - Shifted all default crew combat Talents to the left side of the list together - Fixed resolution issue in crew combat where 4th crew member was half off the screen - Prevented use of Talents that do not match currently equipped weapon (Balanced Blade with a Rifle) - Fixed occasional crashes in crew combat - Magnanimous Victory Talent cannot be used against xeno
Update #40: Void Marker Beeps On
With this update, we've added a quick customize button to all other difficulties. Pick Hard and then click Customize to pop the settings of Hard over into the custom difficulty and tweak from there. Thanks to the community members who immediately suggested this, we rolled it in for the very next update. We've resolved the issues in the Custom Difficulty feature, adding clarifying hovers to all of the buttons as well as correcting the values for Ship and Combat Boost.
We've improved a lot of little things across ship and crew combat in preparation for some bigger waves of changes that are coming. The visual changes are minor but helpful, better highlighting selected Talents, only showing targeting highlights over living enemies and improved the range dots for ship talents to match weapons with stars instead of dots. The enemy AI in crew combat has also gained more intelligence around Buffs and will use them more intelligently and in more timely fashions. In ship combat, if the enemy team successful boards you, the resulting debuffs and consequences have improved to be more symmetrical with what you would do to them. In crew combat, we've also replaced the Escape button with Surrender. The button was causing a lot of confusion, as Escape was an automatic Defeat. Surrender will now immediately end combat. Your surviving combat crew are at the mercy of your enemy and their type and your Rep with them will determine how many are dealt fatal wounds or given mercy. For example, xeno will deal a death blow to every survivor, which will fall back on their Death Save. If you have low Rep with a human enemy, you'll see more death blows but positive Rep, Rank and Edicts can cut the death blows as low as 25%.
- Added ability to pick a difficulty (Hard) and start Custom Difficulty from that baseline - Fixed display of Ship and Crew Combat Boost to be clearer -- higher numbers are better (50% max -- super easy) - Replaced Crew Combat Escape with Surrender button - immediate defeat option - Improved crew combat intelligence around use of self and team buffs - Improved visual outline of currently selected weapons and talents in ship and crew combat - Improved range positioning dots for ship combat talents and weapons - Improved valid target display in crew combat - Improved debuff to by symmetrical when enemy successfully boards your ship in combat - Fixed bugs update mission icon in orbital screen - Fixed issue with Jarrek Moon civil unrest still rising - Fixed occasional crash after Hunna Starport story event - Added new barks for wild zone landings - Corrected names for xeno captains
[ 2018-02-28 18:19:49 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #40, our ship has sailed past one of the major buoys hanging in the void -- we've sunsetted the v2.1.x family. We're still working to finish the Faen storylines, but that will be coming soon but most importantly we are relentlessly pressing forward into the next major developments.
Customize from Difficulty
With this update, we've added a quick customize button to all other difficulties. Pick Hard and then click Customize to pop the settings of Hard over into the custom difficulty and tweak from there. Thanks to the community members who immediately suggested this, we rolled it in for the very next update. We've resolved the issues in the Custom Difficulty feature, adding clarifying hovers to all of the buttons as well as correcting the values for Ship and Combat Boost.
Combat Improvements
We've improved a lot of little things across ship and crew combat in preparation for some bigger waves of changes that are coming. The visual changes are minor but helpful, better highlighting selected Talents, only showing targeting highlights over living enemies and improved the range dots for ship talents to match weapons with stars instead of dots. The enemy AI in crew combat has also gained more intelligence around Buffs and will use them more intelligently and in more timely fashions. In ship combat, if the enemy team successful boards you, the resulting debuffs and consequences have improved to be more symmetrical with what you would do to them. In crew combat, we've also replaced the Escape button with Surrender. The button was causing a lot of confusion, as Escape was an automatic Defeat. Surrender will now immediately end combat. Your surviving combat crew are at the mercy of your enemy and their type and your Rep with them will determine how many are dealt fatal wounds or given mercy. For example, xeno will deal a death blow to every survivor, which will fall back on their Death Save. If you have low Rep with a human enemy, you'll see more death blows but positive Rep, Rank and Edicts can cut the death blows as low as 25%.
v2.2.1 - 2/28/2018
- Added ability to pick a difficulty (Hard) and start Custom Difficulty from that baseline - Fixed display of Ship and Crew Combat Boost to be clearer -- higher numbers are better (50% max -- super easy) - Replaced Crew Combat Escape with Surrender button - immediate defeat option - Improved crew combat intelligence around use of self and team buffs - Improved visual outline of currently selected weapons and talents in ship and crew combat - Improved range positioning dots for ship combat talents and weapons - Improved valid target display in crew combat - Improved debuff to by symmetrical when enemy successfully boards your ship in combat - Fixed bugs update mission icon in orbital screen - Fixed issue with Jarrek Moon civil unrest still rising - Fixed occasional crash after Hunna Starport story event - Added new barks for wild zone landings - Corrected names for xeno captains
Update #39: Customize Difficulty
You can now choose to customize every facet of the game's difficulty. You may decide if only crew suffer permadeath, officers (and crew) suffer permadeath or if your Captain (and therefore, everyone else) suffers permadeath. You can set the exact Death Save % you'd like to have applied when a character is killed -- giving them a second chance at survival. In terms of game challenge, you can tweak the ship and crew combat boosts (which give you extra successes on all rolls in combat) or the risk level (driving the risk of all environmental and travel factors) as well as the level boost given to enemy captains. For rewards, you can decide if you want to gain Experience or Profits at higher rates than usual. We know some players will chose to use Custom Difficulty to make the game as easy as possible, others to make the game worse than Impossible, but that most will use it to setup a good difficulty and then configure permadeath setting to their liking. You can now basically play a Normal Difficulty game and turn on Permadeath. If you elect to use a custom difficulty, your score is never posted to Steam leaderboards.
The engineering team (Cory) has gotten a little ahead of the story writing team (Andrew) and started on v2.2.x before we finished the final storyline of v2.1.x. Thankfully, roadmaps are guidelines, and we've decided not to let the arbitrary dev families slow us down from moving forward. That said, the two missing Faen story arcs (Erik and Zette) are in content development and testing right now, so they will be coming out soon. That will allow us to officially scratch the v2.1.x title and move on to the next planned eras!
A number of players with using very wide screens, such as those with 21:9 aspect ratio were hitting layout issues in crew and ship combat which are now fixed. The service icons like Doctor and Spice were not updating in the orbital screen as you took action like Patrol or if actions you took in the zones, like buying a Pardon, changed your Rep. Now, they do!
If you're looking to check your difficulty settings during play, just hover over your game's difficulty in the ship's status screen.
- Added Custom Difficulty - set up the game difficulty, boosters, challenge levels and perma-death mode exactly as you please - Fixed support for wide-screen monitors and 21:9 aspect ratio in crew and ship combat - Service icons shown in orbital screen update based on planet-size or card game changes to Reputation - Fixing incorrect Rep Loss icon in ship combat victory when Conflicts involved - Improved consistency of colors used in Crew Combat Talents for attacks, crippling orders, buffs - Improved description of selling Intel during a Trade Alliance or Alliance - Fixed formatting issue causing trimming of Starport Upgrade options on some screen resolutions
[ 2018-02-25 01:53:03 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #39, we are rolling out the major new addition of Custom Difficulty. The first big feature from the v2.2.x family on the development roadmap lets you tweak the game's difficulty settings exactly as you please, making the game as easy as possible, as hard as possible or mixing and matching to fit exactly what you enjoy.
Custom Difficulty
You can now choose to customize every facet of the game's difficulty. You may decide if only crew suffer permadeath, officers (and crew) suffer permadeath or if your Captain (and therefore, everyone else) suffers permadeath. You can set the exact Death Save % you'd like to have applied when a character is killed -- giving them a second chance at survival. In terms of game challenge, you can tweak the ship and crew combat boosts (which give you extra successes on all rolls in combat) or the risk level (driving the risk of all environmental and travel factors) as well as the level boost given to enemy captains. For rewards, you can decide if you want to gain Experience or Profits at higher rates than usual. We know some players will chose to use Custom Difficulty to make the game as easy as possible, others to make the game worse than Impossible, but that most will use it to setup a good difficulty and then configure permadeath setting to their liking. You can now basically play a Normal Difficulty game and turn on Permadeath. If you elect to use a custom difficulty, your score is never posted to Steam leaderboards.
Starting v2.2.x
The engineering team (Cory) has gotten a little ahead of the story writing team (Andrew) and started on v2.2.x before we finished the final storyline of v2.1.x. Thankfully, roadmaps are guidelines, and we've decided not to let the arbitrary dev families slow us down from moving forward. That said, the two missing Faen story arcs (Erik and Zette) are in content development and testing right now, so they will be coming out soon. That will allow us to officially scratch the v2.1.x title and move on to the next planned eras!
A number of players with using very wide screens, such as those with 21:9 aspect ratio were hitting layout issues in crew and ship combat which are now fixed. The service icons like Doctor and Spice were not updating in the orbital screen as you took action like Patrol or if actions you took in the zones, like buying a Pardon, changed your Rep. Now, they do!
If you're looking to check your difficulty settings during play, just hover over your game's difficulty in the ship's status screen.
v2.1.19 - 2/24/2018
- Added Custom Difficulty - set up the game difficulty, boosters, challenge levels and perma-death mode exactly as you please - Fixed support for wide-screen monitors and 21:9 aspect ratio in crew and ship combat - Service icons shown in orbital screen update based on planet-size or card game changes to Reputation - Fixing incorrect Rep Loss icon in ship combat victory when Conflicts involved - Improved consistency of colors used in Crew Combat Talents for attacks, crippling orders, buffs - Improved description of selling Intel during a Trade Alliance or Alliance - Fixed formatting issue causing trimming of Starport Upgrade options on some screen resolutions
Update #38: Burner Skid
We'd like to give a big shout out to our Discord moderators Bookworm21, MintDragon, BrutusAurelius. We have chosen to honor them for all their hard work in this release with new art for each of them -- two new character faces and one new military contact!
A ball and chain that's been dragging down story development over the last few weeks has been a series of on-going bugs with the Arbiter. With the last few releases, we've chipped away at them and in this release we've put the nail in the coffin. She will no longer get tripped up accepting multiple missions and her wires are no longer crossed. Now -- onwards to finishing the Faen story arcs and the v2.1.x family!
Following on last release's improvements of Mission expiration, we've added the Skills and Attributes your crew, officer and captain are bringing to the missions screen. Now, in addition to seeing Saving Talents, you can also gauge your chances by knowing what specialties your crew can offer.
In ship combat, we've formalized the capacity for a ship to surrender due to low Morale. If a ship's average Morale drops below the Mutiny line of 25, they will surrender. We've also fixed a bug that was causing some combat defeats if a player had installed excessive barracks on their ship. In combat balancing, we've added a first-round protection for Void Engines that removes any chance of a complete engine blow out in the first salvo of the combat. However, if you enter combat with a damaged Void Engine, this will not prevent defeat on the first turn, so make sure to keep your ship in full repair and head for a nearby planet when you've been shot up. In the defeat and victory front -- we've improved the handling of time passing when you are imprisoned -- the rest of the simulation moves forward now. We've fixed issues with high level conscripted crew coming out munged up.
In your cargo screen, if you examine a permit-locked cargo resource, you'll see a list of all the Factions with which you have a Trade Permit that will enable trade. In the screenshot at the far bottom, we have a Cadar Permit for this Lux Clothing.
- Fixed story issue preventing Arbiter from accepting missions once multiple taken - Added two new Male faces to the crew rosters -- thanks to our Discord mods @mintdragon and @bookworm21 - Added new contact face -- thanks to our Discord mod @brutusaurelius - Mission options now display Skill and Attribute values to make choice quicker - Added new Ship Combat Victory condition for Average Morale falling to Mutiny - Fixed rare bug with Ship Combat Defeats when too many Barracks installed - Added protection to Void Engine in first round of combat, cannot take more than 40% Damage - Fixed issue with high level conscripted crew having no Job and no ability to spend Talents - Time in prison now correctly updates game state, Conflicts and Rumors - Added existing permits to the Cargo listing - Fixed incorrect display of Dodge Debuff in crew combat log - Fixed issue with remembering Planet Rumors when entering Orbit
[ 2018-02-21 20:00:12 CET ] [ Original post ]
With Update #38, we are rolling out exciting additions, balance tweaks and fixes across the entire game. Though we are a small team of 2, we work constantly to make iterative improvements to the game and all of its systems and this update is a perfect example of that!
New Character & Contact Art
We'd like to give a big shout out to our Discord moderators Bookworm21, MintDragon, BrutusAurelius. We have chosen to honor them for all their hard work in this release with new art for each of them -- two new character faces and one new military contact!
Arbiter Fix
A ball and chain that's been dragging down story development over the last few weeks has been a series of on-going bugs with the Arbiter. With the last few releases, we've chipped away at them and in this release we've put the nail in the coffin. She will no longer get tripped up accepting multiple missions and her wires are no longer crossed. Now -- onwards to finishing the Faen story arcs and the v2.1.x family!
One Glance Missions
Following on last release's improvements of Mission expiration, we've added the Skills and Attributes your crew, officer and captain are bringing to the missions screen. Now, in addition to seeing Saving Talents, you can also gauge your chances by knowing what specialties your crew can offer.
Ship Combat Balance
In ship combat, we've formalized the capacity for a ship to surrender due to low Morale. If a ship's average Morale drops below the Mutiny line of 25, they will surrender. We've also fixed a bug that was causing some combat defeats if a player had installed excessive barracks on their ship. In combat balancing, we've added a first-round protection for Void Engines that removes any chance of a complete engine blow out in the first salvo of the combat. However, if you enter combat with a damaged Void Engine, this will not prevent defeat on the first turn, so make sure to keep your ship in full repair and head for a nearby planet when you've been shot up. In the defeat and victory front -- we've improved the handling of time passing when you are imprisoned -- the rest of the simulation moves forward now. We've fixed issues with high level conscripted crew coming out munged up.
Quick Permit Check
In your cargo screen, if you examine a permit-locked cargo resource, you'll see a list of all the Factions with which you have a Trade Permit that will enable trade. In the screenshot at the far bottom, we have a Cadar Permit for this Lux Clothing.
v2.1.17 - 2/21/2018
- Fixed story issue preventing Arbiter from accepting missions once multiple taken - Added two new Male faces to the crew rosters -- thanks to our Discord mods @mintdragon and @bookworm21 - Added new contact face -- thanks to our Discord mod @brutusaurelius - Mission options now display Skill and Attribute values to make choice quicker - Added new Ship Combat Victory condition for Average Morale falling to Mutiny - Fixed rare bug with Ship Combat Defeats when too many Barracks installed - Added protection to Void Engine in first round of combat, cannot take more than 40% Damage - Fixed issue with high level conscripted crew having no Job and no ability to spend Talents - Time in prison now correctly updates game state, Conflicts and Rumors - Added existing permits to the Cargo listing - Fixed incorrect display of Dodge Debuff in crew combat log - Fixed issue with remembering Planet Rumors when entering Orbit
Update #37: Landing Protocols
With this release we've wired up the links from the in-game menu to the Star Traders: Frontiers Lore Book and the game's WIKI. For ease, the links are included below. Lore Book Wiki
All the Rank 8 and 11 Talents for Engineers have arrived with Update #37, filling out a really interesting arc in this character's arc. A highly trained Engineer becomes a science and research officers in their later levels, gaining additional Experience for the crew as they encounter space anomalies (Radiation and Ion Storms), xeno and wilderness exploration.
For some time, there hare been issues in the Black Market and Exchange where Talents weren't firing properly when on cooldown. We've rebuilt the Talent processor in these screens and now your Talents will always fire, albiet only one per trade. Big $50,000 trade talents get a shot to fire first, and if they don't then the rest of your Talents get a shot. If a Talent like Market Confidant does not run (because it fails its 10% + Charisma check) then another Talent will still get a chance to fill in. As a big buff for Smugglers, we've knocked Illicit Notoriety down to a Rank 1 Talent as well as adding a Slippery Trader Talent which helps Smugglers handle Trade Bans and Wars better than other, more above-the-board traders.
If you ignore a mission for its entire duration twice over (31 weeks x 2 = 62 weeks ignored) then mission will now naturally expire. This kind of behavior is not a good way to make friends, and you will suffer Reputation loss with both your Contact and their Faction for failing to deliver. Notably, this Reputation damage is worse than just fessing up to your mistake and Dismissing the mission yourself. You'll still take Rep damage, but its less.
- Link to Wiki and newly published Lore Book added to the in-game menu - Added new Engineering Talent at Rank 8 - "Stormhunter" is superior Radiation Storm protection with XP bonus - Added new Engineering Talent at Rank 11 - "Perilous Study" grants XP bonus when encountering xeno ships - Added new Engineering Talent at Rank 11 - "Unforeseen Discovery" replaces Explore card with XP bonus card - Added new Smuggler Talent at Rank 5 - "Slippery Trader" reduces Rep Penalty for trading into Ban or War Conflict - Reduced Rank of Smuggler Talent "Illicit Notoriety" from Rank 5 to Rank 1 - Black Market boosted! - Added note to Exchange screen including negative Rep threshold (-28) from Trade Ban / Conflict - Fixed all issues with Exchange and Black Market Talents not firing when they should - Added new wild environment artwork for ocean worlds - Missions now fail after 200% of their deadline has expired causing Rep Loss -- Dismiss is better - Improved ordering of Talents in combat encounter/victory screens, card games -- highest Job Rank Talents first - Fixed minor UI bugs in crew detail when using next / previous - Improved scaling for 1280x1024 resolution
[ 2018-02-18 22:36:51 CET ] [ Original post ]
The proper landing protocols are needed now as we are coming into the final approach for the v2.1.x family of development. We're about to set this spaceship down in a big cloud of dust. Then our combat team is going to come piling out and lay siege to v2.2.x with gusto. We've gathered a combat team with Traits like Brute, Merciless and Savage to make sure that we get off to a great start.
This release includes a big blast of lore in the 30+ page lore book as well as a new set of Talents that finish every Job in the game except Pilot's last 2 Talents. It's an exciting milestone and opens the door to future jobs!
Wiki and Lore Book
With this release we've wired up the links from the in-game menu to the Star Traders: Frontiers Lore Book and the game's WIKI. For ease, the links are included below. Lore Book Wiki
Engineer Talents
All the Rank 8 and 11 Talents for Engineers have arrived with Update #37, filling out a really interesting arc in this character's arc. A highly trained Engineer becomes a science and research officers in their later levels, gaining additional Experience for the crew as they encounter space anomalies (Radiation and Ion Storms), xeno and wilderness exploration.
Exchange and Black Market
For some time, there hare been issues in the Black Market and Exchange where Talents weren't firing properly when on cooldown. We've rebuilt the Talent processor in these screens and now your Talents will always fire, albiet only one per trade. Big $50,000 trade talents get a shot to fire first, and if they don't then the rest of your Talents get a shot. If a Talent like Market Confidant does not run (because it fails its 10% + Charisma check) then another Talent will still get a chance to fill in. As a big buff for Smugglers, we've knocked Illicit Notoriety down to a Rank 1 Talent as well as adding a Slippery Trader Talent which helps Smugglers handle Trade Bans and Wars better than other, more above-the-board traders.
Missions Expire
If you ignore a mission for its entire duration twice over (31 weeks x 2 = 62 weeks ignored) then mission will now naturally expire. This kind of behavior is not a good way to make friends, and you will suffer Reputation loss with both your Contact and their Faction for failing to deliver. Notably, this Reputation damage is worse than just fessing up to your mistake and Dismissing the mission yourself. You'll still take Rep damage, but its less.
v2.1.15 - 2/18/2018
- Link to Wiki and newly published Lore Book added to the in-game menu - Added new Engineering Talent at Rank 8 - "Stormhunter" is superior Radiation Storm protection with XP bonus - Added new Engineering Talent at Rank 11 - "Perilous Study" grants XP bonus when encountering xeno ships - Added new Engineering Talent at Rank 11 - "Unforeseen Discovery" replaces Explore card with XP bonus card - Added new Smuggler Talent at Rank 5 - "Slippery Trader" reduces Rep Penalty for trading into Ban or War Conflict - Reduced Rank of Smuggler Talent "Illicit Notoriety" from Rank 5 to Rank 1 - Black Market boosted! - Added note to Exchange screen including negative Rep threshold (-28) from Trade Ban / Conflict - Fixed all issues with Exchange and Black Market Talents not firing when they should - Added new wild environment artwork for ocean worlds - Missions now fail after 200% of their deadline has expired causing Rep Loss -- Dismiss is better - Improved ordering of Talents in combat encounter/victory screens, card games -- highest Job Rank Talents first - Fixed minor UI bugs in crew detail when using next / previous - Improved scaling for 1280x1024 resolution
Update #36: Save 20% + Descent from the Void
With Update #36, we've added a new 3400 Mass ship, the venerable Dart Jammer. With an additional officer brigning its command crew to 5 and an extra small component, the Dart Jammer is a well-armored ship perfect for operations of all sorts. With Update #36, we've also added additional Medical Facilities offer more flexibility to ship designers -- offering both Armor and Shield bonuses.
If you're trying to loot an enemy ship or just sailing the void and sick of what's in your cargo hold -- we've added the highly requested Dump Cargo feature. This allows you to dump your own cargo or that of an enemy ship you have defeated in combat. This will speed up looting, making it easy to get exactly what you want without having to "balance the budget" between two cargo bays. If you just have cargo you don't want, consider stashing it on a wild zone instead of dumping it. But hey, you're the Captain!
In the cases where you suffer a certain type of defeat condition (Execution) but are playing on a non-permadeath mode, we've improved the game's messages about this so that it is clear. All of the messages now note that due to your Game Difficulty your career has not ended. We've also continued to grind on story bugs related to the end of the Arbiter's story arc and the start of the Second Founding era. Things are much better wrapped up in this release and we've fixed the issues reported by a number of captains who have sent in their saved games. Some captains have sailed past the point of no return, and the fixes we've layered in won't help you -- [spoiler]if the United Coalition has already formed, I'm talking to you.[/spoiler]
- New 3400 Mass Ship: Dart Jammer (5 Officer, +1 Small Component, Heavy Armor) - New Component: Hardened Medical Facility (Large Size) - New Component: Advanced Medical Bay (Medium Size) - Added ability to dump cargo from Looting or Cargo screens - Added new wild environment artwork for both Garden and Jungle worlds - Improved notices about defeat in ship combat to be Difficulty-aware and note when you did not die because of no Permadeath - Improved story event additions to Captain's Log to ensure correct ordering of bunched logs - Fixed story issues with Arbiter Brokstrom not accepting final quests or indicating the wrap-up of her current arc - Increased time line to work with Arbiter Brokstrom before start of Second Founding Era - Fixed bug that prevented Trade Talents from firing while Selling cargo - Adjusted cool-downs for Trade Talents
[ 2018-02-16 22:01:39 CET ] [ Original post ]
Welcome to the Lunar New Year Sale, Captains! We've got 20% savings throughout the big holiday weekend and are honoring the holiday with big updates all around and new environment art for the dank jungles and beautiful garden worlds of the galaxy.
New Ship and New Medical Facilities
With Update #36, we've added a new 3400 Mass ship, the venerable Dart Jammer. With an additional officer brigning its command crew to 5 and an extra small component, the Dart Jammer is a well-armored ship perfect for operations of all sorts. With Update #36, we've also added additional Medical Facilities offer more flexibility to ship designers -- offering both Armor and Shield bonuses.
Tag it, Bag it, Dump it
If you're trying to loot an enemy ship or just sailing the void and sick of what's in your cargo hold -- we've added the highly requested Dump Cargo feature. This allows you to dump your own cargo or that of an enemy ship you have defeated in combat. This will speed up looting, making it easy to get exactly what you want without having to "balance the budget" between two cargo bays. If you just have cargo you don't want, consider stashing it on a wild zone instead of dumping it. But hey, you're the Captain!
Difficulty in Defeat
In the cases where you suffer a certain type of defeat condition (Execution) but are playing on a non-permadeath mode, we've improved the game's messages about this so that it is clear. All of the messages now note that due to your Game Difficulty your career has not ended. We've also continued to grind on story bugs related to the end of the Arbiter's story arc and the start of the Second Founding era. Things are much better wrapped up in this release and we've fixed the issues reported by a number of captains who have sent in their saved games. Some captains have sailed past the point of no return, and the fixes we've layered in won't help you -- [spoiler]if the United Coalition has already formed, I'm talking to you.[/spoiler]
v2.1.13 - 2/16/2018
- New 3400 Mass Ship: Dart Jammer (5 Officer, +1 Small Component, Heavy Armor) - New Component: Hardened Medical Facility (Large Size) - New Component: Advanced Medical Bay (Medium Size) - Added ability to dump cargo from Looting or Cargo screens - Added new wild environment artwork for both Garden and Jungle worlds - Improved notices about defeat in ship combat to be Difficulty-aware and note when you did not die because of no Permadeath - Improved story event additions to Captain's Log to ensure correct ordering of bunched logs - Fixed story issues with Arbiter Brokstrom not accepting final quests or indicating the wrap-up of her current arc - Increased time line to work with Arbiter Brokstrom before start of Second Founding Era - Fixed bug that prevented Trade Talents from firing while Selling cargo - Adjusted cool-downs for Trade Talents
Update #35: Far-flung Trades
Starport Commanders, Starport Mechanics and Merchant Contacts have all joined a new class of mission givers -- the Commercier. These mission givers have interest in commissioning the delivery of goods to their own world, or delivery of goods to the worlds of their allies. In order to either fulfill trading agreements that may be lagging behind in their deliveries or in preparation for some large system project, these deliveries help bolster their economic aims, increase their Influence and gain you Personal Rep with contacts who were hard to access before. As your Captain gains in power and reputation, the Commecier will seek deliveries of more restricted goods, including those requiring Permits up to Rank 4. Of course, the mission prices will go up with the challenge as well.
When a Trade Alliance is running, if you have a Trade Permit with one of the two Factions as well as at least 10 Rep, the other Faction will honor your Trade Permit. Therefore, if Rychart is in with Moklumnue, and you have a Mok permit, you can loop Rychart right into your trade routes, relying on your Mok permit. While this has been working for a while, we've improved the display of the rules in the Exchange and fixed a bug that was clamping the honored Permit to Rank 2. Now -- its full trading season!
As we prepare to launch more story eras into the game, we've wired up an era display in the Rumor list. This will give players a quick way to check on the era they are in as well as checking on its effects on the game's different simulation layers.
- Added new Mission Type: Commercier Missions focus on delivery of valuable cargo - Display 'Second Founding' Era details in Rumors when active - Starport Mechanic and Merchant Contacts now give Commercier Missions - Added 8 new mission types - procure or deliver commodity cargo all the way up to Permit Rank 4 restricted goods - Modified mission generator to provide some more short distance missions - Improved mission generator to restrict early game missions to less difficult options - Expanded missions given while "proving your charter" to include a few more easy options - Permit Ranks are honored by other Factions in Trade Alliances; now clearly displayed in Exchange - Fixed overlap issues in Zone services - Fixed issue with Contact services typo in New Game - Fixed story bugs and typos
[ 2018-02-14 22:24:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
Update #35 pushes a whole new set of boundaries with the trading system within Star Traders: Frontiers. Improving the hook in to Conflicts as well as drawing trading directly into missions continues to interconnect the layers within the galaxy.
We're coming around the bend now and starting to accelerate toward v2.2.x. Thanks to all of our captains helping push us forward with reviews and helping to share the game!
Commercier Missions
Starport Commanders, Starport Mechanics and Merchant Contacts have all joined a new class of mission givers -- the Commercier. These mission givers have interest in commissioning the delivery of goods to their own world, or delivery of goods to the worlds of their allies. In order to either fulfill trading agreements that may be lagging behind in their deliveries or in preparation for some large system project, these deliveries help bolster their economic aims, increase their Influence and gain you Personal Rep with contacts who were hard to access before. As your Captain gains in power and reputation, the Commecier will seek deliveries of more restricted goods, including those requiring Permits up to Rank 4. Of course, the mission prices will go up with the challenge as well.
Trade Alliances
When a Trade Alliance is running, if you have a Trade Permit with one of the two Factions as well as at least 10 Rep, the other Faction will honor your Trade Permit. Therefore, if Rychart is in with Moklumnue, and you have a Mok permit, you can loop Rychart right into your trade routes, relying on your Mok permit. While this has been working for a while, we've improved the display of the rules in the Exchange and fixed a bug that was clamping the honored Permit to Rank 2. Now -- its full trading season!
Eras in Rumors
As we prepare to launch more story eras into the game, we've wired up an era display in the Rumor list. This will give players a quick way to check on the era they are in as well as checking on its effects on the game's different simulation layers.
v2.1.11 - 2/13/2018
- Added new Mission Type: Commercier Missions focus on delivery of valuable cargo - Display 'Second Founding' Era details in Rumors when active - Starport Mechanic and Merchant Contacts now give Commercier Missions - Added 8 new mission types - procure or deliver commodity cargo all the way up to Permit Rank 4 restricted goods - Modified mission generator to provide some more short distance missions - Improved mission generator to restrict early game missions to less difficult options - Expanded missions given while "proving your charter" to include a few more easy options - Permit Ranks are honored by other Factions in Trade Alliances; now clearly displayed in Exchange - Fixed overlap issues in Zone services - Fixed issue with Contact services typo in New Game - Fixed story bugs and typos
Update #34: Combat Hotfix
- Fixed incorrectly low defense in ship combat - Fixed issue with New Ship Talent going over 15% - Corrected icon for Radiation Storm failures in Event Log
- In Ship Combat, Crippling Hits are now shown in the turn events, linking each weapon attack to each crippling effect - Rebalanced Crippling Chance / Standard Damage / Critical Chance of Torpedoes and Missiles - Torpedoes and Missiles are less accurate when fired outside of their optimal range - Better honored understaffed rules during ship combat - keep your crew staffed! - Improved AI's ability to organize combat team during boarding
[ 2018-02-10 18:33:59 CET ] [ Original post ]
This hotfix resolves an issue in the v2.1.7 update that made ship combat harder by a lot. A mistake in the dice calculation nerfed defensive dice for ships on both sides of the battle and therefore almost all attacks were hitting.
Update #34 fixes the issue and gets combat back to its correct balance. I've included the salient changes to ship combat balance that were in the Update #33 for easy quick reference.
v2.1.9 - 2/10/2018
- Fixed incorrectly low defense in ship combat - Fixed issue with New Ship Talent going over 15% - Corrected icon for Radiation Storm failures in Event Log
v2.1.7 - 2/9/2018
- In Ship Combat, Crippling Hits are now shown in the turn events, linking each weapon attack to each crippling effect - Rebalanced Crippling Chance / Standard Damage / Critical Chance of Torpedoes and Missiles - Torpedoes and Missiles are less accurate when fired outside of their optimal range - Better honored understaffed rules during ship combat - keep your crew staffed! - Improved AI's ability to organize combat team during boarding
Update #33: Skipping off the Void
Update #33 introduces a fully functional cargo hover to the newly enabled cargo button. Hover over the cargo counts to see a full list of your current cargo, counts, Faction ownership and indicators of permit and legality. We've also wired up the hotkey 'H' to open the cargo hold and close it as well. Update #31 brought the cargo within a single click and now Update #33 reduces it to a hover.
The ship combat event log now includes entries for all Crippling Effects. In the screenshot above, you can see exactly which weapon attack caused which Crippling Effect. Our ship hit with a Hellfire Torpedo which caused Electrical Fires but the enemy struck back with their Firestorm Torepdo which caused Aftershocks debuff in return. We're pressing forward with upgrades in both crew and ship combat to increase the enemy's strategic intelligence as well as crew and ship building capabilities. The enemy Captain is now better at organizing the crew that they are sending into boarding attack or defense combats. Getting the right fighters in the right slots helps the crew combat AI execute in a more deadly fashion, so be ware. We've enacted some re-balancing on long ranged weapons -- Torps and Missiles -- to make them more sensitive to being fired outside of their optimal ranges. In addition, Torps trade some Standard Damage for higher Crippling Chance.
We've reinstated the rule that a mission that will require a Passenger or a Prisoner requires your ship to have a prison cell or a passenger cabin. Too many captains were accepting these missions without realizing the requirement. You won't be blocked by conflicting "potential passengers" but you need at least one of the mission components installed to get started. If you're getting Critical Hits in Crew Combat -- expect a damage spike! Raising your Tactics Skill for extra Crit Chance % and watch the damage fly. Thanks to everyone for the great feedback! Check the full list below for all the items and be sure to leave a review!
- Added hover to Cargo button in the bottom left - hover to see the contents of your hold - Improved Critical Damage for crew combat critical hits - In Ship Combat, Crippling Hits are now shown in the turn events, linking each weapon attack to each crippling effect - Rebalanced Crippling Chance / Standard Damage / Critical Chance of Torpedoes and Missiles - Torpedoes and Missiles are less accurate when fired outside of their optimal range - Better honored understaffed rules during ship combat - keep your crew staffed! - Improved AI's ability to organize combat team during boarding - Accepting a prisoner or passenger mission requires at least a prison cell or passenger cabin on ship - Rumor icon now updates on Orbit screen if the rumor state advances on orbit/landed screen - Improved Reputation loss / gain logging in Ship Victory - Artifacts gathered during Exploring are properly set as Xeno Faction - Fixed issues with scrolling through Talents and Weapons in Combat going partial rows - Black Market opens with sell and properly shows your cargo - Fixed story issues with looping reward for capture of Jarrek Moon - Fixed map seed issues
[ 2018-02-10 03:01:32 CET ] [ Original post ]
Another big update is welcoming Star Traders: Frontiers to the weekend. We're still grinding out enhancements on the v2.1.x family of the roadmap and adding polish to areas that have needed it. We owe a huge thanks to all of our captains who are leaving reviews to power more updates, sharing the game with friends and posting feedback to the boards, our forums or joining us in Discord.
Load the Cargo, ye Crew Dogs!
Update #33 introduces a fully functional cargo hover to the newly enabled cargo button. Hover over the cargo counts to see a full list of your current cargo, counts, Faction ownership and indicators of permit and legality. We've also wired up the hotkey 'H' to open the cargo hold and close it as well. Update #31 brought the cargo within a single click and now Update #33 reduces it to a hover.
Ship Combat Upgrades
The ship combat event log now includes entries for all Crippling Effects. In the screenshot above, you can see exactly which weapon attack caused which Crippling Effect. Our ship hit with a Hellfire Torpedo which caused Electrical Fires but the enemy struck back with their Firestorm Torepdo which caused Aftershocks debuff in return. We're pressing forward with upgrades in both crew and ship combat to increase the enemy's strategic intelligence as well as crew and ship building capabilities. The enemy Captain is now better at organizing the crew that they are sending into boarding attack or defense combats. Getting the right fighters in the right slots helps the crew combat AI execute in a more deadly fashion, so be ware. We've enacted some re-balancing on long ranged weapons -- Torps and Missiles -- to make them more sensitive to being fired outside of their optimal ranges. In addition, Torps trade some Standard Damage for higher Crippling Chance.
Why Not - A few More?
We've reinstated the rule that a mission that will require a Passenger or a Prisoner requires your ship to have a prison cell or a passenger cabin. Too many captains were accepting these missions without realizing the requirement. You won't be blocked by conflicting "potential passengers" but you need at least one of the mission components installed to get started. If you're getting Critical Hits in Crew Combat -- expect a damage spike! Raising your Tactics Skill for extra Crit Chance % and watch the damage fly. Thanks to everyone for the great feedback! Check the full list below for all the items and be sure to leave a review!
v2.1.7 - 2/9/2018
- Added hover to Cargo button in the bottom left - hover to see the contents of your hold - Improved Critical Damage for crew combat critical hits - In Ship Combat, Crippling Hits are now shown in the turn events, linking each weapon attack to each crippling effect - Rebalanced Crippling Chance / Standard Damage / Critical Chance of Torpedoes and Missiles - Torpedoes and Missiles are less accurate when fired outside of their optimal range - Better honored understaffed rules during ship combat - keep your crew staffed! - Improved AI's ability to organize combat team during boarding - Accepting a prisoner or passenger mission requires at least a prison cell or passenger cabin on ship - Rumor icon now updates on Orbit screen if the rumor state advances on orbit/landed screen - Improved Reputation loss / gain logging in Ship Victory - Artifacts gathered during Exploring are properly set as Xeno Faction - Fixed issues with scrolling through Talents and Weapons in Combat going partial rows - Black Market opens with sell and properly shows your cargo - Fixed story issues with looping reward for capture of Jarrek Moon - Fixed map seed issues
Update #32: Weaving Era Storylines
Each Era will be populated with story arcs that fit specifically within its framework. The new "Rabble Rousers" arc may be introduced through a Contact you know, and will give more perspective on the ongoing turmoil that the grav society is going through during the Second Founding. Each era will include story arcs of different lengths. With this newest storyline, we've introduced a new method for connecting your known contacts to storylines -- matching an era, contact and contact traits together to provide matching storylines. This will allow us to drive storylines through more of the contacts you know and link the storylines, and their associated risks, into your existing network.
We've added 3 new Talents this release to continue rounding out the Jobs that still have unfinished Talents. Both the Quartermaster and the high rank Crew Dog gained a Talent to help purge crew crippling effects like Crew Panic in ship combat. Each purge Talent also comes with a useful buff that lasts a few turns, especially valuable is the Quartermaster's ability to protect against crew damage. Military Officers gained a new ability to increase Ransom profits in ship combat victory. We're down to a final Crew Dog Talent, 2 Pilot Talents and 3 Engineer Talents and we'll have reached full coverage. At that point, we'll start looking at filling in a few more or adding new Jobs altogether!
Cranking through the list of major HUD improvements, we have now added the Crew List button to the main HUD. You no longer need to go into the main Ship Status to reach Cargo or Crew -- the three are now completely separate. The starport ship upgrade screen now highlights prices of components you can't afford in red for quick association. We've fixed the annoying issue with your credit count not refreshing properly after a Mission is completed. Enough people reported "credits gone missing" and we were able to track this down.
- Added new Second Founding storyline, 'Rabble Rousers' narrative - Crew List button now available on main HUD - single click to get to leveling - Added new Military Officer Talent at Rank 8 - Honorable Ransom, increases ransom profit - Added new Crew Dog Talent at Rank 11 - Veteran Clarity for ship combat - Added new Quartermaster Talent at Rank 11 - Regimented Order for ship combat - Ship upgrade listing now highlights component prices you cannot afford in red - Improved ship combat victory messages in regards to rules for pirates and smugglers - New Game Template description of Contacts includes specific recruit type - Fixed credit refresh issue after running mission - Cargo button or H key toggles in and out of cargo screens
[ 2018-02-07 22:29:49 CET ] [ Original post ]
Following on the release of the first Era, we're continuing the pressure on storyline, UIs and content to wrap up v2.1.1. Eras are unique periods in the galaxy's timeline, in which both the rules of the sandbox and contact motivations all shift as well as a time to tell special the stories of the Star Traders. You can see this in action through the Arbiter's storyline where you can drive the birth of the Era, and now with Update #32 we're expanding that content to include new inter-era storylines.
New Era Storyline
Each Era will be populated with story arcs that fit specifically within its framework. The new "Rabble Rousers" arc may be introduced through a Contact you know, and will give more perspective on the ongoing turmoil that the grav society is going through during the Second Founding. Each era will include story arcs of different lengths. With this newest storyline, we've introduced a new method for connecting your known contacts to storylines -- matching an era, contact and contact traits together to provide matching storylines. This will allow us to drive storylines through more of the contacts you know and link the storylines, and their associated risks, into your existing network.
New Talents
We've added 3 new Talents this release to continue rounding out the Jobs that still have unfinished Talents. Both the Quartermaster and the high rank Crew Dog gained a Talent to help purge crew crippling effects like Crew Panic in ship combat. Each purge Talent also comes with a useful buff that lasts a few turns, especially valuable is the Quartermaster's ability to protect against crew damage. Military Officers gained a new ability to increase Ransom profits in ship combat victory. We're down to a final Crew Dog Talent, 2 Pilot Talents and 3 Engineer Talents and we'll have reached full coverage. At that point, we'll start looking at filling in a few more or adding new Jobs altogether!
HUD and UI Improvements
Cranking through the list of major HUD improvements, we have now added the Crew List button to the main HUD. You no longer need to go into the main Ship Status to reach Cargo or Crew -- the three are now completely separate. The starport ship upgrade screen now highlights prices of components you can't afford in red for quick association. We've fixed the annoying issue with your credit count not refreshing properly after a Mission is completed. Enough people reported "credits gone missing" and we were able to track this down.
v2.1.5 - 2/7/2018
- Added new Second Founding storyline, 'Rabble Rousers' narrative - Crew List button now available on main HUD - single click to get to leveling - Added new Military Officer Talent at Rank 8 - Honorable Ransom, increases ransom profit - Added new Crew Dog Talent at Rank 11 - Veteran Clarity for ship combat - Added new Quartermaster Talent at Rank 11 - Regimented Order for ship combat - Ship upgrade listing now highlights component prices you cannot afford in red - Improved ship combat victory messages in regards to rules for pirates and smugglers - New Game Template description of Contacts includes specific recruit type - Fixed credit refresh issue after running mission - Cargo button or H key toggles in and out of cargo screens
Update #31: Dawn of an Era
Update #31 releases the first Era -- the Second Founding -- and brings a major new aspect of the Star Traders: Frontiers simulation online. We will avoid spoiling the story details of the Era -- but are excited to release this major new chunk of content that is a mix of narrative and proc gen content. Eras are periods of time within the story, often influenced by the actions of your Captain. An Era's effect on the sandbox simulation is powerful -- it can change all sorts of rules, altering mission generation, what Conflicts are to be created, and the rumors states as well. Unique new Contacts can be created while other versions drop off. At the same time, an Era is a collection of related story arcs that a player can engage in, altering the course of the Era and possibly of the future Eras and future story arcs. With Update #31, we've released the simulation side of the Second Founding Era, as well as the story arc that contains it. We will be loading more unique narrative content into its timeline as we move forward in the v.2.1.x family, but we are excited to be pushing this major new change into the game. Now that the first Era is revealed, the meaning of the development roadmap's placeholders for 6 more Eras during the Early Access period should start to crystallize a bit! Notably, for some players whose games are pretty far advanced, when this update goes out, you'll just see the end of the Era. Apologies for that, but you've sailed right through it.
With the final candles burning down on the v2.1.x family, it won't be long before we are going to be cracking into the v2.2.x family features. More story content is planned to be coming rapidly and it won't be long before we're cracking open the next Era!
We have a critical list of improvements to make to the HUD, but because of the number of screens these effect we've been taking our time on them to make sure we get it right. This release breaks the dam on these updates and release both a Fuel Jump indicator and makes the Cargo tray clickable to bring up the cargo screen. Now, at a glance you can see the amount of Fuel you need to execute a hyperwarp jump against your current fuel reserves. On most screens, the cargo area in the bottom left has become an active hotspot to jump to your cargo, intel, mission items and stash lists. Our next steps is to get a button for the crew list on the main HUD so that it is always just one click away. We'll keep improving, so thanks to everyone for pushing us on these areas!
We've added a new Contact type, the Gestalt Explorer, to expand their medical tradition's footprint in the galaxy. Major story events, like the bombing of the Highwind Orbital now appear in the spice hall news records with the rest of the juicy details of what is going on in the galaxy. We improved the Ship Buff descriptions if a Buff self-inflicts damage. So, its clear when something adds +Reactor Points, but also radiates your crew to death! Based on further feedback and analysis of story games being sent in, we've slowed down the pace of the main Faen and Arbiter storyline by about 20%. This will help more players get story events under their belt before things move on or the new Era starts! Of course, there is more -- full patch notes below. If you like updates, please leave a review!. We work hard for reviews :P
- Added major story Era: Second Founding - During Founding, Contacts give double negotiation and spy missions - During Founding, Factions rarely start 'Solar Wars' and prefer 'Spy Wars' - During Founding, Quarantined Rumors are greatly reduced - During Founding, Taxes, Civil Unreset and Starport Rumors are increased - During Founding, Powerful "Coalition Liaison" Contacts Spawn (and Senate Liaisons do not) - Major story events now add to news reel in the Spice Hall - New Contact Type: "Gestalt Explorer" aids Gestalt Technologist Contacts - Cargo tray is now clickable to bring up full cargo listing / intel / stashes / mission items - Clarified Ship Buff Talents that self-inflict damage (components, crew, morale) - HUD now includes a mark in the fuel bar that indicates "jump cost" for fuel - HUD and fuel bar are now shown on Hyperwarp Jump screen - Resolved issues where the Faen story arc could hang and not proceed in timely fashion - Further slowed pace of critical path story events by about 20% - Conscripted crew get correct recruit date - Added new Trait, Faction, Zone and Job barks for Landing and Orbital - Increased Edict and Permit levels for "Lord" and "Spymaster" Contact types - New Ship Component: Reinforced Barracks 8 - Adjusted Pricing on some ships, ship components, updated Template adjustments to match - Fixed bug with Contact discounts being too low
[ 2018-02-04 05:17:42 CET ] [ Original post ]
It's been 3 days since our last update. I know -- shocking :D Perhaps it appears that we are getting lazy. Quite the opposite, actually -- we have an absolutely massive update for you tonight, overflowing with major developments, improvements, quality of life and fixes!
First Era
Update #31 releases the first Era -- the Second Founding -- and brings a major new aspect of the Star Traders: Frontiers simulation online. We will avoid spoiling the story details of the Era -- but are excited to release this major new chunk of content that is a mix of narrative and proc gen content. Eras are periods of time within the story, often influenced by the actions of your Captain. An Era's effect on the sandbox simulation is powerful -- it can change all sorts of rules, altering mission generation, what Conflicts are to be created, and the rumors states as well. Unique new Contacts can be created while other versions drop off. At the same time, an Era is a collection of related story arcs that a player can engage in, altering the course of the Era and possibly of the future Eras and future story arcs. With Update #31, we've released the simulation side of the Second Founding Era, as well as the story arc that contains it. We will be loading more unique narrative content into its timeline as we move forward in the v.2.1.x family, but we are excited to be pushing this major new change into the game. Now that the first Era is revealed, the meaning of the development roadmap's placeholders for 6 more Eras during the Early Access period should start to crystallize a bit! Notably, for some players whose games are pretty far advanced, when this update goes out, you'll just see the end of the Era. Apologies for that, but you've sailed right through it.
With the final candles burning down on the v2.1.x family, it won't be long before we are going to be cracking into the v2.2.x family features. More story content is planned to be coming rapidly and it won't be long before we're cracking open the next Era!
HUD Improvements
We have a critical list of improvements to make to the HUD, but because of the number of screens these effect we've been taking our time on them to make sure we get it right. This release breaks the dam on these updates and release both a Fuel Jump indicator and makes the Cargo tray clickable to bring up the cargo screen. Now, at a glance you can see the amount of Fuel you need to execute a hyperwarp jump against your current fuel reserves. On most screens, the cargo area in the bottom left has become an active hotspot to jump to your cargo, intel, mission items and stash lists. Our next steps is to get a button for the crew list on the main HUD so that it is always just one click away. We'll keep improving, so thanks to everyone for pushing us on these areas!
By Shalun, There is More
We've added a new Contact type, the Gestalt Explorer, to expand their medical tradition's footprint in the galaxy. Major story events, like the bombing of the Highwind Orbital now appear in the spice hall news records with the rest of the juicy details of what is going on in the galaxy. We improved the Ship Buff descriptions if a Buff self-inflicts damage. So, its clear when something adds +Reactor Points, but also radiates your crew to death! Based on further feedback and analysis of story games being sent in, we've slowed down the pace of the main Faen and Arbiter storyline by about 20%. This will help more players get story events under their belt before things move on or the new Era starts! Of course, there is more -- full patch notes below. If you like updates, please leave a review!. We work hard for reviews :P
v2.1.1 - 2/3/2018
- Added major story Era: Second Founding - During Founding, Contacts give double negotiation and spy missions - During Founding, Factions rarely start 'Solar Wars' and prefer 'Spy Wars' - During Founding, Quarantined Rumors are greatly reduced - During Founding, Taxes, Civil Unreset and Starport Rumors are increased - During Founding, Powerful "Coalition Liaison" Contacts Spawn (and Senate Liaisons do not) - Major story events now add to news reel in the Spice Hall - New Contact Type: "Gestalt Explorer" aids Gestalt Technologist Contacts - Cargo tray is now clickable to bring up full cargo listing / intel / stashes / mission items - Clarified Ship Buff Talents that self-inflict damage (components, crew, morale) - HUD now includes a mark in the fuel bar that indicates "jump cost" for fuel - HUD and fuel bar are now shown on Hyperwarp Jump screen - Resolved issues where the Faen story arc could hang and not proceed in timely fashion - Further slowed pace of critical path story events by about 20% - Conscripted crew get correct recruit date - Added new Trait, Faction, Zone and Job barks for Landing and Orbital - Increased Edict and Permit levels for "Lord" and "Spymaster" Contact types - New Ship Component: Reinforced Barracks 8 - Adjusted Pricing on some ships, ship components, updated Template adjustments to match - Fixed bug with Contact discounts being too low
Update #30: Under the Wire + Save 20%
Throughout your captain's career, you can encounter a growing number of short to medium length story arcs. With this release, we've added a new short arc, the "Indigent Prospector" and we're working on a few more that will be added to round out the v2.1.x family. But the major story work remaining in v2.1.x is completing 2 of the 4 Faen family arcs (Erik and Zette) and advancing the major storyline around Arbiter Estelle and her political work. We're down to these two major items and we're going to knock them down quickly now.
This update also sees the addition of new content across the spectrum. We've added new Reinforce Barracks 5 component, which gives the option to include Armor with your crew quarters. In the art arena, we've added two new contact faces. We've also added a new contact type altogether, the Retired Exo-Scout -- with hooks in the scene above and below board, this contact type recruits out Military Officers but also provides access to the Black Market. In the quality of life arena, when browsing for updates at the starport, those you can't afford are now visually differentiated by being grayed out. The news running through the spice hall -- including the stop and start of conflicts, contact death and actions -- now include the dates of the events as well as including more comprehensive set of local news items. Thanks to all of our captains for spreading the word and helping us improve the game during Early Access. Tell a friend, leave a review!
- Added new story event -- 'Indigent Prospector' narrative - New Contact Type: Retired Exo-Scout - New Ship Component: Reinforced Barracks 5 - Added 2 new Contact character faces - Update: Starport upgrade component list grays out components that are too expensive - Update: Mission Rep mitigation Talents no longer activate in exploration missions - Update: Spice Hall news reel now includes dates and additional events - Fixed: Pirate Rumors during Patrol - Fixed: Crashes with De Rivesh storyline if continuing after Elsa departs - Fixed: "Treasure Hunters" Rumor no longer blocks Exploration mission button - Fixed: Fervor Talent UI freezing in crew combat - Fixed: Female head and hat issues - Engine: Improved performance, memory usage and loading times
[ 2018-01-31 22:59:11 CET ] [ Original post ]
First off, welcome to all of the new captains who have joined us in the galaxy this week! We're excited to hear your feedback and to welcome you to the Star Traders universe. We're working hard to deliver a relentless pace during the Early Access period, and this is Update #30 in the 75 days we've been alive and kicking on Steam. So, strap and in and get ready for more!
Check out the Early Access development roadmap we've posted to follow along.
http://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1465223015950834706
With all of the major development items knocked off the v2.1.x family of the development, we are now throwing ourselves full tilt at the remaining two story items on the list -- the Faen Era and the Arbiter's Era. The next couple of updates will all be featuring story additions and some very exciting changes are coming on that front.
Advancing the Narrative
Throughout your captain's career, you can encounter a growing number of short to medium length story arcs. With this release, we've added a new short arc, the "Indigent Prospector" and we're working on a few more that will be added to round out the v2.1.x family. But the major story work remaining in v2.1.x is completing 2 of the 4 Faen family arcs (Erik and Zette) and advancing the major storyline around Arbiter Estelle and her political work. We're down to these two major items and we're going to knock them down quickly now.
Boosters
This update also sees the addition of new content across the spectrum. We've added new Reinforce Barracks 5 component, which gives the option to include Armor with your crew quarters. In the art arena, we've added two new contact faces. We've also added a new contact type altogether, the Retired Exo-Scout -- with hooks in the scene above and below board, this contact type recruits out Military Officers but also provides access to the Black Market. In the quality of life arena, when browsing for updates at the starport, those you can't afford are now visually differentiated by being grayed out. The news running through the spice hall -- including the stop and start of conflicts, contact death and actions -- now include the dates of the events as well as including more comprehensive set of local news items. Thanks to all of our captains for spreading the word and helping us improve the game during Early Access. Tell a friend, leave a review!
v2.0.77 - 1/31/2018
- Added new story event -- 'Indigent Prospector' narrative - New Contact Type: Retired Exo-Scout - New Ship Component: Reinforced Barracks 5 - Added 2 new Contact character faces - Update: Starport upgrade component list grays out components that are too expensive - Update: Mission Rep mitigation Talents no longer activate in exploration missions - Update: Spice Hall news reel now includes dates and additional events - Fixed: Pirate Rumors during Patrol - Fixed: Crashes with De Rivesh storyline if continuing after Elsa departs - Fixed: "Treasure Hunters" Rumor no longer blocks Exploration mission button - Fixed: Fervor Talent UI freezing in crew combat - Fixed: Female head and hat issues - Engine: Improved performance, memory usage and loading times
Update #29: Ship Architecture + Save 20%
We've added two new female faces to the roster with Update #29 as well as two new armbands. The military bars and the red badge of a hunter both warn your enemies of the risk they take to tangle with someone of your rank, circumstance or reputation. We've also started chipping away at a larger project -- improving the character animations and art. We're working our way back through the models and animations and working to clean up little issues, mismatches and bad connections. In this update, you'll see that all the female characters had their elbows rebuilt and a number of shoulder joints are working better. It's not glorious work, but it does look way better! Of course, at the same time we're adding new ones and the plan calls for at least double everything related to character visuals!
Rounding out the rebuild of the starport, we've now included critical details about ships you are considering purchasing. Their component counts and mass totals are shown in the offer for a new hull, helping you to quickly compare ships and consider what type of build you'd be able to get into the new super structure. With the improvements to the New Ship screen, we've officially knocked the starport rebuild off the v2.1.x roadmap. Of course, there is always more to do and improve and we'll be adding sorting and more filtering down the line. But for now, we've hit all the high points and are moving on to the next big milestones.
- Added more details and component counts to New Ship offer in starport - Added two new Female faces to the crew rosters - Added two new armbands to crew customization options -- military bars and hunter's badge - Cleaned up and improved character art and animation, fixed many elbow joints - Improved ship combat repair Talents Ordnance Overhaul and Engine Reboot to have better minimum repairs - Increased duration for multi-jump missions - "Treasure Hunters" Rumor no longer blocks Exploration missions - Corrected bonus mission offer for joining in Negotiations -- 15% bonus credits - Fixed issue replacing Mass reducing components allowing overmass, improved messages for such components - Fixed issue with Weapon Lockers not swapping when swapping ships in dry dock - Fixed issue with Big Trade buying and Trader's Reciprocity - Cargo and credits update properly while trading in Black Market - Pardons now correctly appear on Contact services list - Fixed issues with Stash icon display in orbit screen
[ 2018-01-30 02:52:16 CET ] [ Original post ]
Gather round the spice hall, Captains, for we've got another update to share. With Update #29, we've put another major hole in the bottom of the v2.1.x family of the EA roadmap. We're also pushing through some new character designs and the first big round of character art cleanup and animation smoothing.
As always, we're here every day on the Steam boards, Discord and on our own forum fielding bugs, suggestions and feedback. A lot of those issues and small tweaks made it into this build, so thank you for your input!
Finally, welcome new Captains as STF is 20% down for the week! Call it a Surplus Rumor and tell a friend!
New Character Elements + Cleanups
We've added two new female faces to the roster with Update #29 as well as two new armbands. The military bars and the red badge of a hunter both warn your enemies of the risk they take to tangle with someone of your rank, circumstance or reputation. We've also started chipping away at a larger project -- improving the character animations and art. We're working our way back through the models and animations and working to clean up little issues, mismatches and bad connections. In this update, you'll see that all the female characters had their elbows rebuilt and a number of shoulder joints are working better. It's not glorious work, but it does look way better! Of course, at the same time we're adding new ones and the plan calls for at least double everything related to character visuals!
New Ships in Starport
Rounding out the rebuild of the starport, we've now included critical details about ships you are considering purchasing. Their component counts and mass totals are shown in the offer for a new hull, helping you to quickly compare ships and consider what type of build you'd be able to get into the new super structure. With the improvements to the New Ship screen, we've officially knocked the starport rebuild off the v2.1.x roadmap. Of course, there is always more to do and improve and we'll be adding sorting and more filtering down the line. But for now, we've hit all the high points and are moving on to the next big milestones.
v2.0.73 - 1/29/2018
- Added more details and component counts to New Ship offer in starport - Added two new Female faces to the crew rosters - Added two new armbands to crew customization options -- military bars and hunter's badge - Cleaned up and improved character art and animation, fixed many elbow joints - Improved ship combat repair Talents Ordnance Overhaul and Engine Reboot to have better minimum repairs - Increased duration for multi-jump missions - "Treasure Hunters" Rumor no longer blocks Exploration missions - Corrected bonus mission offer for joining in Negotiations -- 15% bonus credits - Fixed issue replacing Mass reducing components allowing overmass, improved messages for such components - Fixed issue with Weapon Lockers not swapping when swapping ships in dry dock - Fixed issue with Big Trade buying and Trader's Reciprocity - Cargo and credits update properly while trading in Black Market - Pardons now correctly appear on Contact services list - Fixed issues with Stash icon display in orbit screen
Update #28: Third Shot Vents the Hull
So it has taken 3 rounds with the Starport upgrade screens to get to where we really want to be. Naval cadets across the galaxy have some sayings -- "the third torp vents the hull" or as the Cadar say: "third torp always does the trick". For us, this was the case and we've put out another round of improvements to the starport upgrade screen that should help everyone move quickly through the filters. We've especially improved the size and prominence of warnings about upgrades, like those stating that a given barracks exceeds your ship's max crew.
Previously, a stash icon was always shown over any wilderness zone. With Update #28, we've converted those stash icons to function like all of the other zone services icons -- only lighting up and showing when there is something there. This means that stashes can be seen visibly on the map only where they are and also appear lit up in the system atlas.
We've also double down on our fix to the Vytautas storyline and closed the last outstanding issue. We fixed a bug preventing Intel from Lucrative Wholesale from actually appearing and tweaked the rating displays for Exploration score on zones.
- Stash icons now only appear over planets where stashes are active in quadrant map / system atlas - Improved display of warnings during starport component upgrade (barracks exceed max crew, etc) - Added "Exact" filter to starport upgrade to allow quick compare of components of same type - Upgrade Ship Weapon sorting improved - Fixed issue where starport Upgrade Talents were not firing when upgrading ships in dry dock - Further improved starport upgrade screens, filters and component compare display - Fixed duplicate Zenrin prisoner story missions - Fixed issues with Lucrative Wholesale Talent - Fixed description of Exploration rating
[ 2018-01-25 23:04:09 CET ] [ Original post ]
We're firing off Update #28 tonight with another round of improvements to the starport, new stash visibility and fixes for Talents and a story arc.
Even though we are a small team of two, we are dedicated to a relentless pace of updates during our Early Access period. To achieve that, we focus on rapid iterative development -- meaning we do short-cycle updates and improvements, rarely focusing perfect completion of any given feature or content area but instead making significant forward progress with a willingness to come back and continue to improve. This gives our tiny team the freedom to move fast, constantly improve and get daily feedback from our players that matters. And since we're on a short-cycle, that feedback can find its way into the game quickly as well.
We are now in the process of closing in on finishing the v2.1.x family. With a few more upgrades to the New Ship screen, we'll finish the Starport overhaul. The final Faen family storylines are being translated from design into story events, and we're buttoning up the rest of the items on the list. It is exciting to look forward to v2.2.x!
A special thanks to all of our Captains leaving a review and sharing the game!
Lucky Third Torp
So it has taken 3 rounds with the Starport upgrade screens to get to where we really want to be. Naval cadets across the galaxy have some sayings -- "the third torp vents the hull" or as the Cadar say: "third torp always does the trick". For us, this was the case and we've put out another round of improvements to the starport upgrade screen that should help everyone move quickly through the filters. We've especially improved the size and prominence of warnings about upgrades, like those stating that a given barracks exceeds your ship's max crew.
Stashes Light Up
Previously, a stash icon was always shown over any wilderness zone. With Update #28, we've converted those stash icons to function like all of the other zone services icons -- only lighting up and showing when there is something there. This means that stashes can be seen visibly on the map only where they are and also appear lit up in the system atlas.
We've also double down on our fix to the Vytautas storyline and closed the last outstanding issue. We fixed a bug preventing Intel from Lucrative Wholesale from actually appearing and tweaked the rating displays for Exploration score on zones.
v2.0.71 - 1/25/2018
- Stash icons now only appear over planets where stashes are active in quadrant map / system atlas - Improved display of warnings during starport component upgrade (barracks exceed max crew, etc) - Added "Exact" filter to starport upgrade to allow quick compare of components of same type - Upgrade Ship Weapon sorting improved - Fixed issue where starport Upgrade Talents were not firing when upgrading ships in dry dock - Further improved starport upgrade screens, filters and component compare display - Fixed duplicate Zenrin prisoner story missions - Fixed issues with Lucrative Wholesale Talent - Fixed description of Exploration rating
Update #27: Steady as she goes
Update #27 arrives with new content, rule improvements and fixes a host of bugs and crashes reported by our players. Our march along our Early Access Roadmap continues more or less to plan, and we're excited to have been available on Steam for two months and nine days. During that time we have pushed 27 updates (and several small patches) with new content, balancing, UI improvements and fixes. Throughout, Early Access has been lively and in motion with a great community around the game. We're lucky to have such captains! Thank you for being a part of this process.
As an all around player, the Quartermaster has gained two new Talents. The first -- Second Shadow -- represents the Quartermaster's hawkish ability to watch over his or her crew and can prevent a death in ship combat, explorer, patrol or any of the card games. The second Talent "Calming Speech" addresses the Quartermaster's influence over the crew and is perhaps the most powerful anti-mutiny Talent with the game. You can always check out the entire list of Talents on the Star Traders: Frontiers Wiki.
You'll see new Contact faces joining the roster over the next couple of releases, and this one includes two new characters to populate your Quadrants. These will automatically be added to all games, but no existing Contacts will have their faces changed.
In previous releases, future passengers and prisoners could block mission acceptance. You could not commit to picking up 2 passengers at some point later unless you had 2 empty passenger cabins right now. We've increased the intelligence of this system, and it only blocks mission acceptance if there are real passengers that lack real cabins. All mission-runners who are trying to sequence and complete multiple missions -- rejoice!
We continue to try to fix bugs quickly and patch balance issues as they crop up. We'd love to hear from you, either way, on the Steam forums. Getting your feedback and reviews is crucial to the game's continued improvement. We also have a Discord server that is very active, and you can get in touch with Andrew or I there almost any day of the week.
We fixed a bunch of little bugs, some major ones and eliminated a couple of crashes that had cropped up over the past few updates. We appreciate your patience. We've corrected a long standing issue with right clicks causing some buttons to malfunction and that's been fixed.
We are doing our weekly Tuesday afternoon Twitch chat if you care to stop by and play Visual Studio, suggest bugs or what us get our Crews killed in a hopeless quest for the golden explorer cards. Join Us on Twitch! Tuesday 1/23/2018 at 4:00PM EST
- Added new Quartermaster 11th Rank Talent - "Second Shadow" prevents crew death in ship combat or any card game - Added new Quartermaster Talent - "Calming Speech" provides powerful stop to Mutiny - Improved mission acceptance routine to better calculate Passengers/Prisoners on board - Starport upgrade and new ship calculate and display Talent / Contact discounts upfront - Added 2 new Contact character faces - Fixed name switch with Confident / Inspiring Traits - Fixed bugs with Contact Traits for Templar contacts - Improved details of surrendering and being looted - Fixed bugs where wrong weapon (Sniper/Snubber) was showing for characters - Improved auto-selection of weapons by Talent and Skill - Crew combat enemies -- FDF and Assassins -- use more consistent uniforms - Fixed issue with Rep Bonus for Pirate Fleet Rumor while Patrolling - Fixed ship victory text incorrectly naming ships "Independent" - Added Recruit Bonus for 'Tariffs' Zone Rumor - Fixed 3400 Mass Traveler Ship Engine - Fixed bugs related to Prime world selection logic for new maps - Fixes bugs with menus and right clicks
[ 2018-01-23 20:08:32 CET ] [ Original post ]
Relentless Update Schedule
Update #27 arrives with new content, rule improvements and fixes a host of bugs and crashes reported by our players. Our march along our Early Access Roadmap continues more or less to plan, and we're excited to have been available on Steam for two months and nine days. During that time we have pushed 27 updates (and several small patches) with new content, balancing, UI improvements and fixes. Throughout, Early Access has been lively and in motion with a great community around the game. We're lucky to have such captains! Thank you for being a part of this process.
Quartermaster
As an all around player, the Quartermaster has gained two new Talents. The first -- Second Shadow -- represents the Quartermaster's hawkish ability to watch over his or her crew and can prevent a death in ship combat, explorer, patrol or any of the card games. The second Talent "Calming Speech" addresses the Quartermaster's influence over the crew and is perhaps the most powerful anti-mutiny Talent with the game. You can always check out the entire list of Talents on the Star Traders: Frontiers Wiki.
New Artwork & Talents
You'll see new Contact faces joining the roster over the next couple of releases, and this one includes two new characters to populate your Quadrants. These will automatically be added to all games, but no existing Contacts will have their faces changed.
Mission Rules
In previous releases, future passengers and prisoners could block mission acceptance. You could not commit to picking up 2 passengers at some point later unless you had 2 empty passenger cabins right now. We've increased the intelligence of this system, and it only blocks mission acceptance if there are real passengers that lack real cabins. All mission-runners who are trying to sequence and complete multiple missions -- rejoice!
Stability and Bugs
We continue to try to fix bugs quickly and patch balance issues as they crop up. We'd love to hear from you, either way, on the Steam forums. Getting your feedback and reviews is crucial to the game's continued improvement. We also have a Discord server that is very active, and you can get in touch with Andrew or I there almost any day of the week.
We fixed a bunch of little bugs, some major ones and eliminated a couple of crashes that had cropped up over the past few updates. We appreciate your patience. We've corrected a long standing issue with right clicks causing some buttons to malfunction and that's been fixed.
Tuesday Twitch Chat (Today)
We are doing our weekly Tuesday afternoon Twitch chat if you care to stop by and play Visual Studio, suggest bugs or what us get our Crews killed in a hopeless quest for the golden explorer cards. Join Us on Twitch! Tuesday 1/23/2018 at 4:00PM EST
v2.0.69
- Added new Quartermaster 11th Rank Talent - "Second Shadow" prevents crew death in ship combat or any card game - Added new Quartermaster Talent - "Calming Speech" provides powerful stop to Mutiny - Improved mission acceptance routine to better calculate Passengers/Prisoners on board - Starport upgrade and new ship calculate and display Talent / Contact discounts upfront - Added 2 new Contact character faces - Fixed name switch with Confident / Inspiring Traits - Fixed bugs with Contact Traits for Templar contacts - Improved details of surrendering and being looted - Fixed bugs where wrong weapon (Sniper/Snubber) was showing for characters - Improved auto-selection of weapons by Talent and Skill - Crew combat enemies -- FDF and Assassins -- use more consistent uniforms - Fixed issue with Rep Bonus for Pirate Fleet Rumor while Patrolling - Fixed ship victory text incorrectly naming ships "Independent" - Added Recruit Bonus for 'Tariffs' Zone Rumor - Fixed 3400 Mass Traveler Ship Engine - Fixed bugs related to Prime world selection logic for new maps - Fixes bugs with menus and right clicks
Update #26: Chatter of the Exchange
All new Jobs will be coming to your roster in the future, but before we can start that angle, we need to give a fair shake to all the existing jobs. This update closes the Talent gap for 2 Jobs that had missing Talents before -- Merchant and Smuggler. Bounty Hunter and Mechanic each also recieved a new powerful Talent to help round out their potential builds. These 5 new Talents about half the remaining unfinished Talents in the game and the main Jobs waiting for completion are Engineer and Quartermaster. With Red Badge, the ferocious presence of a Edict-carrying Bounty Hunter is enough to reduce Rep damage from missions. Ordnance Overhaul allows a fast working mechanic to get ship's weapons back on line and firing during the heat of battle. Bold Statements rewards a Merchant for willingly trading into Trade Bans and Trade Wars, granting a Rep bonus with the other side of the Conflict. Lucrative Wholesale allows Merchant to generate Intel Records while lawfully doing his or her business. But it has to be big business, $50K or more trades! And finally, Unlawful Royalty helps a powerful Smuggler build out a complete network of Smugglers and Smuggler Princes across the galaxy.
Few things sting a Captain more than when a crew member deserts, especially a veteran member of the crew. With this update, we've rebuilt the desertion rules to give them more nuance. First, a crew's desertion chance is now based on difficulty which makes things much easier for lower level difficulties. As before, a crew member is most likely to desert on a world of their own Faction (Thulun deserts on Thlun worlds). New this update, crew are less likely to desert if the Faction is of the other type -- Syndicate, Clan or Indie. So, Thulun is even less likely to desert on a Syndicate system like De Valtos. Indies are considered different than both Clans or Syndicates, so their systems provide some level of desertion protection but it is not absolute. Perhaps most important is the veteran loyalty. Once a crew member has been a member for at least 2 years, they gain a resistance to desert that increases constantly with every year they've been a member. Those crew that have been with you a long time are far more likely to stay with you.
We've fixed all the known bugs in the Vytautas storyline with this update as well as the issue where the Desperate Smuggler was selling you more cargo than there was space in your cargo hold. We're still tracking down Arbiter storyline issues -- but we've got them back into a corner now. Thanks to everyone taking a minute to help us by leaving a review! They drive updates :D
- Added new Bounty Hunter Talent - "Red Badge" reduces Mission Rep loss when carrying an Edict for the mission-giving Faction - Added new Mechanic Talent - "Ordnance Overhaul" repairs Ship's Weapons by Repair Skill % - Added new Merchant 11th Rank Talent - "Bold Statements" grants Rep Bonus for trading into a Trade War or Ban - Added new Merchant 11th Rank Talent - "Lucrative Wholesale" creates Intel Records up to Negotiate skill on $50,000 Exchange trades - Added new Smuggler 11th Rank Talent - "Unlawful Royalty" discovers new Smuggler/Smuggler Prince contacts on $50,000 Black Market trades - Low Morale Crew will not desert on zones with low stats but will desert on Indie zones - Crew less likely to desert on other Faction worlds, across Clan vs. Syndicate boundaries, desertion chance effected by difficulty - Veteran Crew less likely to desert - Fixed issues with misnamed Engines - Fixed flipped Explorer and Richness values in orbit screen - Fixed issue with Indy worlds in Star Atlas showing reputation denied - Fixed bugs with Vytautas storyline and achieving multiple endings - Fixed bug with cargo given by Desperate Smuggler story - Improved Crew List sort-by-job to keep Captain and Officers at the top of the list
[ 2018-01-20 17:14:09 CET ] [ Original post ]
The spice hall, the starport and the exchange -- they are all bustling. Major updates are firing off every few days and we are marching forward down the dev roadmap. As always, a big thanks goes out to all Captains in the galaxy, especially those that have left a review or told a few friends!
We're having a raging good time here at Trese Brothers HQ with the STF iterative development in full swing. We're working across the board on so many features and areas and proud to be able to complete, test and deliver updates every few days.
Power Talents
All new Jobs will be coming to your roster in the future, but before we can start that angle, we need to give a fair shake to all the existing jobs. This update closes the Talent gap for 2 Jobs that had missing Talents before -- Merchant and Smuggler. Bounty Hunter and Mechanic each also recieved a new powerful Talent to help round out their potential builds. These 5 new Talents about half the remaining unfinished Talents in the game and the main Jobs waiting for completion are Engineer and Quartermaster. With Red Badge, the ferocious presence of a Edict-carrying Bounty Hunter is enough to reduce Rep damage from missions. Ordnance Overhaul allows a fast working mechanic to get ship's weapons back on line and firing during the heat of battle. Bold Statements rewards a Merchant for willingly trading into Trade Bans and Trade Wars, granting a Rep bonus with the other side of the Conflict. Lucrative Wholesale allows Merchant to generate Intel Records while lawfully doing his or her business. But it has to be big business, $50K or more trades! And finally, Unlawful Royalty helps a powerful Smuggler build out a complete network of Smugglers and Smuggler Princes across the galaxy.
Updated Desertion Rules
Few things sting a Captain more than when a crew member deserts, especially a veteran member of the crew. With this update, we've rebuilt the desertion rules to give them more nuance. First, a crew's desertion chance is now based on difficulty which makes things much easier for lower level difficulties. As before, a crew member is most likely to desert on a world of their own Faction (Thulun deserts on Thlun worlds). New this update, crew are less likely to desert if the Faction is of the other type -- Syndicate, Clan or Indie. So, Thulun is even less likely to desert on a Syndicate system like De Valtos. Indies are considered different than both Clans or Syndicates, so their systems provide some level of desertion protection but it is not absolute. Perhaps most important is the veteran loyalty. Once a crew member has been a member for at least 2 years, they gain a resistance to desert that increases constantly with every year they've been a member. Those crew that have been with you a long time are far more likely to stay with you.
Story Fixes
We've fixed all the known bugs in the Vytautas storyline with this update as well as the issue where the Desperate Smuggler was selling you more cargo than there was space in your cargo hold. We're still tracking down Arbiter storyline issues -- but we've got them back into a corner now. Thanks to everyone taking a minute to help us by leaving a review! They drive updates :D
v2.0.67 - 1/20/2018
- Added new Bounty Hunter Talent - "Red Badge" reduces Mission Rep loss when carrying an Edict for the mission-giving Faction - Added new Mechanic Talent - "Ordnance Overhaul" repairs Ship's Weapons by Repair Skill % - Added new Merchant 11th Rank Talent - "Bold Statements" grants Rep Bonus for trading into a Trade War or Ban - Added new Merchant 11th Rank Talent - "Lucrative Wholesale" creates Intel Records up to Negotiate skill on $50,000 Exchange trades - Added new Smuggler 11th Rank Talent - "Unlawful Royalty" discovers new Smuggler/Smuggler Prince contacts on $50,000 Black Market trades - Low Morale Crew will not desert on zones with low stats but will desert on Indie zones - Crew less likely to desert on other Faction worlds, across Clan vs. Syndicate boundaries, desertion chance effected by difficulty - Veteran Crew less likely to desert - Fixed issues with misnamed Engines - Fixed flipped Explorer and Richness values in orbit screen - Fixed issue with Indy worlds in Star Atlas showing reputation denied - Fixed bugs with Vytautas storyline and achieving multiple endings - Fixed bug with cargo given by Desperate Smuggler story - Improved Crew List sort-by-job to keep Captain and Officers at the top of the list
Update #25: Roar of the Engines
Update #25 re-categorizes all existing engines and adds 10 new engines in order to build out 4 distinct engine families at every major mass target currently available -- 2400, 3400, 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000. Across the board the engine types are more varied, more exciting and more focused on a certain type of Captain, strategy or play. These families are Balanced, Chaser, Traveler and Longhaul. Every new ship hull starts with a Balanced Engine class which has an average agility, speed, safety rating and fuel costs. Chaser Engines are have higher Agility than Speed and are designed for closer-ranged combat. Chaser Engines allow your ship to change range for a cost of 3 RP instead of 4 but generally have a higher Fuel Cost per combat. Traveler Engines are faster, built for Speed over Agility and are best at long ranged combat. These engines have higher Speed score, lower Fuel Cost per combat. Such engines are best at escaping from battle and getting you places quickly. Longhaul Engines are built for efficiency, having the lowest Fuel Cost per AU as well as very low Fuel Cost per combat. However, for their exceptional fuel use stats, they have trade some of their agility and speed.
If you happen to have multiple ships in dry dock, check the Dry Dock menu from your main status where you can now see all your ships in storage and plot waypoints to them quickly and easily. No more losing your $700,000 Broadsword because you forgot where you parked it!
Last update we fixed a host of remaining story bugs and shared that we had two major outstanding issues -- Calagan Faen's odd disappearance and some issues with the Arbiter accepting mission success. With this update, we've resolved Calagan's issues. While we cannot fix the issue for games that have already passed through the series of story events, this issue is now resolve for all future Captains. With the Arbiter issue up next to fix, we're looking now toward the addition of new story content very soon!
We've also added new components to help boarding Captain's ensure success as well as rebalancing a number of component and ship hull costs. Thanks to all of our Captains leaving reviews! We've just cruised over 300 and are excited to head for the next big milestone :D
- Added 10 new Ship Engines (Traveler, Longhaul, Chaser) - Renamed, Rebalanced, Recategorized existing Ship Engines - Introduced "3 RP to Move" for Chaser-design Ship Engines - Fixes bug that allowed stacking encounters in Patrol/Spy/Blockade - Added Dry Dock ship listing to main status - locate your ships across galaxy - Fixed issues with Faen storyline where Calagan disappears for future captains - Improved "Boarding Assault System" (BaS) Ship Components - Added 3 more BaS Components, levels 2 - 4 - Rebalanced Mass Modulator Ship Pools - Fixed Battle Prow and Hull Plating Ship Component Types - Renamed 'Biowaste' to 'Biomass' as this is more accurate - Added lore and text for Sarkspar and Ursalite materials - Fixed map generator: Farfallen Rim (Galaria, Traneldor) bugs resolved - Rebalanced Strikecruiser HP/Shield/Fueld and repriced several ships
[ 2018-01-18 19:24:17 CET ] [ Original post ]
With the starport starting to look in better shape, we are moving on to new areas of expansion. With a kick and a sputter, new lines of Ship Engines have come roaring to life with today's major update. It's the beginning of a major drive of balancing, improving and adding new ship components to the game which we will continue throughout the Early Access period.
Engine Families
Update #25 re-categorizes all existing engines and adds 10 new engines in order to build out 4 distinct engine families at every major mass target currently available -- 2400, 3400, 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000. Across the board the engine types are more varied, more exciting and more focused on a certain type of Captain, strategy or play. These families are Balanced, Chaser, Traveler and Longhaul. Every new ship hull starts with a Balanced Engine class which has an average agility, speed, safety rating and fuel costs. Chaser Engines are have higher Agility than Speed and are designed for closer-ranged combat. Chaser Engines allow your ship to change range for a cost of 3 RP instead of 4 but generally have a higher Fuel Cost per combat. Traveler Engines are faster, built for Speed over Agility and are best at long ranged combat. These engines have higher Speed score, lower Fuel Cost per combat. Such engines are best at escaping from battle and getting you places quickly. Longhaul Engines are built for efficiency, having the lowest Fuel Cost per AU as well as very low Fuel Cost per combat. However, for their exceptional fuel use stats, they have trade some of their agility and speed.
Looking for a Dry Dock?
If you happen to have multiple ships in dry dock, check the Dry Dock menu from your main status where you can now see all your ships in storage and plot waypoints to them quickly and easily. No more losing your $700,000 Broadsword because you forgot where you parked it!
Calagan Faen Returns
Last update we fixed a host of remaining story bugs and shared that we had two major outstanding issues -- Calagan Faen's odd disappearance and some issues with the Arbiter accepting mission success. With this update, we've resolved Calagan's issues. While we cannot fix the issue for games that have already passed through the series of story events, this issue is now resolve for all future Captains. With the Arbiter issue up next to fix, we're looking now toward the addition of new story content very soon!
We've also added new components to help boarding Captain's ensure success as well as rebalancing a number of component and ship hull costs. Thanks to all of our Captains leaving reviews! We've just cruised over 300 and are excited to head for the next big milestone :D
v2.0.65 - 1/18/2018
- Added 10 new Ship Engines (Traveler, Longhaul, Chaser) - Renamed, Rebalanced, Recategorized existing Ship Engines - Introduced "3 RP to Move" for Chaser-design Ship Engines - Fixes bug that allowed stacking encounters in Patrol/Spy/Blockade - Added Dry Dock ship listing to main status - locate your ships across galaxy - Fixed issues with Faen storyline where Calagan disappears for future captains - Improved "Boarding Assault System" (BaS) Ship Components - Added 3 more BaS Components, levels 2 - 4 - Rebalanced Mass Modulator Ship Pools - Fixed Battle Prow and Hull Plating Ship Component Types - Renamed 'Biowaste' to 'Biomass' as this is more accurate - Added lore and text for Sarkspar and Ursalite materials - Fixed map generator: Farfallen Rim (Galaria, Traneldor) bugs resolved - Rebalanced Strikecruiser HP/Shield/Fueld and repriced several ships
Update #24: Superiority in Flight
No one can rival Alta Mesa in pilots, ships or starports. In their honor, we've updated the Starport Dry Dock screens to give much more detail about each ship you could launch or customize -- its firepower as well as its real armor, shields and engines stats. We've also improved the flow of the Starport upgrade screens, improving the filter, making it clear when there are no items in the current filter and improving the comparison feature. Also, you'll no longer see the same component in the list (replacing Barracks 1 will no longer show Barracks 1). In the ship weapons display -- we've restored the Critical % display and added the Crippling %. Every time an enemy is hit with a weapon, the Crippling % is rolled to see if the enemy ship should suffer a debuff based on the weapon type -- Electrical Fires, Crew Panic and more. No new rules -- just getting the data displayed into the game!
We're working with a lot of players and a lot of saved games to try resolve all the known story bugs. We really appreciate everyone reporting and sending in saved games. Once we get through this pile, we're moving on to new story elements and finishing the arcs that are incomplete. While we've fixed a pile of issues, there are still bugs we're working on. The biggest outstanding issues that are on our list for the next update are cases in which Prince Faen disappears during the story and the situation in which the Arbiter refuses to accept completed quests.
- Improved display of ship status in Dry Dock to include engine, firepower and more - Updated and Improved Starport Component Filters - Ship Weapon display now includes Critical % and Crippling % - Further improved types of resources found while exploring based on planet type - Fixed issue taking De Rivesh story mission to hunt pirates - Improved Personal Objectives around Kober Volpane storyline, possible dead-end case - Fixing map seeds that could cause Aetaan Char to be indie - Improved flow of Stranded Merchant missions and objectives - Fixed mission count in Quadrant Map hovers
[ 2018-01-17 03:21:28 CET ] [ Original post ]
Our latest update tonight strikes another blow against the v2.1.x family of the dev roadmap. In addition, we are working our way through the list of known story bugs as we prepare to start adding large chunks of new story to the playable game.
If you like the updates and appreciate the work we are doing every day, please share Star Trader: Frontiers with a friend and help us by leaving a review!
On-Going Starport
No one can rival Alta Mesa in pilots, ships or starports. In their honor, we've updated the Starport Dry Dock screens to give much more detail about each ship you could launch or customize -- its firepower as well as its real armor, shields and engines stats. We've also improved the flow of the Starport upgrade screens, improving the filter, making it clear when there are no items in the current filter and improving the comparison feature. Also, you'll no longer see the same component in the list (replacing Barracks 1 will no longer show Barracks 1). In the ship weapons display -- we've restored the Critical % display and added the Crippling %. Every time an enemy is hit with a weapon, the Crippling % is rolled to see if the enemy ship should suffer a debuff based on the weapon type -- Electrical Fires, Crew Panic and more. No new rules -- just getting the data displayed into the game!
Story Fixes
We're working with a lot of players and a lot of saved games to try resolve all the known story bugs. We really appreciate everyone reporting and sending in saved games. Once we get through this pile, we're moving on to new story elements and finishing the arcs that are incomplete. While we've fixed a pile of issues, there are still bugs we're working on. The biggest outstanding issues that are on our list for the next update are cases in which Prince Faen disappears during the story and the situation in which the Arbiter refuses to accept completed quests.
v2.0.63 - 1/16/2018
- Improved display of ship status in Dry Dock to include engine, firepower and more - Updated and Improved Starport Component Filters - Ship Weapon display now includes Critical % and Crippling % - Further improved types of resources found while exploring based on planet type - Fixed issue taking De Rivesh story mission to hunt pirates - Improved Personal Objectives around Kober Volpane storyline, possible dead-end case - Fixing map seeds that could cause Aetaan Char to be indie - Improved flow of Stranded Merchant missions and objectives - Fixed mission count in Quadrant Map hovers
Update #23: Trackless Space
The improved starport upgrade experience follows the same flow as before but allows you to compare components during replace, see the active list of filters on your list of components, get an exact price for the component you are trading in, as well as seeing the individual sources of discounts (Talents / Contacts) listed out. In addition, we've rebuilt the display for ship components in generally, which you'll see in the starport and main status. Every modifier, bonus and stats for ship components is visible and listed and we've swapped a lot of the displays over to icon pairs to make them easier to scan quickly. There is a lot more coming in this area before we can knock this officially off the dev roadmap, but we're on our way.
This release includes the first update to ship encounters -- changing the XP amounts granted for all types of ship encounters to clearly mark the incentives down the chain of options -- from victory as the best down to surrendering as the lowest. We've also upped the Reputation granted by Solar and Trade Wars in ship victory to further reward chasing these conflicts and throwing your strength behind one Faction or the other. Railguns were the only weapon sporting both Void and Radiation Damage, and we've simplified the weapon type down to just Void.
This release continues the work from last release including buttons to navigate and set waypoints for missions and the next mission steps quickly and easily as you move through them. You can now complete missions potentially without ever opening the Mission List which helps move things along and reduce overall clicks. Whenever you recruit an officer from a Contact, they now recruit with Rank 1 in their primary Job, which gives you all the freedom to assign the rest of their ranks as you please.
- Improved Starport Upgrade experience -- compare components, see active filters, see trade-in price, discount sources - Improved ship component display on all screens -- engines, weapons, skill bonuses, component damage - More Starport and component upgrades coming! - Officer recruits from Contacts only starts with 1 Rank in primary Job -- increased freedom to assign Jobs - Rebalanced Experience rewards for all results in ship encounters -- Victory, Draw, Defeat, Surrender - Balanced Reputation gained by defeating enemy ship in Solar or Trade Wars - Mission Summary now offers an immediate Navigate Now button under valid step - Mission completion now offers a Waypoint option for the next mission step - Slight increase in Intel Record counts from Spying to help Trait / Talent / Component % bonuses make impact - Fixed issues with Officer skill bonuses (Tactics / Command) in ship combat - Increased cooldown for Makeshift Repairs to match Port Maintenance, clarified log message - Fixed issue where ship combat was not correctly ending after striking down enemy Captain while boarding - Fixed issue where some orbital missions were ghosting after completion - Fixed issues where victory in ship combat from damage over time effects was delayed by 1 turn - Removed redundant Radiation Damage from Railguns - Prevented running Exploration with less than 6 crew - Prevented running Orbital operations with less than 6 crew
[ 2018-01-14 17:16:25 CET ] [ Original post ]
The relentless march down our dev roadmap carries on with tonight's major update. Over the last few updates, we've been putting cracks in the wall that is the starport rebuild, but this update knocks a serious hole through it. We're not done by far, but we've made the first major strides toward completing this dev roadmap item on the v2.1.x family.
As we round the corner to Update #23, we're excited to continue to tune balance, connect more systems, and improve the layering of politics, conflicts, reputation and all the rest.
Starport Revamp
The improved starport upgrade experience follows the same flow as before but allows you to compare components during replace, see the active list of filters on your list of components, get an exact price for the component you are trading in, as well as seeing the individual sources of discounts (Talents / Contacts) listed out. In addition, we've rebuilt the display for ship components in generally, which you'll see in the starport and main status. Every modifier, bonus and stats for ship components is visible and listed and we've swapped a lot of the displays over to icon pairs to make them easier to scan quickly. There is a lot more coming in this area before we can knock this officially off the dev roadmap, but we're on our way.
Encounter and Conflict Improvements
This release includes the first update to ship encounters -- changing the XP amounts granted for all types of ship encounters to clearly mark the incentives down the chain of options -- from victory as the best down to surrendering as the lowest. We've also upped the Reputation granted by Solar and Trade Wars in ship victory to further reward chasing these conflicts and throwing your strength behind one Faction or the other. Railguns were the only weapon sporting both Void and Radiation Damage, and we've simplified the weapon type down to just Void.
Mission Navigation
This release continues the work from last release including buttons to navigate and set waypoints for missions and the next mission steps quickly and easily as you move through them. You can now complete missions potentially without ever opening the Mission List which helps move things along and reduce overall clicks. Whenever you recruit an officer from a Contact, they now recruit with Rank 1 in their primary Job, which gives you all the freedom to assign the rest of their ranks as you please.
v2.0.61 - 1/13/2018
- Improved Starport Upgrade experience -- compare components, see active filters, see trade-in price, discount sources - Improved ship component display on all screens -- engines, weapons, skill bonuses, component damage - More Starport and component upgrades coming! - Officer recruits from Contacts only starts with 1 Rank in primary Job -- increased freedom to assign Jobs - Rebalanced Experience rewards for all results in ship encounters -- Victory, Draw, Defeat, Surrender - Balanced Reputation gained by defeating enemy ship in Solar or Trade Wars - Mission Summary now offers an immediate Navigate Now button under valid step - Mission completion now offers a Waypoint option for the next mission step - Slight increase in Intel Record counts from Spying to help Trait / Talent / Component % bonuses make impact - Fixed issues with Officer skill bonuses (Tactics / Command) in ship combat - Increased cooldown for Makeshift Repairs to match Port Maintenance, clarified log message - Fixed issue where ship combat was not correctly ending after striking down enemy Captain while boarding - Fixed issue where some orbital missions were ghosting after completion - Fixed issues where victory in ship combat from damage over time effects was delayed by 1 turn - Removed redundant Radiation Damage from Railguns - Prevented running Exploration with less than 6 crew - Prevented running Orbital operations with less than 6 crew
Update #22: Weather the Storm
Further Conflict impacts have been added. You can now join in a Solar War or Trade War directly by confronting and defeating enemy ships in battle. You'll immediately gain Rep for victory for defeating a Smuggler or a Merchant of an enemy Faction during a Trade War and Rep for any other victory during a Solar War.
Every release we're improving the UI and this one includes a few good ones. We've added a button to a mission offer that allows you to Accept and Waypoint the mission directly. This allows you to return to the main map and immediately Navigate. Major click kill! The blue bouncing ball on Starport was pretty lazy before. It only bounced if your ship was significantly roughed up or your fuel was under 50%. We've tightened that loop and its appearing now much more accurately.
Combat balance is an on-going task for us during Early Access. With this release we've tweaked the rules for Radiation (common on Lance, Plasma, Railguns and Missiles) and Void Damage (common on Railguns and Torps). In both cases, we've reduced the amount of Standard Damage they cause (which damages the Hull) and continued their focus on Internal Damage (which goes straight to Components and Crew). The Ship Damage Types wiki page goes over this in more detail -- https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Ship_Damage_Types
- Gain Reputation for defeating enemy ship in Solar War, enemy Smuggler or Merchant in Trade War - Refuel and Repair alert bouncing ball appears more accurately for ship damage or need of fuel - Added button to accept Mission and set first waypoint from mission offer - Prevented Unauthorized Access from being used on xeno - Added type labels to main status ship components listings - Improved sizing and placement of selection visuals in crew combat - Revised Royal Red Quadrant backdrop - Fixed issues with certain types of self-owned debuffs not purging - Added 2 new event log types, 3 new crew barks - Fixed several Trait mutation bugs with Crew (Spice Addict, Addictive Tick) - Balance adjustments for Radiation and Void Damage (less Hull damage, focus on Internal Damage) - More wiki pages added!
[ 2018-01-11 18:06:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
We're excited to be getting back to our regularly scheduled updates here. Our team had a rocky week with some issues we needed to patch quickly, compounded by the newest NVidia drivers and finally our own spat of hardware failures. Together, that storm slowed down the pace of normal updates a bit but we've weathered it, are getting back on the horse and hitting it strong!
Conflict Impacts
Further Conflict impacts have been added. You can now join in a Solar War or Trade War directly by confronting and defeating enemy ships in battle. You'll immediately gain Rep for victory for defeating a Smuggler or a Merchant of an enemy Faction during a Trade War and Rep for any other victory during a Solar War.
Continued Streamlining
Every release we're improving the UI and this one includes a few good ones. We've added a button to a mission offer that allows you to Accept and Waypoint the mission directly. This allows you to return to the main map and immediately Navigate. Major click kill! The blue bouncing ball on Starport was pretty lazy before. It only bounced if your ship was significantly roughed up or your fuel was under 50%. We've tightened that loop and its appearing now much more accurately.
Void and Radiation
Combat balance is an on-going task for us during Early Access. With this release we've tweaked the rules for Radiation (common on Lance, Plasma, Railguns and Missiles) and Void Damage (common on Railguns and Torps). In both cases, we've reduced the amount of Standard Damage they cause (which damages the Hull) and continued their focus on Internal Damage (which goes straight to Components and Crew). The Ship Damage Types wiki page goes over this in more detail -- https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Ship_Damage_Types
v2.0.59 - 1/11/2017
- Gain Reputation for defeating enemy ship in Solar War, enemy Smuggler or Merchant in Trade War - Refuel and Repair alert bouncing ball appears more accurately for ship damage or need of fuel - Added button to accept Mission and set first waypoint from mission offer - Prevented Unauthorized Access from being used on xeno - Added type labels to main status ship components listings - Improved sizing and placement of selection visuals in crew combat - Revised Royal Red Quadrant backdrop - Fixed issues with certain types of self-owned debuffs not purging - Added 2 new event log types, 3 new crew barks - Fixed several Trait mutation bugs with Crew (Spice Addict, Addictive Tick) - Balance adjustments for Radiation and Void Damage (less Hull damage, focus on Internal Damage) - More wiki pages added!
Monday Quick Patch
- Fixed reported crashes! - Fixed mission selection causing new Exploration missions to appear too often - Improved Distress Signal card for Patrol/Blockade/Spy - Fixed small hover and overlap issues in Crew Status
[ 2018-01-08 23:43:40 CET ] [ Original post ]
It's Monday night and it's a good time for a quick stability patch. In Early Access, we still have some bugs and crashes, so this quick patch is focused on fixing bugs and closing all the registered crashes we can.
Thanks to every Captain who is pressing "Send Report" on our crash reporter! Your reports help us improve the game, and this patch fixes the most reported crashes in the set.
Thanks to all of our supportive players, captains suggesting new ideas, and to our lively community! Leave a review, tell a friend!
v2.0.53 - 1/8/2018
- Fixed reported crashes! - Fixed mission selection causing new Exploration missions to appear too often - Improved Distress Signal card for Patrol/Blockade/Spy - Fixed small hover and overlap issues in Crew Status
Update #21: Expeditions Beyond
Four new major types of Explorer missions have been added with this update -- focusing on the hunting and harvesting of rare or exotic biological samples, escorting a scientist to do such research, or hunting after a lost expedition that was sent on such a mission. These new mission types will be most common from the new mission-giver type, that of Doctors, which gives Chaesin and Academy Doctors are more active place within your contact lists. Overall, we're sitting at about 30% of the planned mission types for the game, so this addition gave us a little bump up!
As bugs are being reported, we're working to fix issues the same day or next update. This update fixes the issue that cropped up with the new male outfit, correctly removes a few Personal Objectives that were stuck and also closes a few reported issues in Explorer. Thanks to the help of every captain who is reporting bugs, posting feedback and sharing with us and with friends! Your help, support and reviews is driving this Early Access forward at its breakneck pace, so help us keep moving!
- Added 4 new Exploration missions (Exotic Flora, Researching a Cure, Lost Expedition, Research Protection) - Added new type of Mission givers -- Doctor Missions - Chaesin Doctor and Academy Doctor both offer Doctor Missions - Fixed issue with Explorer cards for Large Raw and Refined Resources not giving enough units - Fixed issues with hanging Personal Objectives that did not go away properly - Fixed issue with well-dressed Syndicate suit outfit - Fixed issue that could leave Explore/Patrol/Spy/Blockade missions hanging - Fixed issue with certain Buffs allowing crew to take 2 turns in combat - Fixed issue with 'Rigorous Search' Talent cargo generations - Added 9 new event log types - Added 8 new crew barks - Fixed spelling bugs, typos and reported text issues
[ 2018-01-08 02:39:31 CET ] [ Original post ]
While we are working on larger v2.1.x dev roadmap items that can be turned around quickly, we are turning around some exciting content additions in rapid succession. Tonight, we're opening up a new and exciting angle for explorers and squashing some bugs that have come in during or after the Winter Sale.
New Exploration Missions
Four new major types of Explorer missions have been added with this update -- focusing on the hunting and harvesting of rare or exotic biological samples, escorting a scientist to do such research, or hunting after a lost expedition that was sent on such a mission. These new mission types will be most common from the new mission-giver type, that of Doctors, which gives Chaesin and Academy Doctors are more active place within your contact lists. Overall, we're sitting at about 30% of the planned mission types for the game, so this addition gave us a little bump up!
Rapid Patches
As bugs are being reported, we're working to fix issues the same day or next update. This update fixes the issue that cropped up with the new male outfit, correctly removes a few Personal Objectives that were stuck and also closes a few reported issues in Explorer. Thanks to the help of every captain who is reporting bugs, posting feedback and sharing with us and with friends! Your help, support and reviews is driving this Early Access forward at its breakneck pace, so help us keep moving!
v2.0.51 - 1/7/2018
- Added 4 new Exploration missions (Exotic Flora, Researching a Cure, Lost Expedition, Research Protection) - Added new type of Mission givers -- Doctor Missions - Chaesin Doctor and Academy Doctor both offer Doctor Missions - Fixed issue with Explorer cards for Large Raw and Refined Resources not giving enough units - Fixed issues with hanging Personal Objectives that did not go away properly - Fixed issue with well-dressed Syndicate suit outfit - Fixed issue that could leave Explore/Patrol/Spy/Blockade missions hanging - Fixed issue with certain Buffs allowing crew to take 2 turns in combat - Fixed issue with 'Rigorous Search' Talent cargo generations - Added 9 new event log types - Added 8 new crew barks - Fixed spelling bugs, typos and reported text issues
Update #20: Oohhh Shiny!
For those syndicate and corporate types -- be you a high powered negotiator, a smooth smuggler or just a well-dressed killer -- we've released two new outfits. This matching male and female pair demonstrate the sharp styles common of the Cadar, Rychart and De Valtos Syndicates, but they're great for any job, crew, officer or Captain!
Every system is unique -- by its zones, their stats, its danger, atmosphere, size and more. To help drive that home, we've re-rendered all of the art for planets in systems, as well as doubling the visual variety shown in the game. In addition, to help differentiate different quadrants, we've introduced another variation of the space backgrounds.
We are moving step by step through improving the status screen and headed into the starport from there. This release includes a new graph that quickly shows your ship's weapons counts per range, making it easy to identify your best range and where you will be weak or defenseless. We've got a lot more work to do in these areas, so thanks for your patience while we're WIP. In the Starport upgrade screen, we fixed the issue where the ALL tab was accidentally shown as selected when it was not. Hopefully this helps!
- Added new male outfit -- well-dressed Syndicate suit - Added new female outfit -- sharp-dressed Syndicate agent - New Artwork: Royal Red Quadrant Map / Backgrounds - Revised World Artwork: Redesigned all 12 planet images - Added 12 additional planet variations (Ice, Desert, Jungle, Garden, etc) - Ship status shows weapon per combat range graph - Fixed image with Starport replace incorrectly showing "All" tab selected - Added more story warnings about consequences - Slowed down some of the timers in the story to give captains more turns - Fixed issues with hanging Personal Objectives that did not go away properly - Improved Rumor display in Star Atlas - Improved Rumor display in World Orbit - Dialog and cut-scenes advance by spacebar only
[ 2018-01-06 00:17:59 CET ] [ Original post ]
The Steam Winter Sale may be over, but we've still got plenty of updates to share! Tonight's update features a host of new artwork and visual improvements across the game, as well as some more status screen improvements and some story fixes.
Thanks to all of our Captains who have left reviews and are helping us spread the word about STF.
New Character Designs
For those syndicate and corporate types -- be you a high powered negotiator, a smooth smuggler or just a well-dressed killer -- we've released two new outfits. This matching male and female pair demonstrate the sharp styles common of the Cadar, Rychart and De Valtos Syndicates, but they're great for any job, crew, officer or Captain!
Refined Systems and Space
Every system is unique -- by its zones, their stats, its danger, atmosphere, size and more. To help drive that home, we've re-rendered all of the art for planets in systems, as well as doubling the visual variety shown in the game. In addition, to help differentiate different quadrants, we've introduced another variation of the space backgrounds.
Ship Weapons by Range
We are moving step by step through improving the status screen and headed into the starport from there. This release includes a new graph that quickly shows your ship's weapons counts per range, making it easy to identify your best range and where you will be weak or defenseless. We've got a lot more work to do in these areas, so thanks for your patience while we're WIP. In the Starport upgrade screen, we fixed the issue where the ALL tab was accidentally shown as selected when it was not. Hopefully this helps!
v2.0.49 - 1/5/2018
- Added new male outfit -- well-dressed Syndicate suit - Added new female outfit -- sharp-dressed Syndicate agent - New Artwork: Royal Red Quadrant Map / Backgrounds - Revised World Artwork: Redesigned all 12 planet images - Added 12 additional planet variations (Ice, Desert, Jungle, Garden, etc) - Ship status shows weapon per combat range graph - Fixed image with Starport replace incorrectly showing "All" tab selected - Added more story warnings about consequences - Slowed down some of the timers in the story to give captains more turns - Fixed issues with hanging Personal Objectives that did not go away properly - Improved Rumor display in Star Atlas - Improved Rumor display in World Orbit - Dialog and cut-scenes advance by spacebar only
Update #19: Screens and Stories
Our Wednesday update brings content expansions, bug fixes and platform updates for Windows and Linux. Beyond mechanical and balance fixes, this update includes a patch for the narrative engine.
For our Windows build, the fixed OS scaling is now ignored. The game now supports a dynamic, user-configured scaling to set the DPI for the display size and resolution.
We appreciate everyone's patience and feedback on these issues, and we will keep working to improve these features.
We've added a new narrative hook called 'Desperate Smuggler' and made further fixes and adjustments to existing narratives (Hunna "Freedom Fighters" / Hostage Diplomat.) We are looking forward to telling another epic story in Star Traders: Frontiers, and we're really excited about doing that working along side everyone playing the game. Everyone who tuned into our Twitch streams and contributed ideas for these barks and
We are engaged with you and working on expanding the game's Wiki for the benefit of all players. If you haven't visited, the Wiki has a wealth automatically generated content we upload along with each patch so it is always accurate. For example, if you wanted to see the complete list of Swordsman Job Levels and Talents: https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Swordsman
We're hard at work on game balance and we appreciate everyone who is sending in saved games to our Dropbox. We're analyzing them all and looking for bugs and issues. If you'd like to send your saved game you and upload it here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/rpbgwOkEe5Da9gKLUTMo Saved game locations: https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Save_Game_Locations
- Added game/UI scaling option -- increase or decrease to better match your resolution - Win32 DPI scaling is now ignored -- use scaling option to adjust UI size - Electronics Skill now used in more mission situations - Added new story event -- 'Desperate Smuggler' narrative - Fixed issue with reporting same mission success to Arbiter in a "loop" - Fixed issue with Mission % success printing big negative in card games - Clarified text of Talent type counting in crew status - Fixed issues preventing Discerning Glance Recruit Talent from firing when hiring from Contacts - Any key stroke now advances story dialog - Rumor text in Event log is now has a yellow highlight - Wrote new additional Crew Barks and Event Log Results (Thanks Twitch!) - Fixed issues with Combat Log during Hunna Starport Attack
[ 2018-01-03 19:40:22 CET ] [ Original post ]
Continuous Barrage
Our Wednesday update brings content expansions, bug fixes and platform updates for Windows and Linux. Beyond mechanical and balance fixes, this update includes a patch for the narrative engine.
DPI Support
For our Windows build, the fixed OS scaling is now ignored. The game now supports a dynamic, user-configured scaling to set the DPI for the display size and resolution.
We appreciate everyone's patience and feedback on these issues, and we will keep working to improve these features.
More Stories
We've added a new narrative hook called 'Desperate Smuggler' and made further fixes and adjustments to existing narratives (Hunna "Freedom Fighters" / Hostage Diplomat.) We are looking forward to telling another epic story in Star Traders: Frontiers, and we're really excited about doing that working along side everyone playing the game. Everyone who tuned into our Twitch streams and contributed ideas for these barks and
Wiki and Balance
We are engaged with you and working on expanding the game's Wiki for the benefit of all players. If you haven't visited, the Wiki has a wealth automatically generated content we upload along with each patch so it is always accurate. For example, if you wanted to see the complete list of Swordsman Job Levels and Talents: https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Swordsman
Balance and Expansions
We're hard at work on game balance and we appreciate everyone who is sending in saved games to our Dropbox. We're analyzing them all and looking for bugs and issues. If you'd like to send your saved game you and upload it here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/rpbgwOkEe5Da9gKLUTMo Saved game locations: https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Save_Game_Locations
v2.0.47 - 1/3/2018
- Added game/UI scaling option -- increase or decrease to better match your resolution - Win32 DPI scaling is now ignored -- use scaling option to adjust UI size - Electronics Skill now used in more mission situations - Added new story event -- 'Desperate Smuggler' narrative - Fixed issue with reporting same mission success to Arbiter in a "loop" - Fixed issue with Mission % success printing big negative in card games - Clarified text of Talent type counting in crew status - Fixed issues preventing Discerning Glance Recruit Talent from firing when hiring from Contacts - Any key stroke now advances story dialog - Rumor text in Event log is now has a yellow highlight - Wrote new additional Crew Barks and Event Log Results (Thanks Twitch!) - Fixed issues with Combat Log during Hunna Starport Attack
Update #18: Political Strife
The benefits and consequences of your actions now flow across more political alliances. Trade Permits up to Rank 2 are now honored by Factions in a Trade Alliance. If you hold Moklumnue Trade Permits and they are in a Trade Alliance with Rychart, you'll find your Permits honored at Rychart Exchanges. Spy War Conflicts are now punching up the number of Intel records generated through ship victory Talents. Go hunting your Faction's enemies during a Spy War and you'll reap even larger Intel rewards. Military Officers of Factions in Alliances flow any positive or negative Reputation changes to their allies. If Cadar is in an Alliance with De Valtos, if you encounter a Military Officer in space travel, any report or acknowledge result will end in Reputation also flowing to De Valtos, their ally.
The system atlas now shows the demand and supply for every resource on the system's trading list. If you've visited a zone before, you can check its zone demand and supply based on its economic type and other factors at a distance. This quick trading guide will help you plot trades at a distance or while landed on another zone.
We've also added the number of Talents that have the same effect to the Talent screen, even when the Talents are provided by different jobs. Also, we've fixed and improved a ton of things so ... check out the full release notes! And leave a review!
- Trade Alliance Conflicts now offer reciprocity for Faction Trade Permits up to Rank 2 - Spy War Conflict boosts value of Intel Record extraction Talents (Ship Combat - Victory) - Positive and Negative Reputation changes when leaving Military Ship encounters flows through Faction Alliances - Added hovers for date in status to explain YYY.MM date format used by Star Traders - Star Atlas now displays demand level (B+, etc) for Buy/Sell icon lists - Displays count of similar Talents as well as specific in Talent Training Screen - Increased Cost of "Sensor Array" Ship Upgrades - Renamed "Defensive" Ship Components to "Structural" - Fixed issues with crew combat uniform-name mismatch in enemy generators - Wrote new additional Crew Barks and Event Log Results (Thanks Twitch!) - Fixes issues with Xeno Captains (beware Xeno Captains) - Fixed some rendering issues on Ship Combat Preamble screens - Fixed issues that caused the waypoint destination marker to be invisible - Fixed Ship Component Display bugs that hid bonuses like Accuracy and Shielding - Improved mini-game XP listing for crew grants (total, counts, -1 crew fixed)
[ 2018-01-01 18:41:56 CET ] [ Original post ]
Happy New Year to all of our Captains! A new year is a great time for a new update. It will be a year of updates, new features, improvements, new story and more. We're hacking our way through the v2.1.x family of our dev roadmap and are looking forward to the next big steps.
This New Year, we are thankful for all of our captains who have told a friend, shared the game or chosen to leave a review. You keep us moving forward and hammering out updates!
Political Teeth
The benefits and consequences of your actions now flow across more political alliances. Trade Permits up to Rank 2 are now honored by Factions in a Trade Alliance. If you hold Moklumnue Trade Permits and they are in a Trade Alliance with Rychart, you'll find your Permits honored at Rychart Exchanges. Spy War Conflicts are now punching up the number of Intel records generated through ship victory Talents. Go hunting your Faction's enemies during a Spy War and you'll reap even larger Intel rewards. Military Officers of Factions in Alliances flow any positive or negative Reputation changes to their allies. If Cadar is in an Alliance with De Valtos, if you encounter a Military Officer in space travel, any report or acknowledge result will end in Reputation also flowing to De Valtos, their ally.
Trade Planning
The system atlas now shows the demand and supply for every resource on the system's trading list. If you've visited a zone before, you can check its zone demand and supply based on its economic type and other factors at a distance. This quick trading guide will help you plot trades at a distance or while landed on another zone.
We've also added the number of Talents that have the same effect to the Talent screen, even when the Talents are provided by different jobs. Also, we've fixed and improved a ton of things so ... check out the full release notes! And leave a review!
v2.0.45 - 1/1/2018
- Trade Alliance Conflicts now offer reciprocity for Faction Trade Permits up to Rank 2 - Spy War Conflict boosts value of Intel Record extraction Talents (Ship Combat - Victory) - Positive and Negative Reputation changes when leaving Military Ship encounters flows through Faction Alliances - Added hovers for date in status to explain YYY.MM date format used by Star Traders - Star Atlas now displays demand level (B+, etc) for Buy/Sell icon lists - Displays count of similar Talents as well as specific in Talent Training Screen - Increased Cost of "Sensor Array" Ship Upgrades - Renamed "Defensive" Ship Components to "Structural" - Fixed issues with crew combat uniform-name mismatch in enemy generators - Wrote new additional Crew Barks and Event Log Results (Thanks Twitch!) - Fixes issues with Xeno Captains (beware Xeno Captains) - Fixed some rendering issues on Ship Combat Preamble screens - Fixed issues that caused the waypoint destination marker to be invisible - Fixed Ship Component Display bugs that hid bonuses like Accuracy and Shielding - Improved mini-game XP listing for crew grants (total, counts, -1 crew fixed)
Update #17: Starport Refinements
Two big refinements have dropped for the starport. First is Auto Refuel. This is a per-Captain option that is recommended for Captains who have a solid bank roll and the ability to afford a full tank at any starport, regardless of the price of fuel. Be sure you want to turn it on, as it can be troublesome for some early Captains and higher difficulties. Each saved game keeps its own Auto Refuel option, so enabling it for one Captain has no effect on others. While we are rebuilding the entire starport upgrade / new ship / dry dock ship stack of UIs, we've made a quick set of fixes to the component upgrade screens to make it more clear that you CAN replace one type of component with another component by using the list of buttons at the bottom of the screen. The previous button stack was not obvious and has left a lot of Captains confused about ship design. Much bigger improvements are coming, but this one is a hot fix for now.
We made an enhancement to the mission system in card games. Each time you attempt a card game mission, the percentage chance of drawing the mission card increases a little bit if you fail to draw it. This helps reduce the case where bad RNG can force you to make 30 runs at a Spying Mission. While the percentage chance starts low (20% standard) it grows to ensure that you'll eventually have a high chance of success.
You may want to consider getting some more Mechanics on your crew or crossing your Engineer with a Mechanic Job for the new Engine Reboot Talent -- an ability that lets you directly repair your Engine during combat. Also fixed a ton of bugs and issues, tweaked story mission payments in the case of overdue missions, fixed crashes with recruiting Vytautas, and improved hovers in Skills area to describe the x (y) format. Lots in this one! Enjoy :D Be sure to tell a friend!
- Added toggle for Auto-Refuel per Captain - automatically pay for full refuel at every starport where available - Card Game Missions have increasing % chance of success after each attempt - Added new Mechanic Talent - Engine Reboot specifically repairs Void Engine by Repair Skill % - Event Log entries for Talents now include job name from which Talent is learned - Crew List now remembers Sort and Filter mode between uses (keeps filter on leveling, etc) - Crew Combat Skip Talent gives diminishing returns in HP/Morale restore - Improved Starport upgrade UI to make it clear that the buttons at the bottom are component type tabs - Boarding Assault Gunner Talent cannot be used at Range 1 - Even if your ship engines are knocked out, you can now Acknowledge friendly ships in space encounters - Improved Badu Jack mission to stash Electronics instead of Weapon Components - Mission Payment for overdue story missions degrades much slower than normal missions - Improved hovers in crew detail about Skill Bonuses in parentheses x (y) - All card games indicate when XP has been granted to crew in their results - Fixed crashes after recruiting Vytautas - Fixed issue with certain Traits causing Morale damage too often when landing on zones - Fixed issues with Battle Damage Repair fixing too many components - Prevented use of ship repair Talents in ship combat there are no damaged components - Fixed issue where lesser Contact was selected for service discount like Refueling - Fixed mismatch titles in Ranks on Faction list - Fixed issue with incorrect award icons in event list - Prevented increasing Job Rank over 30 bug
[ 2017-12-29 02:01:37 CET ] [ Original post ]
The spice festival continues in the hall, full of raucous energy, many new comers and rumors from across the wide galaxy. While updates have been delayed a bit for the holidays, we're resuming service and on the move again! If you like what you're seeing with the game and our relentless pace of updates, please leave a review and tell a friend about STF!
Auto Refuel and Replacement Buttons
Two big refinements have dropped for the starport. First is Auto Refuel. This is a per-Captain option that is recommended for Captains who have a solid bank roll and the ability to afford a full tank at any starport, regardless of the price of fuel. Be sure you want to turn it on, as it can be troublesome for some early Captains and higher difficulties. Each saved game keeps its own Auto Refuel option, so enabling it for one Captain has no effect on others. While we are rebuilding the entire starport upgrade / new ship / dry dock ship stack of UIs, we've made a quick set of fixes to the component upgrade screens to make it more clear that you CAN replace one type of component with another component by using the list of buttons at the bottom of the screen. The previous button stack was not obvious and has left a lot of Captains confused about ship design. Much bigger improvements are coming, but this one is a hot fix for now.
Card Game Missions
We made an enhancement to the mission system in card games. Each time you attempt a card game mission, the percentage chance of drawing the mission card increases a little bit if you fail to draw it. This helps reduce the case where bad RNG can force you to make 30 runs at a Spying Mission. While the percentage chance starts low (20% standard) it grows to ensure that you'll eventually have a high chance of success.
New Mechanic Talent
You may want to consider getting some more Mechanics on your crew or crossing your Engineer with a Mechanic Job for the new Engine Reboot Talent -- an ability that lets you directly repair your Engine during combat. Also fixed a ton of bugs and issues, tweaked story mission payments in the case of overdue missions, fixed crashes with recruiting Vytautas, and improved hovers in Skills area to describe the x (y) format. Lots in this one! Enjoy :D Be sure to tell a friend!
v2.0.43 - 12/28/2017
- Added toggle for Auto-Refuel per Captain - automatically pay for full refuel at every starport where available - Card Game Missions have increasing % chance of success after each attempt - Added new Mechanic Talent - Engine Reboot specifically repairs Void Engine by Repair Skill % - Event Log entries for Talents now include job name from which Talent is learned - Crew List now remembers Sort and Filter mode between uses (keeps filter on leveling, etc) - Crew Combat Skip Talent gives diminishing returns in HP/Morale restore - Improved Starport upgrade UI to make it clear that the buttons at the bottom are component type tabs - Boarding Assault Gunner Talent cannot be used at Range 1 - Even if your ship engines are knocked out, you can now Acknowledge friendly ships in space encounters - Improved Badu Jack mission to stash Electronics instead of Weapon Components - Mission Payment for overdue story missions degrades much slower than normal missions - Improved hovers in crew detail about Skill Bonuses in parentheses x (y) - All card games indicate when XP has been granted to crew in their results - Fixed crashes after recruiting Vytautas - Fixed issue with certain Traits causing Morale damage too often when landing on zones - Fixed issues with Battle Damage Repair fixing too many components - Prevented use of ship repair Talents in ship combat there are no damaged components - Fixed issue where lesser Contact was selected for service discount like Refueling - Fixed mismatch titles in Ranks on Faction list - Fixed issue with incorrect award icons in event list - Prevented increasing Job Rank over 30 bug
Update #16: Rychart Hat Monopoly
While the Rychart have long held a monopoly on the biggest and best hats, a trade alliance has finally be reached that will release those hats to the Star Trader Captains of the galaxy. No, it doesn't make any sense -- but we did add hats and helmets! They can be combined with other character design elements like eyepatches for great effect. We've included 3 in this first update and will be pushing a bunch more options in soon. Now that there are so many fancy things, the AI is going to have to learn some new styles as well.
The response to the new event log has been so overwhelmingly positive we couldn't be happier. We've received some feedback on how to improve it and will be keep working on it each release. In this release, we've included a extra detail that lists how many Saving Talents you have left for any given Skill. We've also almost doubled the amount of narrative text being generated and plan to keep exploding that generator.
We've fixed a number of issues related to death, game over screen and surrender conditions. We resolve the rare situation in which a Captain could die, but then continue to live on as a ghost for a little while longer. Death always catches up eventually -- check out Heroes of Steel if you need to learn that lesson. We also fixed the rules around imprisonment -- you'll always be doing at least a year of hard time now. Finally, we vastly improved the Captain Memorial screen that shows all your stats after you die. Try not to die -- the new screen is good, but its not that good!
- Added character hats and helmets - military beret, wide-brimmed hat, hunter helmets - Combine hats with eye patches, armbands and other design elements and more coming soon! - Hovers over Event List for Saving Talents includes count of Talents still in reserve for specific Skill - Fixed issues with duplicate High Prince Contacts - Improved Captain Memorial / Game Over Screen - Fixed issue sometimes allowing dead Captain to keep flying a bit longer - Captain Imprisonment now takes at least 1 year minimum - Clarified some mission text for easier reading - Fixes Various bugs in Explorer, Orbital Ops, Black Market - Improved Event Log text generator - Improved armband placement in animations - Fixed story bugs
[ 2017-12-22 02:38:27 CET ] [ Original post ]
The spice hall is jovial this time of year, so its time for another big update!
If you haven't accepted your charter and stepped on to the bridge of a spaceship, the time is now Captains! Star Traders: Frontiers is 20% off for the Christmas sale and we hope you'll join us on this Early Access adventure. We've knocked out 16 big updates now with the game being less than 40 days old, so we are keeping to the Relentless Pace (TM) we promised. Join up today!
Now onto the update!
Hats and Helmets
While the Rychart have long held a monopoly on the biggest and best hats, a trade alliance has finally be reached that will release those hats to the Star Trader Captains of the galaxy. No, it doesn't make any sense -- but we did add hats and helmets! They can be combined with other character design elements like eyepatches for great effect. We've included 3 in this first update and will be pushing a bunch more options in soon. Now that there are so many fancy things, the AI is going to have to learn some new styles as well.
Event Log
The response to the new event log has been so overwhelmingly positive we couldn't be happier. We've received some feedback on how to improve it and will be keep working on it each release. In this release, we've included a extra detail that lists how many Saving Talents you have left for any given Skill. We've also almost doubled the amount of narrative text being generated and plan to keep exploding that generator.
Death and Game Over
We've fixed a number of issues related to death, game over screen and surrender conditions. We resolve the rare situation in which a Captain could die, but then continue to live on as a ghost for a little while longer. Death always catches up eventually -- check out Heroes of Steel if you need to learn that lesson. We also fixed the rules around imprisonment -- you'll always be doing at least a year of hard time now. Finally, we vastly improved the Captain Memorial screen that shows all your stats after you die. Try not to die -- the new screen is good, but its not that good!
v2.0.41 - 12/21/2017
- Added character hats and helmets - military beret, wide-brimmed hat, hunter helmets - Combine hats with eye patches, armbands and other design elements and more coming soon! - Hovers over Event List for Saving Talents includes count of Talents still in reserve for specific Skill - Fixed issues with duplicate High Prince Contacts - Improved Captain Memorial / Game Over Screen - Fixed issue sometimes allowing dead Captain to keep flying a bit longer - Captain Imprisonment now takes at least 1 year minimum - Clarified some mission text for easier reading - Fixes Various bugs in Explorer, Orbital Ops, Black Market - Improved Event Log text generator - Improved armband placement in animations - Fixed story bugs
Update #15: Life in the Void
We're excited to scratch the first big item off our version 2.1.x list. We've already started working through the rebuild for enemy AI variety, but have more work to do there before we can cross it off in earnest. Next up on the 2.1.x list is the much needed rebuild of the Starport UI and finish out the Faen family story arc.
Other changes in the release include adding a Mechanic crew member to all new starting crews. With a Mechanic in the crew, this grants a Repair Saving Talent which will help new crews avoid getting smacked by ship and crew damage early. But, it also opens up a Talent slot for the Officer Engineer to take the Port Maintenance Talent -- a great starting Talent for any ship's Engineer! We've knocked out a bunch of other bugs, SFX adds and some UI improvements to the new captain template screens as well.
- New Event Log System - New Captain Template UI Cleanups - Starting crew now includes a Mechanic - Fixes Various bugs in Explorer, Orbital Ops, Black Market - Repriced Ship Components: Sensor Arrays - Display existing quantity on hand when buying weapons, armor, gear - Added new SFX in New Game - Added new SFX in Crew Status - Fixed issues with second zone in System Atlas - Fixed Music Volume bugs in Map - Fixed issues with cargo overflows on enemy ships
[ 2017-12-20 06:57:28 CET ] [ Original post ]
Tonight we are excited to deliver on one of the two major UI component rewrites that we have planned for the v2.1.x family as shared in our Early Access Dev Roadmap. The completely revised Event List in the bottom right corner now has a wealth of detail to share about what is happening on your ship as you travel, land, jump, trade, fight, live and die.
Each event is now includes descriptive text as well as full stack of details about XP gain, health and morale loss as well as ship damage, extra fuel spent and more -- all visible at a glance. Hover over any item in the list for the exact specifics.
If you like the improvements, we hope you'll tell a friend about our Relentless Pace of updates and leave a review on the game!
While you are operating within a zone and using the exchange, spice hall or other services, hover over the event list and you can check the details quickly as well.
Attacking v2.1.x
We're excited to scratch the first big item off our version 2.1.x list. We've already started working through the rebuild for enemy AI variety, but have more work to do there before we can cross it off in earnest. Next up on the 2.1.x list is the much needed rebuild of the Starport UI and finish out the Faen family story arc.
Welcome Starting Mechanic
Other changes in the release include adding a Mechanic crew member to all new starting crews. With a Mechanic in the crew, this grants a Repair Saving Talent which will help new crews avoid getting smacked by ship and crew damage early. But, it also opens up a Talent slot for the Officer Engineer to take the Port Maintenance Talent -- a great starting Talent for any ship's Engineer! We've knocked out a bunch of other bugs, SFX adds and some UI improvements to the new captain template screens as well.
v2.0.39 - 12/20/2017
- New Event Log System - New Captain Template UI Cleanups - Starting crew now includes a Mechanic - Fixes Various bugs in Explorer, Orbital Ops, Black Market - Repriced Ship Components: Sensor Arrays - Display existing quantity on hand when buying weapons, armor, gear - Added new SFX in New Game - Added new SFX in Crew Status - Fixed issues with second zone in System Atlas - Fixed Music Volume bugs in Map - Fixed issues with cargo overflows on enemy ships
Stability Patch (v2.0.37)
- Increased officer count for "Warhammer Class" - Fixed crashes with "Treat Wounded" - Rebalanced Mass Modulator vs. Mass Dampner - Improved Enemy Officer Builder - Temporarily Prohibit Respec/Retrain/Regear During Combat - Fixed several issues with default map and map generator - Fixed bugs with some Map markers refreshes See you in the void!
[ 2017-12-17 04:06:08 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, We had some turbulence with the latest launch and we had to fire off an additional salvo to punch through to more stable air. If you're playing Star Traders: Frontiers this weekend, make sure you grab the latest patch to reduce crashes and improve your overall experience.
v2.0.37 - Stability Update
- Increased officer count for "Warhammer Class" - Fixed crashes with "Treat Wounded" - Rebalanced Mass Modulator vs. Mass Dampner - Improved Enemy Officer Builder - Temporarily Prohibit Respec/Retrain/Regear During Combat - Fixed several issues with default map and map generator - Fixed bugs with some Map markers refreshes See you in the void!
Update #14: Unchain the Ships of War
With the Unchained update, we have released all new enemy strategies into the game and updated all of the existing routines. This includes the enemy ship building engines as well as the AI to build captains, their officer corp and their crew. Captains will build more focused officer sets around their profession, as well as driving better crew allocations for their type of ship. Overall, we've rebuilt the foundation of what makes up an enemy crew. From here, we will be continue to work on improving the AI's ability to perform better at a variety of ranges, make more challenging tactical decisions, use a better variety of Talents and stop repeat stacking certain Talents. On top of adding new smarts, variety and tricks to the enemy AI builder, we've added some rebalance, improvements and increased variety to the cargo holds of other ships traveling the Quadrants. Rumors relating to Merchant Fleets have been majorly increased as well.
With new ships launching across many of the major Mass thresholds, this update almost increases the ship catalog by 30%. Including 3 new ship visual designs, these new models expand both the player and enemy captain's ability to build unique, different vessels for war, trading, spying or more. We are continuing to work on our plan to add further differentiation to the ship hulls. More on that will be coming a bit down the line, but for now we're getting this new bevy of ships out to both your Captain and the AI's Captains!
An equal number of risk and reward rumors have been buffed up for this release. Watch out for storms of all sorts, but revel in the riches of Artifact Find and Merchant Fleet. In other news, we've added new wiki pages, fixed a bug that was causing Suppressing Fire and other knock-back Talents to steal turns, fixed the update routine for the service icons on the map and resolved all the reported crashes in the last release! The two man team here is working around the clock for big updates -- so enjoy and thanks for your feedback, reviews and shares.
- Reworked enemy Officer generator and Captain builder - New Ship Artwork: Predator - Gold - New Ship Artwork: Dreadnought - New Ship Artwork: Warcruiser - New 3400 Mass Ship: "Strikecruiser" - New 5000 Mass Ship: "Solar Predator" - New 5000 Mass Ship: "Paladin Defender" - New 6000 Mass Ship: "Vengence Class" - New 8000 Mass Ship: "Warhammer Class" - New Ship Components: Hull Shielding, Battle Prow, Reinforced Officer Cabin - Repriced Ship Components: Bridge, Cargo, Defensive - Rebalanced Ship Components: Medical Chamber, Medical Bay, Hospital - More Cargo Variety for Bounty Hunters, Smugglers, Pirates, Explorers, Xeno - Adds support for more variable types and quantities of looted cargo - Map markers (contact, mission, refuel, etc) now refresh - Fixed issue with knock-back crew combat Talents (Supressing Fire, etc) stealing enemy's turn - Rumors: 100% Increase in impact of 'Merchant Fleet' on cargo generator - Rumors: Artifact Find Boost Increased by 50% - Rumors: Better modifies power of Radiation Storms by difficulty (+30% on Impossible) - Rumors: Boosted power of Ion and Meteor Storms on all difficulties - Talents: Fixed issues with Ion and Radiation Storm Talents - Fixes some bugs with score keeping on 'Crew Killed' scores - Adds Wiki page for 'Contact Traits' - Fixed issue with Retrain pricing - Fixed issues with System counts in Galactic Map - Fixed Crashes with Rumors, Contacts, Atlas Filters
[ 2017-12-16 05:48:25 CET ] [ Original post ]
In the first month of Early Access, our understanding of the balance of combat, the ships of war and the captains who command them has come forward by leaps and bounds. Seeing saved games, analytics, watching streamers, chatting with players and discussing on the Steam forums has -- as we knew it would -- helped us hone in on a series of major combat balance updates!
Before hitting the specifics below, let me ask that if you like our relentless pace of updates (14 meaty updates in a month!), please leave a review and tell a friend about how the Star Traders: Frontiers early access!
Without further adieu --
Enemy Captain, Officer and Crew
With the Unchained update, we have released all new enemy strategies into the game and updated all of the existing routines. This includes the enemy ship building engines as well as the AI to build captains, their officer corp and their crew. Captains will build more focused officer sets around their profession, as well as driving better crew allocations for their type of ship. Overall, we've rebuilt the foundation of what makes up an enemy crew. From here, we will be continue to work on improving the AI's ability to perform better at a variety of ranges, make more challenging tactical decisions, use a better variety of Talents and stop repeat stacking certain Talents. On top of adding new smarts, variety and tricks to the enemy AI builder, we've added some rebalance, improvements and increased variety to the cargo holds of other ships traveling the Quadrants. Rumors relating to Merchant Fleets have been majorly increased as well.
+5 New Ships!
With new ships launching across many of the major Mass thresholds, this update almost increases the ship catalog by 30%. Including 3 new ship visual designs, these new models expand both the player and enemy captain's ability to build unique, different vessels for war, trading, spying or more. We are continuing to work on our plan to add further differentiation to the ship hulls. More on that will be coming a bit down the line, but for now we're getting this new bevy of ships out to both your Captain and the AI's Captains!
Rumor Boosts
An equal number of risk and reward rumors have been buffed up for this release. Watch out for storms of all sorts, but revel in the riches of Artifact Find and Merchant Fleet. In other news, we've added new wiki pages, fixed a bug that was causing Suppressing Fire and other knock-back Talents to steal turns, fixed the update routine for the service icons on the map and resolved all the reported crashes in the last release! The two man team here is working around the clock for big updates -- so enjoy and thanks for your feedback, reviews and shares.
v2.0.35 - 12/16/2017
- Reworked enemy Officer generator and Captain builder - New Ship Artwork: Predator - Gold - New Ship Artwork: Dreadnought - New Ship Artwork: Warcruiser - New 3400 Mass Ship: "Strikecruiser" - New 5000 Mass Ship: "Solar Predator" - New 5000 Mass Ship: "Paladin Defender" - New 6000 Mass Ship: "Vengence Class" - New 8000 Mass Ship: "Warhammer Class" - New Ship Components: Hull Shielding, Battle Prow, Reinforced Officer Cabin - Repriced Ship Components: Bridge, Cargo, Defensive - Rebalanced Ship Components: Medical Chamber, Medical Bay, Hospital - More Cargo Variety for Bounty Hunters, Smugglers, Pirates, Explorers, Xeno - Adds support for more variable types and quantities of looted cargo - Map markers (contact, mission, refuel, etc) now refresh - Fixed issue with knock-back crew combat Talents (Supressing Fire, etc) stealing enemy's turn - Rumors: 100% Increase in impact of 'Merchant Fleet' on cargo generator - Rumors: Artifact Find Boost Increased by 50% - Rumors: Better modifies power of Radiation Storms by difficulty (+30% on Impossible) - Rumors: Boosted power of Ion and Meteor Storms on all difficulties - Talents: Fixed issues with Ion and Radiation Storm Talents - Fixes some bugs with score keeping on 'Crew Killed' scores - Adds Wiki page for 'Contact Traits' - Fixed issue with Retrain pricing - Fixed issues with System counts in Galactic Map - Fixed Crashes with Rumors, Contacts, Atlas Filters
Update #13: Sharpen the Blade
A significant balance change is included in this release for Boarding Talents. While in the past, only the Boarding Talents for the 4 crew members who boarded the enemy ship were available on victory, we've opened this up to a wider crew selection if you are at Range 1. In this case, any crew member on the ship can use a Boarding Talent, giving much more utility to the Mechanic and E-Tech Talents. Of course, you do have to close all the way to range 1, so get your Twitch Surge ready, boarders! You can still board with Talents like the Gunners and Bounty Hunters from farther ranges, you only your 4 boarders can use Boarding Talents. We've updated the crew selection screen based on player feedback to get the HP and Morale bars visible for the selected crew, making choices to swap out easier when you have wounded among the auto-select set.
In a few areas with this release, we've smoothed out the curves or cut down on RNG. Travel events in the early game have been smoothed out to be significantly less impactful. We've also removed RNG from the healing Talents, which were causing some reports that they were not working.
We've rebuilt the dialog showing details on a Quadrant in the Quadrant map as well updating the main status screen in prep for the upcoming ship component and upgrade UI rebuild. The on-going war for tooltips continues, and we've pushed in 16 new ones into the status screen stack. We are moving on toward new game now and will be annotating those screens to the dickens.
- Boarding Talents of any crew member can be used at Range 1, not only Boarding Combat Team - Health and Morale visible while selecting crew for combat - Improved presence of alert dot on Spice Hall, reliably there when spice is needed - Improved Quadrant map dialog UI - Fixed bugs with Terrifying Extortion Cargo - Added support for 1280x720 windowed mode - Smoothed balance curve for travel events in early game - Removed RNG from Talent-based sources of Crew healing - Fixed issues with "Treat Wounded" Ship Combat Talent - Fixed issues with multiple instances of "Rough Interrogation" - Fixed issue with Sharp Counter Talent allowing player or enemy AI to take back-to-back turns - Increased Shielding for Fidelis Cutter, Paladin Cruiser - Fixed bug preventing Ship Shielding from displaying correctly outside of combat - Fixed issue with Armored Bulkheads 3 and 4 - Improved main status screen, added 16 new hovers
[ 2017-12-14 04:41:44 CET ] [ Original post ]
A huge thanks goes out to all of our Captains for your generous feedback, suggestions and bug reports. The lively and engaging community here, on our Discord and across all our channels is dumping more Water-Fuel into our metaphorical Void Engines. Order another round of spice beer, because we've got more updates!
Before launching into the fun, I hope you'll take a minute to share STF with a friend and leave a review. We promised a relentless pace, and we're burning the engines hot to deliver. Many thanks for helping to share the game.
Boarding Talents and Crew Select
A significant balance change is included in this release for Boarding Talents. While in the past, only the Boarding Talents for the 4 crew members who boarded the enemy ship were available on victory, we've opened this up to a wider crew selection if you are at Range 1. In this case, any crew member on the ship can use a Boarding Talent, giving much more utility to the Mechanic and E-Tech Talents. Of course, you do have to close all the way to range 1, so get your Twitch Surge ready, boarders! You can still board with Talents like the Gunners and Bounty Hunters from farther ranges, you only your 4 boarders can use Boarding Talents. We've updated the crew selection screen based on player feedback to get the HP and Morale bars visible for the selected crew, making choices to swap out easier when you have wounded among the auto-select set.
Curve Smoothing
In a few areas with this release, we've smoothed out the curves or cut down on RNG. Travel events in the early game have been smoothed out to be significantly less impactful. We've also removed RNG from the healing Talents, which were causing some reports that they were not working.
Polish til It Shines
We've rebuilt the dialog showing details on a Quadrant in the Quadrant map as well updating the main status screen in prep for the upcoming ship component and upgrade UI rebuild. The on-going war for tooltips continues, and we've pushed in 16 new ones into the status screen stack. We are moving on toward new game now and will be annotating those screens to the dickens.
v2.0.33 - 12/13/2017
- Boarding Talents of any crew member can be used at Range 1, not only Boarding Combat Team - Health and Morale visible while selecting crew for combat - Improved presence of alert dot on Spice Hall, reliably there when spice is needed - Improved Quadrant map dialog UI - Fixed bugs with Terrifying Extortion Cargo - Added support for 1280x720 windowed mode - Smoothed balance curve for travel events in early game - Removed RNG from Talent-based sources of Crew healing - Fixed issues with "Treat Wounded" Ship Combat Talent - Fixed issues with multiple instances of "Rough Interrogation" - Fixed issue with Sharp Counter Talent allowing player or enemy AI to take back-to-back turns - Increased Shielding for Fidelis Cutter, Paladin Cruiser - Fixed bug preventing Ship Shielding from displaying correctly outside of combat - Fixed issue with Armored Bulkheads 3 and 4 - Improved main status screen, added 16 new hovers
Update #12: Engage Void Engines!
Your Reputation with other factions has a constant impact on your ability to access key grav services -- fuel, spice, repairs. Throughout the game, we've updated the service icons (blue wrench spice crystal, fuel tank) to indicate when they are at a location where hostile officials will deny the service. In the first screenshot of the update, you can see that the Steel Song will deny my Captain the opportunity to refuel at their starports. As we continue balancing, we're looking hard at the AI that drives each type of captain type (Pirate, Merchant, etc) as well as how each Faction modifies those AIs and the additional impacts that Conflicts can have. This release includes a noticeable change in the behavior of Smugglers and Merchants, who will no longer dip below -3 Hostile -- meaning they no longer appear with the only option of Fight or Surrender.
Ship Combat balance is something that will take many iterations. We are improving and testing and improving and testing. This release includes some new rules to prevent Engines from taking multiple hits during a single round of combat -- a possibility that happened too often and is one of the causes of sudden-engine-death. We've also improved the balance of some of the defensive components, giving each a better defined role with less overlap.
The contact and atlas screens got major improvements in this update. On the Atlas, you can now see extensive details about any visited zone, including all the resources that it buys and sells. Contacts listing is better annotated and includes the system name where they reside as well as the economy type of that system to facilitate quick trading decisions while visiting allies. Of course, hovers all around! Another 25+ tooltips have gone into the game across the screens and more will be coming. We fixed a bug that was hiding the Arbiter storyline as well as some lingering crew combat freezes and odd dot position placement for Talents like E-Suture.
- Zone Service Icons are Reputation Aware (Map, Hovers, Atlas, Orbit, Details) - Reduced Merchant and Smuggler Hostility in Ship Combat - no longer attack - Improved Contact Detail Lists (Zone, Traits, Services, Location, Links) - Improved Star Atlas: Lists Goods Bought / Sold for Zone Econ - Improved Star Atlas: Added time since last worldfall - Improved Star Atlas: Rep Aware Icons, Hovers - Improved Ship Combat balance to avoid "rolling hits" hitting Engine multiple times in one turn - Rebalanced Defensive Upgrades: Reinforced Structures, Deflector Array, Armored Bulkheads - Eliminated Xeno encounters during first approx 500 turns in Orbit, Landing and Travel - Fixed crew combat freeze when trying to use buff on enemy - Fixed issue with target position dots for friendly Talents like E-Suture - Clarified effect of Bandit Trait - Added 25 new mouse hovers for traits, skills, zones, buttons - Weak Contact Links (< 10 Power) now have 50% chance to decay - Fixed issues with Arbiter storyline not appearing
[ 2017-12-11 22:47:36 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains, gather round the spice plate and let us talk. There is much news to share as we roll out update #12: Engage Void Engines! We're picking up pace with the speed of improvements now, hammering out some really good additions, fixes and balances with the growing strength of our community and the incoming feedback.
We've got some hot topics that are receiving attention tonight! We couldn't do this without your feedback so please keep leaving reviews and posting to the boards!
Rep Visibility and Balance
Your Reputation with other factions has a constant impact on your ability to access key grav services -- fuel, spice, repairs. Throughout the game, we've updated the service icons (blue wrench spice crystal, fuel tank) to indicate when they are at a location where hostile officials will deny the service. In the first screenshot of the update, you can see that the Steel Song will deny my Captain the opportunity to refuel at their starports. As we continue balancing, we're looking hard at the AI that drives each type of captain type (Pirate, Merchant, etc) as well as how each Faction modifies those AIs and the additional impacts that Conflicts can have. This release includes a noticeable change in the behavior of Smugglers and Merchants, who will no longer dip below -3 Hostile -- meaning they no longer appear with the only option of Fight or Surrender.
Continued Combat Balance
Ship Combat balance is something that will take many iterations. We are improving and testing and improving and testing. This release includes some new rules to prevent Engines from taking multiple hits during a single round of combat -- a possibility that happened too often and is one of the causes of sudden-engine-death. We've also improved the balance of some of the defensive components, giving each a better defined role with less overlap.
Contact and Atlas Improvements
The contact and atlas screens got major improvements in this update. On the Atlas, you can now see extensive details about any visited zone, including all the resources that it buys and sells. Contacts listing is better annotated and includes the system name where they reside as well as the economy type of that system to facilitate quick trading decisions while visiting allies. Of course, hovers all around! Another 25+ tooltips have gone into the game across the screens and more will be coming. We fixed a bug that was hiding the Arbiter storyline as well as some lingering crew combat freezes and odd dot position placement for Talents like E-Suture.
v2.0.31 - 12/11/2017
- Zone Service Icons are Reputation Aware (Map, Hovers, Atlas, Orbit, Details) - Reduced Merchant and Smuggler Hostility in Ship Combat - no longer attack - Improved Contact Detail Lists (Zone, Traits, Services, Location, Links) - Improved Star Atlas: Lists Goods Bought / Sold for Zone Econ - Improved Star Atlas: Added time since last worldfall - Improved Star Atlas: Rep Aware Icons, Hovers - Improved Ship Combat balance to avoid "rolling hits" hitting Engine multiple times in one turn - Rebalanced Defensive Upgrades: Reinforced Structures, Deflector Array, Armored Bulkheads - Eliminated Xeno encounters during first approx 500 turns in Orbit, Landing and Travel - Fixed crew combat freeze when trying to use buff on enemy - Fixed issue with target position dots for friendly Talents like E-Suture - Clarified effect of Bandit Trait - Added 25 new mouse hovers for traits, skills, zones, buttons - Weak Contact Links (< 10 Power) now have 50% chance to decay - Fixed issues with Arbiter storyline not appearing
Saturday Morning Hotfix
[ 2017-12-09 18:54:48 CET ] [ Original post ]
It's almost as good as the first Saturday morning cup of coffee. It's a Star Traders: Frontiers hotfix!
We had a few crash and issues overnight and decided to move quickly to resolve them. It's not enough to count as a real update, but we wanted to push this as a news post for anyone who might be experiencing these issues.
Keep flying, Captains!
v2.0.29 - 12/9/2017
- Fixed crashes in mission offer screens
- Fixed wide variation in reported jump time vs. real jump time
- Fixed issues "clicking through" mission over screen
Update #11: Silent Void
Across the quadrants, you'll now meet Prospectors and Academy Doctors both -- who will make it easier to gain access to Doctor recruits and now make Explorers recruitable for the first time. In order to make Pirates easier to find and recruit, the Warlord contact has switched over to recruiting these space corsairs instead of spies.
Some of your games may be suffering from a bug we are calling the "log jam" where one or two errant story events could cause a lot of other story events to get hung up. After this update, you MIGHT see a bunch of story events fire back to back as the jam clears. It maybe feel a bit crazy, but it will pass quickly.
Too many Captains have come to the sad end of being stuck in a hostile quadrant with a damaged hyperwarp. Without any local starports willing to repair the damage, you have been forced to resort to Patrol and Explore in desperate hope to make amends or get lucky with repairs. Even rich and powerful Captains could suffer this fate! Now, you can make an emergency jump to escape the Quadrant. Watch out -- this is not good. Things will go boom! But, you can get clear of enemy territory and gain a chance to repair, refuel and recoup at a friendly port. On the other side of this coin, hostile starports once again correctly implement the -30 Rep limit to stop selling you Water-Fuel. A bug crept in that made them generous. Their generosity has been revoked!
Many of our Captains have been lobbing out great ideas for new Talents. We love it! And here they come! The Spy can now steal intel records when boarding an enemy vessel with Unauthorized Access. Crew Dogs got a Blockading Talent to match their Patrol Talent with Hawkish Siege. And the Zealot has gained Summary Execution to put an end to a mutiny with a ruthless execution of a low Morale mutineer.
We've improved the Atlas significantly as well as adding services, tooltips and more. There is more awesome coming in regards to trading and such, but for now -- check out the new awesome. Ship combat display has been updated to show the Engine health at all times to help avoid surprise defeats. We are working on balancing out ship combat more, so thanks to everyone's patience while we improve! The war of the tooltips continues. We've added another 40+ tooltips across the game, annotating Faction flags everywhere and hitting up icons that are feeling lonely and jealous of other better icons that got tooltips first. We won't stop until ever widget, icon and shiny thing in the game is annotated. Please leave a review to help drive updates and improvements of the game! And tell a friend
v2.0.27 - 11/8/2017 - Added 2 new Contact types: Prospector and Academy Doctor - Prospector offers Explorer recruits, Academy Doctor offers Doctor recruits - Warlord Contact now offers Pirate for recruits instead of Spy - Added new Spy Talent at level 5 "Unauthorized Access" steals Intel Records after boarding enemy ship - Added new Crew Dog Talent at level 5 "Hawkish Siege" rerolls a card in Blockade - Added new Zealot Talent at level 8 "Summary Execution" kills lowest Morale crew in mutiny to reset Morale - Added Engine health for both ships to Ship Combat HUD to avoid unexpected defeat - May now make Emergency Hyperwarp Jump even if HW Drive is severely damaged - Combat crew selection and placement remembered and automatically assigned at next combat - Fixed story "log jam" which was preventing new stories not to start in games - Fixed bugs with correct resolution to Valencia Faen's storyline, Calagan now responds to resolution - Improved Talent icons for all card games (Explorer, Black Market, Spy, Patrol, Blockade) to be clearer - Exploration correctly blocks repeat explore when the territory is temporarily scoured - Starport correctly blocks refueling when Rep is below -30 - Fixed issues with Retrain cost being properly displayed and charged - Fixed issue with Sharp Counter Swordsman Talent being used from any rank - Prevented missions from showing $0 summary even when steps hidden - Fixed issue with odd waypoint to Arbiter personal objective - Added 40 new mouse hovers for rules, Faction flags and icons - Improved "Star Atlas" rendering and information presentation (more awesome coming soon)
[ 2017-12-09 05:58:07 CET ] [ Original post ]
As we're roaring into the weekend, we are excited to drop the Silent Void update -- its a mixed bag of great things. What's maybe most important is that it is a really big bag. Personally, I am excited at how many times the word "added" or "new" appears in this update! While we are still digging out from under bugs, story fixes and UI improvements -- our engines are starting to burn with a new light -- expansion! To the frontiers, Captains! Let's go!
New Contacts and Recruits
Across the quadrants, you'll now meet Prospectors and Academy Doctors both -- who will make it easier to gain access to Doctor recruits and now make Explorers recruitable for the first time. In order to make Pirates easier to find and recruit, the Warlord contact has switched over to recruiting these space corsairs instead of spies.
Story "Log Jam"
Some of your games may be suffering from a bug we are calling the "log jam" where one or two errant story events could cause a lot of other story events to get hung up. After this update, you MIGHT see a bunch of story events fire back to back as the jam clears. It maybe feel a bit crazy, but it will pass quickly.
Emergency Hyperwarp Behind Enemy Lines
Too many Captains have come to the sad end of being stuck in a hostile quadrant with a damaged hyperwarp. Without any local starports willing to repair the damage, you have been forced to resort to Patrol and Explore in desperate hope to make amends or get lucky with repairs. Even rich and powerful Captains could suffer this fate! Now, you can make an emergency jump to escape the Quadrant. Watch out -- this is not good. Things will go boom! But, you can get clear of enemy territory and gain a chance to repair, refuel and recoup at a friendly port. On the other side of this coin, hostile starports once again correctly implement the -30 Rep limit to stop selling you Water-Fuel. A bug crept in that made them generous. Their generosity has been revoked!
New Talents
Many of our Captains have been lobbing out great ideas for new Talents. We love it! And here they come! The Spy can now steal intel records when boarding an enemy vessel with Unauthorized Access. Crew Dogs got a Blockading Talent to match their Patrol Talent with Hawkish Siege. And the Zealot has gained Summary Execution to put an end to a mutiny with a ruthless execution of a low Morale mutineer.
UI and Tooltip War
We've improved the Atlas significantly as well as adding services, tooltips and more. There is more awesome coming in regards to trading and such, but for now -- check out the new awesome. Ship combat display has been updated to show the Engine health at all times to help avoid surprise defeats. We are working on balancing out ship combat more, so thanks to everyone's patience while we improve! The war of the tooltips continues. We've added another 40+ tooltips across the game, annotating Faction flags everywhere and hitting up icons that are feeling lonely and jealous of other better icons that got tooltips first. We won't stop until ever widget, icon and shiny thing in the game is annotated. Please leave a review to help drive updates and improvements of the game! And tell a friend
v2.0.27 - 11/8/2017 - Added 2 new Contact types: Prospector and Academy Doctor - Prospector offers Explorer recruits, Academy Doctor offers Doctor recruits - Warlord Contact now offers Pirate for recruits instead of Spy - Added new Spy Talent at level 5 "Unauthorized Access" steals Intel Records after boarding enemy ship - Added new Crew Dog Talent at level 5 "Hawkish Siege" rerolls a card in Blockade - Added new Zealot Talent at level 8 "Summary Execution" kills lowest Morale crew in mutiny to reset Morale - Added Engine health for both ships to Ship Combat HUD to avoid unexpected defeat - May now make Emergency Hyperwarp Jump even if HW Drive is severely damaged - Combat crew selection and placement remembered and automatically assigned at next combat - Fixed story "log jam" which was preventing new stories not to start in games - Fixed bugs with correct resolution to Valencia Faen's storyline, Calagan now responds to resolution - Improved Talent icons for all card games (Explorer, Black Market, Spy, Patrol, Blockade) to be clearer - Exploration correctly blocks repeat explore when the territory is temporarily scoured - Starport correctly blocks refueling when Rep is below -30 - Fixed issues with Retrain cost being properly displayed and charged - Fixed issue with Sharp Counter Swordsman Talent being used from any rank - Prevented missions from showing $0 summary even when steps hidden - Fixed issue with odd waypoint to Arbiter personal objective - Added 40 new mouse hovers for rules, Faction flags and icons - Improved "Star Atlas" rendering and information presentation (more awesome coming soon)
Update #10: In the Merciless Void
Tooltip support in the initial release was lacking. After fixing the Linux tooltip support in the last release, Cory has turned his attention to rebuilding our tooltip kit. Now, we've started the process of decorating the entire game with tooltips. There are going to be hundreds if not a thousand tooltips to add, but we've hit the three screens we considered to be most pressing -- Crew Status, System Orbit and Crew Equipment. This is a march to the finish line now -- expect major new tooltip dumps with every release until its perfect.
In the first two weeks, our attention was focused on anything that caused the game to crash. As our third week has dawned, we've turned our attention to anything that makes the story go off the rails, get stuck or get wrapped around itself. Telling a non-linear, multi-threaded story with so many possible outcomes and branches is challenging! With everyone's help, we've tackled the first really big wave of story fixes -- the top reported issues are now done and fixed in the game. Thanks to everyone who has sent in saved games, especially @In'ei, @stabbyjones and @DiaDarra. We are not done with our work here and there are a few more clean-up items -- so please report any issues you see! v2.0.25 - 12/3/2017 - Fixed lots of crashes! - Mutiny "Pay Reparations" is now available more often ( Avg Morale > 40 ) - First 50 Mouse Hovers: Ship Status, Crew Equipment, System Orbit - Fixed crash in Exchange and ability to buy 0 rare trade goods - Improved logic that picks default crew position for your combatants - Fixed story crashes with Call of the Strong Steel Song missions on some maps - Fixed story issue causing threading oddities in the different branches of Valencia Faen storyline - Fixed story issue with Duel of Assassins conflict ending ahead of schedule - Fixed story issue with dead-end missions with Damien Lumotte - Fixed story issue with Arbiter "unfortunate news" even after success - Fixed issues were some contacts offered $0 pardons - Fixed issues with blue X in contact subscreens - Fixed bug preventing Exploration achievements from firing correctly - Fixed issues with boarding results - Panic Crew could run twice - Fixed bugs allowing Captain to mutate certain non-Captain Traits (Greedy, Loyal, Xenophobe) - Improved engine burner placement for Raptor / Lightbow / Longbow ships - Fixed Life Saver Talent which was nuking Morale while saving Health - Fixed issues with hanging personal objectives - Fixed issue where some Saving Talents (Electronics, Repair) were not firing in card games - Resolved issue with crew combat getting locked when using Refocus talent to skip turn
[ 2017-12-04 19:04:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
Captains! Gather round the spice plate, news of another big update is resonating in the hall. The 2 man team here at Trese Brother HQ has been hard at work polishing, fixing and improving. We're still fixing and improving the game at the moment, but with every release we get closer to being able to turn our attention to full on new features and content!
If you enjoy the improvements and the game, please leave a review and tell a friend!
You Said Tooltips
Tooltip support in the initial release was lacking. After fixing the Linux tooltip support in the last release, Cory has turned his attention to rebuilding our tooltip kit. Now, we've started the process of decorating the entire game with tooltips. There are going to be hundreds if not a thousand tooltips to add, but we've hit the three screens we considered to be most pressing -- Crew Status, System Orbit and Crew Equipment. This is a march to the finish line now -- expect major new tooltip dumps with every release until its perfect.
Story Re-Weaving
In the first two weeks, our attention was focused on anything that caused the game to crash. As our third week has dawned, we've turned our attention to anything that makes the story go off the rails, get stuck or get wrapped around itself. Telling a non-linear, multi-threaded story with so many possible outcomes and branches is challenging! With everyone's help, we've tackled the first really big wave of story fixes -- the top reported issues are now done and fixed in the game. Thanks to everyone who has sent in saved games, especially @In'ei, @stabbyjones and @DiaDarra. We are not done with our work here and there are a few more clean-up items -- so please report any issues you see! v2.0.25 - 12/3/2017 - Fixed lots of crashes! - Mutiny "Pay Reparations" is now available more often ( Avg Morale > 40 ) - First 50 Mouse Hovers: Ship Status, Crew Equipment, System Orbit - Fixed crash in Exchange and ability to buy 0 rare trade goods - Improved logic that picks default crew position for your combatants - Fixed story crashes with Call of the Strong Steel Song missions on some maps - Fixed story issue causing threading oddities in the different branches of Valencia Faen storyline - Fixed story issue with Duel of Assassins conflict ending ahead of schedule - Fixed story issue with dead-end missions with Damien Lumotte - Fixed story issue with Arbiter "unfortunate news" even after success - Fixed issues were some contacts offered $0 pardons - Fixed issues with blue X in contact subscreens - Fixed bug preventing Exploration achievements from firing correctly - Fixed issues with boarding results - Panic Crew could run twice - Fixed bugs allowing Captain to mutate certain non-Captain Traits (Greedy, Loyal, Xenophobe) - Improved engine burner placement for Raptor / Lightbow / Longbow ships - Fixed Life Saver Talent which was nuking Morale while saving Health - Fixed issues with hanging personal objectives - Fixed issue where some Saving Talents (Electronics, Repair) were not firing in card games - Resolved issue with crew combat getting locked when using Refocus talent to skip turn
Update #9: Platforms and Progress
Another update sings out across the Hyperwarp. Join us! We talked about our long term roadmap in our last update and tonight we have an important Quality of Life and stability release. We're trying to get these out of the way so we can move on with the UI updates and v2.1 features.
A hot-topic on the Steam forums, Trait mutation determines how your Crew's Traits change and drift over time based on the Captain's actions. We've been collecting feedback and metrics about these mutations and v2.0.21 includes some updates you've suggested. This should help improve some obvious problems (too much Merciless!) and smooth out some of the progressions. We are actively looking for ideas for additional Trait mutations ("Maybe if you Increase Salary in Mutiny it could cause Greedy?") and welcome discussions about anything confusing or not-fun happening with Traits.
We are grinding away at improving mechanic transparency and improving balance. This update includes a few fixes here like correctly displaying the risk and reward percentages in the Explorer game. This patch also addresses some Talent issues you've pointed out on the Steam Discussions board. Thank you for those!
We are continuing to work towards better support for all our platforms, improved feature parity and boosted performance for all. This release includes some draw optimization and icons for Win32, addition of mouse-hover support in Linux and better pointer / hover performance in Mac OS X.
- Win32: Improved Taskbar and Window Icons - Linux: Added mouse hover support, Improved 3rd Button - Mac OS X: Improved mouse hover performance - Fixed Merciless Trait Mutation Rate - Fixed Malcontent + Loyal Trait Mutations - Improved display of Risk and Reward factors in Explore/Spy/Blockade/Patrol - Improved balance of Secrets Unbound Talent - now fires on landing - Balanced cost of Retrain in Credits for Hard, Brutal, Impossible - Fixed Missions showing multiple options in landing or orbit - Fixed cooldown issue with Welcoming Conscription - Fixed issue with repeat completion of Stash missions - Fixed crew combat duplicate selection bugs - Reworked Richness Scale on Wild Zones - Promotions now consume 1 turn (Edict/Rank/Permit)
[ 2017-12-01 00:58:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
Calling all Captains!
Another update sings out across the Hyperwarp. Join us! We talked about our long term roadmap in our last update and tonight we have an important Quality of Life and stability release. We're trying to get these out of the way so we can move on with the UI updates and v2.1 features.
Mutation Updates
A hot-topic on the Steam forums, Trait mutation determines how your Crew's Traits change and drift over time based on the Captain's actions. We've been collecting feedback and metrics about these mutations and v2.0.21 includes some updates you've suggested. This should help improve some obvious problems (too much Merciless!) and smooth out some of the progressions. We are actively looking for ideas for additional Trait mutations ("Maybe if you Increase Salary in Mutiny it could cause Greedy?") and welcome discussions about anything confusing or not-fun happening with Traits.
Balance and Mechanics
We are grinding away at improving mechanic transparency and improving balance. This update includes a few fixes here like correctly displaying the risk and reward percentages in the Explorer game. This patch also addresses some Talent issues you've pointed out on the Steam Discussions board. Thank you for those!
Platform Support
We are continuing to work towards better support for all our platforms, improved feature parity and boosted performance for all. This release includes some draw optimization and icons for Win32, addition of mouse-hover support in Linux and better pointer / hover performance in Mac OS X.
v2.0.21 - 11/29/2017
- Win32: Improved Taskbar and Window Icons - Linux: Added mouse hover support, Improved 3rd Button - Mac OS X: Improved mouse hover performance - Fixed Merciless Trait Mutation Rate - Fixed Malcontent + Loyal Trait Mutations - Improved display of Risk and Reward factors in Explore/Spy/Blockade/Patrol - Improved balance of Secrets Unbound Talent - now fires on landing - Balanced cost of Retrain in Credits for Hard, Brutal, Impossible - Fixed Missions showing multiple options in landing or orbit - Fixed cooldown issue with Welcoming Conscription - Fixed issue with repeat completion of Stash missions - Fixed crew combat duplicate selection bugs - Reworked Richness Scale on Wild Zones - Promotions now consume 1 turn (Edict/Rank/Permit)
Early Access Dev Roadmap
Just as the void is relentless and merciless, so too will we be with updates. Star Traders: Frontiers has been released for exactly 14 days and we have released 7 updates with new content, balancing, UI improvements and fixes. We plan to hammer updates constantly and consistently as we march through our development roadmap. Some projects decide to take a slower-but-larger update schedule, we want to keep Star Traders: Frontiers time in Early Access lively, in motion, and constantly improving. So, post your feedback and watch the updates roll!
We’ve broken the Roadmap down into content expansions and major version milestones. In the content arena we expect continual expansion. For example, we’ll be adding a steady flow of new ship types over the course of development -- we have already added 3 new ones in the first 7 updates. These content adds will be a continual drip of new, fun stuff to enjoy. The major version milestones are for features released in chunks, generally focusing on hitting each major element or story expansion as a big block. Still, we will be relentlessly adding and not waiting 3 months for a giant bomb of an update. As we move through these milestones, Star Traders: Frontiers will edge closer and closer to full launch status, which we expect to be version 3.x and beyond. We’d love you to start discussions on the boards about the features listed on the roadmap -- we’re here and happy to answer questions! Finally, we’d like to give a big shout out to all of KickStarter backers who supported us and pushed us to create Star Traders: Frontiers! We could not have gotten here without you!
[ 2017-11-30 06:34:42 CET ] [ Original post ]
Two weeks ago, we opened the hyperwarp gates and let the first wave of Captains come rushing headlong into the galaxy. Ever since, we’ve been neck deep in feedback, suggestions, bug fixes and all the high priority things that need immediate attention. While we are still swimming in that soup, we have our heads above water again and are looking forward to the Dev Roadmap we designed for Early Access with all the expansions and excitement.
We are sharing the Roadmap to give everyone visibility into the scale and scope of our Early Access plans and how we intend to turn those plans into game play reality. This Roadmap will help us all focus and look to a bright future for the quadrants!
Relentless Update Schedule
Just as the void is relentless and merciless, so too will we be with updates. Star Traders: Frontiers has been released for exactly 14 days and we have released 7 updates with new content, balancing, UI improvements and fixes. We plan to hammer updates constantly and consistently as we march through our development roadmap. Some projects decide to take a slower-but-larger update schedule, we want to keep Star Traders: Frontiers time in Early Access lively, in motion, and constantly improving. So, post your feedback and watch the updates roll!
Major Milestones
We’ve broken the Roadmap down into content expansions and major version milestones. In the content arena we expect continual expansion. For example, we’ll be adding a steady flow of new ship types over the course of development -- we have already added 3 new ones in the first 7 updates. These content adds will be a continual drip of new, fun stuff to enjoy. The major version milestones are for features released in chunks, generally focusing on hitting each major element or story expansion as a big block. Still, we will be relentlessly adding and not waiting 3 months for a giant bomb of an update. As we move through these milestones, Star Traders: Frontiers will edge closer and closer to full launch status, which we expect to be version 3.x and beyond. We’d love you to start discussions on the boards about the features listed on the roadmap -- we’re here and happy to answer questions! Finally, we’d like to give a big shout out to all of KickStarter backers who supported us and pushed us to create Star Traders: Frontiers! We could not have gotten here without you!
Update #7: Honing the Edge
The balance of the health, component and morale damage done by traveling checks has been one of the hottest topics of conversation and consternation. We've made small adjustments with the first six updates, but this updates makes the first big change to down-balance the number of crew who can be hit in any given event. In our testing, it has had big positive impact, especially on failed tests like Electronics which could result in really big chunks of the crew taking hits. Furthermore, we added a critical warning to the HUD to help address concerns about the "morale death spiral" while traveling. If your Ship flies without Water-Fuel, your crew will lose Morale constantly. The updated HUD is loud and insistent with a warning, flashing at the bottom of the screen in red. You can't miss it -- and you need to buy fuel quick. Operating your Ship's Void reactor without a Water-Fuel containment pool is dangerous and doing so increases the chance of severe crew damage, drains morale and forces crew members to perform dangerous reclamation exercises to keep the ship going. It's bad -- a good Captain never does it.
First, this update has improved mouse support for the main map. Panning on the map is now controlled by your left mouse button while right clicking will move your ship. Separating move and pan has been requested by a huge number of players and we are happy to simplify the scheme for everyone and matches the control scheme of many other popular games. For our players who have put in tons of hours already, this might take a little retraining, but we know its for the best. We've increased the speed of hovers by 100 ms so they show up faster. As more tooltips are coming with each update, this will keep helping the learning curve issues we have. Also, we've fixed the annoying bug where some hovers would get stuck on screen after a scene transition.
With feedback from players, we've started adjusting a few more Talent cooldowns and rules. Any Talent that can discover new Contacts have been set to higher cooldowns. The recruiting Talents from Commander and Military Officer have had their randomness removed -- so they simply effect the first recruit made -- so if you are using these (amazing) Talents, be sure to make your most important recruit first when you land somewhere looking for new crew. Of course, there is so much more! Long distant missions have extended timelines. The options menu is now available without returning to the main menu. We've fixed some boarding Talent bugs. The Raptor has been moved out of the starting ships list due to the amount of feedback we got about it. More ship components have been switched over to be Faction specific. As we start to get a handle on the long list of UI / QoL improvements, we'll be turning out attention to story and content expansion. Help us get there by sharing the game with a friend and leaving a review! v2.0.19 - 11/28/2017 - Changed Ship Movement to Right Mouse Button, Scrolling/Pan on Left Mouse Button - Revised accident damage levels during Electronics, Ship Ops, Navigation Tests - HUD displays critical no fuel warning - you are losing Morale whenever traveling without fuel - Boosted mouse hover speed by 100ms - Fixed issue with tooltips getting stuck - Additional Mission duration granted for missions with more than 6 jumps - Fixes issue with Starport upgrade "All/Clear" buttons - Fixes issue with spacebar in Hyperwarp Gate - Increased cooldown time for all Talents that learn new Contacts - Removed 50% + Command chance to improve Attributes on Recruiter's Eye and Discerning Glance Talents - first recruit gains bonus - Fixed issue with Disarming Sabotage to destroy enemy weapon during boarding - Removed "Raptor Class" from Starting Ship rotation - Added Options menu to in-game map menu for faster access - Fixed Chalicstine, starward of Ryeline - Fixed bugs with selling weapons / armor / gear back to contacts - Massive round of typo and text cleanups - Javat ship upgrades: Resource Processor, Javat Mechi-Reaper - Rychart ship upgrades: Depth Scanner Omega, Depth Scanner Omega-X - Thulun ship upgrades: Orbital Fuel Scoop 3+ - Steel Song upgrades: Hyperion Exo-Suits
Tweak your options in-game
[ 2017-11-28 18:11:29 CET ] [ Original post ]
Red, flashing, unmissable HUD warning for no fuel
Today's update is all about balance and quality of life for our Captains. We are getting so much valuable feedback every day, and we are working our way through it as fast as two brothers can ;) Update #7 delivers on a lot of the feedback we've heard right here on the forums -- so you have yourself or other Captains to thank for this great update!
We hope everyone will take a moment to leave a review on the game! Share it with a friend! Help us keep cranking out updates at a laughable pace :D
Travel Rebalance and Improved HUD
The balance of the health, component and morale damage done by traveling checks has been one of the hottest topics of conversation and consternation. We've made small adjustments with the first six updates, but this updates makes the first big change to down-balance the number of crew who can be hit in any given event. In our testing, it has had big positive impact, especially on failed tests like Electronics which could result in really big chunks of the crew taking hits. Furthermore, we added a critical warning to the HUD to help address concerns about the "morale death spiral" while traveling. If your Ship flies without Water-Fuel, your crew will lose Morale constantly. The updated HUD is loud and insistent with a warning, flashing at the bottom of the screen in red. You can't miss it -- and you need to buy fuel quick. Operating your Ship's Void reactor without a Water-Fuel containment pool is dangerous and doing so increases the chance of severe crew damage, drains morale and forces crew members to perform dangerous reclamation exercises to keep the ship going. It's bad -- a good Captain never does it.
Control Scheme Improvements
First, this update has improved mouse support for the main map. Panning on the map is now controlled by your left mouse button while right clicking will move your ship. Separating move and pan has been requested by a huge number of players and we are happy to simplify the scheme for everyone and matches the control scheme of many other popular games. For our players who have put in tons of hours already, this might take a little retraining, but we know its for the best. We've increased the speed of hovers by 100 ms so they show up faster. As more tooltips are coming with each update, this will keep helping the learning curve issues we have. Also, we've fixed the annoying bug where some hovers would get stuck on screen after a scene transition.
Talent Rebalance
With feedback from players, we've started adjusting a few more Talent cooldowns and rules. Any Talent that can discover new Contacts have been set to higher cooldowns. The recruiting Talents from Commander and Military Officer have had their randomness removed -- so they simply effect the first recruit made -- so if you are using these (amazing) Talents, be sure to make your most important recruit first when you land somewhere looking for new crew. Of course, there is so much more! Long distant missions have extended timelines. The options menu is now available without returning to the main menu. We've fixed some boarding Talent bugs. The Raptor has been moved out of the starting ships list due to the amount of feedback we got about it. More ship components have been switched over to be Faction specific. As we start to get a handle on the long list of UI / QoL improvements, we'll be turning out attention to story and content expansion. Help us get there by sharing the game with a friend and leaving a review! v2.0.19 - 11/28/2017 - Changed Ship Movement to Right Mouse Button, Scrolling/Pan on Left Mouse Button - Revised accident damage levels during Electronics, Ship Ops, Navigation Tests - HUD displays critical no fuel warning - you are losing Morale whenever traveling without fuel - Boosted mouse hover speed by 100ms - Fixed issue with tooltips getting stuck - Additional Mission duration granted for missions with more than 6 jumps - Fixes issue with Starport upgrade "All/Clear" buttons - Fixes issue with spacebar in Hyperwarp Gate - Increased cooldown time for all Talents that learn new Contacts - Removed 50% + Command chance to improve Attributes on Recruiter's Eye and Discerning Glance Talents - first recruit gains bonus - Fixed issue with Disarming Sabotage to destroy enemy weapon during boarding - Removed "Raptor Class" from Starting Ship rotation - Added Options menu to in-game map menu for faster access - Fixed Chalicstine, starward of Ryeline - Fixed bugs with selling weapons / armor / gear back to contacts - Massive round of typo and text cleanups - Javat ship upgrades: Resource Processor, Javat Mechi-Reaper - Rychart ship upgrades: Depth Scanner Omega, Depth Scanner Omega-X - Thulun ship upgrades: Orbital Fuel Scoop 3+ - Steel Song upgrades: Hyperion Exo-Suits
Tweak your options in-game
Update #6: Release the Raptor!
We have another update to announce. This one is primarily focused on fixing a set of stability and content issues that impacted players over the holiday weekend. We tried to mix a little bit of new content in with the bugfix to keep things exciting.
The major issue we had with v2.0.15 was the Broadsword class not working correctly. We've taken a number of steps to correct this problem and prevent the same bug from hitting us again in the future. First, we fixed the Broadsword's configuration to address the over-mass issue. We also updated the Hyperwarp Gate screen to correctly display when the ship was over-mass, compared to sailing with a badly damaged Hyperwarp Drive module. This will fix new buyers of the Broadsword, but players who purchased the ship during v2.0.15 will need to replace one of the Fuel Tanks with a Mass Modulator to bring the mass down under 8000. We also made updates to the Starport to better support making repairs and upgrades when the ship is over-mass. This scenario can also occur when mass reducing components are too damaged to work, so we needed this for both this Broadsword bug as well as future potential problems.
Steel Fortress We've also extended our pre-build testing suite to included a full check of all configured ships for mass and hyperwarp design problems. Even if they slip past us during internal testing we'll make sure they don't get into Early Access.
The Raptor Class is a new ship that can be purchased at the Starport for players. The AI is not yet trained in using it. The Raptor class is a first step towards a more diverse set of ships. The Raptor trades Hull points and Armor for higher than normal Officer support, Medium compartments and Shield to protect Crew during combat. The additional officer and utility make the Raptor a good choice for Captains who's play depends heavily on Officers and operating cost (Explorer, Smuggler, Spy.)
- New Ship: Raptor Class (6000 Mass, 6 Officers, Heavy Shielding) - Acknowledge action adds combat reduction for landing encounters - Fixed issues with Intel associated with expired Conflicts - Hyperwarp Gates now correctly report over-mass ships + damaged Mass reducing components - Fixes issues caused when repairing certain components (Fuel Tanks, Mass Dampner) - Fixed Broadsword ship mass problems (for new ships) - Improved ability to upgrade ships when over-mass from damaged Mass reducing comps - Disabled non-working components Escape Shuttle and Fighter Bays - Increased base Armor for Fidelis Cutter to 7 - Fixed crashes selling Gear / Weapons / Armor - Fixes dozens of crashes, typos and content issues
[ 2017-11-27 01:51:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
Consider cross-training your officers in 3 jobs to increase flexibility
Stability & Bug Fix Update
We have another update to announce. This one is primarily focused on fixing a set of stability and content issues that impacted players over the holiday weekend. We tried to mix a little bit of new content in with the bugfix to keep things exciting.
Broadsword Class
The major issue we had with v2.0.15 was the Broadsword class not working correctly. We've taken a number of steps to correct this problem and prevent the same bug from hitting us again in the future. First, we fixed the Broadsword's configuration to address the over-mass issue. We also updated the Hyperwarp Gate screen to correctly display when the ship was over-mass, compared to sailing with a badly damaged Hyperwarp Drive module. This will fix new buyers of the Broadsword, but players who purchased the ship during v2.0.15 will need to replace one of the Fuel Tanks with a Mass Modulator to bring the mass down under 8000. We also made updates to the Starport to better support making repairs and upgrades when the ship is over-mass. This scenario can also occur when mass reducing components are too damaged to work, so we needed this for both this Broadsword bug as well as future potential problems.
Steel Fortress We've also extended our pre-build testing suite to included a full check of all configured ships for mass and hyperwarp design problems. Even if they slip past us during internal testing we'll make sure they don't get into Early Access.
Raptor Class
The Raptor Class is a new ship that can be purchased at the Starport for players. The AI is not yet trained in using it. The Raptor class is a first step towards a more diverse set of ships. The Raptor trades Hull points and Armor for higher than normal Officer support, Medium compartments and Shield to protect Crew during combat. The additional officer and utility make the Raptor a good choice for Captains who's play depends heavily on Officers and operating cost (Explorer, Smuggler, Spy.)
v2.0.17 - 11/26/2017
- New Ship: Raptor Class (6000 Mass, 6 Officers, Heavy Shielding) - Acknowledge action adds combat reduction for landing encounters - Fixed issues with Intel associated with expired Conflicts - Hyperwarp Gates now correctly report over-mass ships + damaged Mass reducing components - Fixes issues caused when repairing certain components (Fuel Tanks, Mass Dampner) - Fixed Broadsword ship mass problems (for new ships) - Improved ability to upgrade ships when over-mass from damaged Mass reducing comps - Disabled non-working components Escape Shuttle and Fighter Bays - Increased base Armor for Fidelis Cutter to 7 - Fixed crashes selling Gear / Weapons / Armor - Fixes dozens of crashes, typos and content issues
Update #5: Thanks For Playing
The code elves have been busy busy trying to make the best update for the game possible. I focused a lot on fixing reported bugs and completing further updates to the Mutiny, Encounter and Combat Systems which should help improve balance. We're getting lots of good feedback, collecting data and receiving excellent saved games demonstrating both design challenges and content issues. For that, we do thank you.
New Acknowledge buff reduces encounters immediately following friendly ship encounters. The Captain is getting information about local conditions and avoiding nearby ships.
This update focuses primarily on stability and performance improvements. We've cleaned up some bugs related to Alliances, some issues with Missions and improved some state management logic in Zones.
We have a Discord (https://discord.gg/xTQPfZv) and a Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/tresebrothers) and we are looking for streamers who are interested in sharing STF. If you know a Twitch streamer who you think would like Star Traders: Frontiers, tell them about it :)
- Acknowledge action adds larger/longer combat reduction buff - Reduced early game encounters while trying to land at a Zone - Fixes issues with Rep in Missions supporting Alliances - Broadsword ships now use Capital Bridge component - Zone pools now forced to refresh if time passes during Repairs/Healing - Improved Flight Academy provost -- gives Tradesperson Missions - Increased card score on "Credits Score" to +4 from +2 - Added small reputation penalty to Credits Skim/Score (Electronics Test) - Fixed bug with human crew on Xeno AI ships - Fixed issues with HUD and over-barracks - Fixed defects with 'Escape' button in Crew Combat - Fixed crash with certain types of Victory - Fixed crash in Crew Select before Crew Combat - Fixed crash selling certain Gear/Weapons/Armor to Contacts - Fixed crash buy Gear from Contacts with some Traits Please drop us a Review to help spread the word about Star Traders: Frontiers! :)
[ 2017-11-23 00:40:19 CET ] [ Original post ]
You truly are Exalted Dragoons
This year we are thankful for you, everyone who's been playing Star Traders: Frontiers. And a huge round of applause for everyone who's had the time to leave a review!
Today's update is written by Cory xD
Holiday Update
The code elves have been busy busy trying to make the best update for the game possible. I focused a lot on fixing reported bugs and completing further updates to the Mutiny, Encounter and Combat Systems which should help improve balance. We're getting lots of good feedback, collecting data and receiving excellent saved games demonstrating both design challenges and content issues. For that, we do thank you.
New Acknowledge buff reduces encounters immediately following friendly ship encounters. The Captain is getting information about local conditions and avoiding nearby ships.
Less Crashes, More Fun (hopefully)
This update focuses primarily on stability and performance improvements. We've cleaned up some bugs related to Alliances, some issues with Missions and improved some state management logic in Zones.
Twitch & Discord
We have a Discord (https://discord.gg/xTQPfZv) and a Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/tresebrothers) and we are looking for streamers who are interested in sharing STF. If you know a Twitch streamer who you think would like Star Traders: Frontiers, tell them about it :)
v2.0.15 - 11/22/2017
- Acknowledge action adds larger/longer combat reduction buff - Reduced early game encounters while trying to land at a Zone - Fixes issues with Rep in Missions supporting Alliances - Broadsword ships now use Capital Bridge component - Zone pools now forced to refresh if time passes during Repairs/Healing - Improved Flight Academy provost -- gives Tradesperson Missions - Increased card score on "Credits Score" to +4 from +2 - Added small reputation penalty to Credits Skim/Score (Electronics Test) - Fixed bug with human crew on Xeno AI ships - Fixed issues with HUD and over-barracks - Fixed defects with 'Escape' button in Crew Combat - Fixed crash with certain types of Victory - Fixed crash in Crew Select before Crew Combat - Fixed crash selling certain Gear/Weapons/Armor to Contacts - Fixed crash buy Gear from Contacts with some Traits Please drop us a Review to help spread the word about Star Traders: Frontiers! :)
Update #4: Balancing the Blade
We've been hard at work in the balancing room, running the math and watching the logs and all the data we have. We have also been reading every forum post and review about combat and comparing it to our roadmap how to go forward. What we've released tonight greatly improves the balance of battle and helps to insulate the Captain and Officers from massive, sudden damage on the ship. First, we have reduced the amount of damage that a Captain or Officer can take in a single hit in ship combat. We have also tied the damage calculation into difficulty level, so things will be less brutal on lower difficulties. We've made a major stride forward in visibility into your risk level in combat by exposing both Captain's HP scales in the ship combat HUD -- now you can see where you are at every turn and be aware of when you are running on a thin red line next to death. We've also tempered the bonus damage that was given out when a ship weapon hit an enemy's engine or bridge. This was leading to some really big numbers and sudden crew death. No promises that a nasty hit won't insta-kill crew members, but it will no longer take your officers or captain's lives in a single blast. An SFX was added to mark the hit to engines which matches the existing VFX where you can see a sudden burst of red in the engine animation. We'll keep working on improving the visibility of these key stats in the next updates. Of note, all combat systems are symmetrical so the enemy are playing by the same set of rules which means their Captains will also no suffer insta-death syndrome. What's fair is fair!
Looking stylish!
As everyone loves crew customization, I squeezed in a few hours to work on the art for two new accessories. Engineering glasses and space aviator glasses have been added -- enjoy. I also fixed a few faces that weren't quite right (neck, head position). We've got work to do clean up and perfect this entire character system and this is a nice step forward. We're looking longingly at the pile of hats we have almost ready but just haven't been able to add yet -- lots more outfits, faces, and accessories are inbound in the coming weeks.
We forgot to mention ship rename was in v2.0.9 -- check the top right of your main status screen. We fixed the issue with the Exchange misreporting amount and price of goods on buy -- now it starts the slider with the right number of goods that can be offered with the right price display. We fixed an issue with some early rumors blocking the Faen storyline (Quarantine especially). Also, we fixed a ton of bugs and crashes. We're working hard to get to 100% stable in both the storyline and the system, so please keep reporting and sharing your saved games if you have them. It is a huge help and we are rapidly trending in the right direction with update #4! Please leave a review to help us spread the word about Star Traders: Frontiers!!
- Ship Combat: Reduced Max Single Hit Damage to Captain - Ship Combat: Capped Max Single Hit Damage to Officers - Ship Combat: Improved Difficulty-based damage scales - Ship Combat UI: Both Captain's HP values now visible in HUD - Ship Combat: Reduced Severity of Engine hits - Ship Combat: Reduced Severity of Bridge hits - Ship Combat: Alarm SFX when player's Engine is hit - Added 2 new eyewear accessories, new types of glasses -- more options coming - Added ability to Rename Ship (in v2.0.9, but forgot to mention it!) - Fixed issue with Exchange reporting incorrect value and amount when purchasing - Improved balance of Rep loss during Trade Ban and Trade War - Fixed Space bar cancelling map navigation - Improved v1 Ship Engine description listing - Buffed Starting ship "Frontier Liner" & Reduced Cost - Restored broken "Rich Harvest" Rumor for Wild Zone - Replaced Pin icon with arrows - slide the detail pane of the table in so you can view the map and use the table! - Radiation Storm / Xeno Fleet / Quarantine Rumors no longer occur in first year -- no longer blocking start of story - Fixed crashes with opening mission list under some story circumstances - Fixed story bugs and crashes
BOOM!
[ 2017-11-21 07:01:08 CET ] [ Original post ]
New Captain HP Bars in the HUD warn of impending trouble
Another day in the void, another major update. We're hard at work and not just listening to you -- we're quickly learning and improving based on your. As STF launched into early access, we knew we'd have an exciting week with a lot of changes. It has been exactly that and this update is a really move forward for the game and its balance.
A huge thanks to everyone who has left a review! And, Star Traders: Frontiers is in its last hours its launch sale, so if you haven't picked it up yet, do!
Balancing Out Captain Insta-Death
We've been hard at work in the balancing room, running the math and watching the logs and all the data we have. We have also been reading every forum post and review about combat and comparing it to our roadmap how to go forward. What we've released tonight greatly improves the balance of battle and helps to insulate the Captain and Officers from massive, sudden damage on the ship. First, we have reduced the amount of damage that a Captain or Officer can take in a single hit in ship combat. We have also tied the damage calculation into difficulty level, so things will be less brutal on lower difficulties. We've made a major stride forward in visibility into your risk level in combat by exposing both Captain's HP scales in the ship combat HUD -- now you can see where you are at every turn and be aware of when you are running on a thin red line next to death. We've also tempered the bonus damage that was given out when a ship weapon hit an enemy's engine or bridge. This was leading to some really big numbers and sudden crew death. No promises that a nasty hit won't insta-kill crew members, but it will no longer take your officers or captain's lives in a single blast. An SFX was added to mark the hit to engines which matches the existing VFX where you can see a sudden burst of red in the engine animation. We'll keep working on improving the visibility of these key stats in the next updates. Of note, all combat systems are symmetrical so the enemy are playing by the same set of rules which means their Captains will also no suffer insta-death syndrome. What's fair is fair!
Looking stylish!
New Designs
As everyone loves crew customization, I squeezed in a few hours to work on the art for two new accessories. Engineering glasses and space aviator glasses have been added -- enjoy. I also fixed a few faces that weren't quite right (neck, head position). We've got work to do clean up and perfect this entire character system and this is a nice step forward. We're looking longingly at the pile of hats we have almost ready but just haven't been able to add yet -- lots more outfits, faces, and accessories are inbound in the coming weeks.
Other Goodies
We forgot to mention ship rename was in v2.0.9 -- check the top right of your main status screen. We fixed the issue with the Exchange misreporting amount and price of goods on buy -- now it starts the slider with the right number of goods that can be offered with the right price display. We fixed an issue with some early rumors blocking the Faen storyline (Quarantine especially). Also, we fixed a ton of bugs and crashes. We're working hard to get to 100% stable in both the storyline and the system, so please keep reporting and sharing your saved games if you have them. It is a huge help and we are rapidly trending in the right direction with update #4! Please leave a review to help us spread the word about Star Traders: Frontiers!!
v2.0.13 - 11/20/2017
- Ship Combat: Reduced Max Single Hit Damage to Captain - Ship Combat: Capped Max Single Hit Damage to Officers - Ship Combat: Improved Difficulty-based damage scales - Ship Combat UI: Both Captain's HP values now visible in HUD - Ship Combat: Reduced Severity of Engine hits - Ship Combat: Reduced Severity of Bridge hits - Ship Combat: Alarm SFX when player's Engine is hit - Added 2 new eyewear accessories, new types of glasses -- more options coming - Added ability to Rename Ship (in v2.0.9, but forgot to mention it!) - Fixed issue with Exchange reporting incorrect value and amount when purchasing - Improved balance of Rep loss during Trade Ban and Trade War - Fixed Space bar cancelling map navigation - Improved v1 Ship Engine description listing - Buffed Starting ship "Frontier Liner" & Reduced Cost - Restored broken "Rich Harvest" Rumor for Wild Zone - Replaced Pin icon with arrows - slide the detail pane of the table in so you can view the map and use the table! - Radiation Storm / Xeno Fleet / Quarantine Rumors no longer occur in first year -- no longer blocking start of story - Fixed crashes with opening mission list under some story circumstances - Fixed story bugs and crashes
BOOM!
Update #3: Deck Clearing
With your help, we've added some exciting new depth to the Rep system around looting goods from enemies and how pirates act when encountered in space. First, you can now loot and steal fuel from pirates with impunity -- no Rep damage is caused. They're pirates! Second, if you steal biowaste or scrap metal from anyone, there is no rep damage. Third, if you steal goods that require a permit from a Smuggler, there is no Rep damage -- the Captain can't really report theft of goods he or she was carrying illegally! Finally, Pirates aren't willing to pay Tribute anymore. They don't like your offer for protection and their crew would view them as weak.
We've added Blowback, a great new Soldier Talent for shotguns that can be used only from the very front. It fits well with Roaring Barrels, Grenades, and other frontline buffs. Boom!
We're still working on smaller things because a lot of our time is in crash and story bug resolution, but we've managed to cover a lot of the requests that came in over the last few days from Steam. Of course, there is always more to do and the list is VERY long, but we're proud to be moving quick on player requests! The list is pretty long but you'll either see them in game or can read it all here! Please leave a review if you appreciate the updates! :D
- New Rank 5 Soldier Talent Blowback added for shotgun specialists - Looting Cargo from Pirates no longer causes Rep loss - Any looting of Biowaste/Scrap does not cause Rep loss - Looting un-permitted goods from Smuggler does not cause Rep loss - Enemy Pirates never pay tribute for fear of looking weak before their crew - Enemy AI are now flying the Longbow Cruiser and Lightbow Raptor - Crew Payment now has an alert on it and causes the spice hall alert to be present as well - Improved crew list, refresh of filters, officer badging, and visual for level-ready crew - Destination waypoint circle always visible, fixed issues with distance to destination not updating - Minor improvements to display of ship component and engine stats during upgrade (more coming) - Fixed all crashes when opening Missions List - Fixed bug in "Call for the Strong" story introduction - Fixed bug in "Pirates Behind Every Star" story resolution - Fixed bugs with Valencia storyline, looping, reappearing, etc - Fixed Contacts sometimes dying during the middle of active story arcs - Starport refreshes Upgrade / Refuel screens properly when switching ships or upgrading - Improved keyboard arrows panning maps (Quad & Galaxy) - Rebalanced mutiny threshold to avoid looping mutinies - Improved keyboard support for opening/closing subviews (QARCX) - Improved keyboard arrows panning map - Fixed screens missing mousewheel support (Combat Views) - Fixed issues with 1280x1024 resolution support
New alert on the payment screen
[ 2017-11-19 19:29:09 CET ] [ Original post ]
Be sure to use your leveling filter to quickly pick and level crew
Captain! You're feedback and reviewers have delivered another release.
Keep it up! With this release, we are working hard on a host of smaller UI improvements, game balance, Rep system tweaks and the final small scaling fixes. We have also closed all reported story bugs and crashes. Please report if you hit any snag!
Rep Intricacies
With your help, we've added some exciting new depth to the Rep system around looting goods from enemies and how pirates act when encountered in space. First, you can now loot and steal fuel from pirates with impunity -- no Rep damage is caused. They're pirates! Second, if you steal biowaste or scrap metal from anyone, there is no rep damage. Third, if you steal goods that require a permit from a Smuggler, there is no Rep damage -- the Captain can't really report theft of goods he or she was carrying illegally! Finally, Pirates aren't willing to pay Tribute anymore. They don't like your offer for protection and their crew would view them as weak.
New Combat Talent
We've added Blowback, a great new Soldier Talent for shotguns that can be used only from the very front. It fits well with Roaring Barrels, Grenades, and other frontline buffs. Boom!
UI Improvements
We're still working on smaller things because a lot of our time is in crash and story bug resolution, but we've managed to cover a lot of the requests that came in over the last few days from Steam. Of course, there is always more to do and the list is VERY long, but we're proud to be moving quick on player requests! The list is pretty long but you'll either see them in game or can read it all here! Please leave a review if you appreciate the updates! :D
v2.0.9 - 11/19/2017
- New Rank 5 Soldier Talent Blowback added for shotgun specialists - Looting Cargo from Pirates no longer causes Rep loss - Any looting of Biowaste/Scrap does not cause Rep loss - Looting un-permitted goods from Smuggler does not cause Rep loss - Enemy Pirates never pay tribute for fear of looking weak before their crew - Enemy AI are now flying the Longbow Cruiser and Lightbow Raptor - Crew Payment now has an alert on it and causes the spice hall alert to be present as well - Improved crew list, refresh of filters, officer badging, and visual for level-ready crew - Destination waypoint circle always visible, fixed issues with distance to destination not updating - Minor improvements to display of ship component and engine stats during upgrade (more coming) - Fixed all crashes when opening Missions List - Fixed bug in "Call for the Strong" story introduction - Fixed bug in "Pirates Behind Every Star" story resolution - Fixed bugs with Valencia storyline, looping, reappearing, etc - Fixed Contacts sometimes dying during the middle of active story arcs - Starport refreshes Upgrade / Refuel screens properly when switching ships or upgrading - Improved keyboard arrows panning maps (Quad & Galaxy) - Rebalanced mutiny threshold to avoid looping mutinies - Improved keyboard support for opening/closing subviews (QARCX) - Improved keyboard arrows panning map - Fixed screens missing mousewheel support (Combat Views) - Fixed issues with 1280x1024 resolution support
New alert on the payment screen
Updated #2: Raptors Fly + New Starport
The ship masters of Alta Mesa have deemed it time to release the Lightbow Raptor and the Longbow Cruiser to the shipyards of the quadrant for sail. Weighing in at 3400 Mass and 5000 Mass, these hulls are built tough with high starting Armor and Shield. With a high number of Medium sized components but smaller starting fuel reserves, they are powerful mid-range warships, pirates or smugglers. In the next update, we will release these two new hulls to the AI.
The first pass of UI scaling is to address smaller resolution devices or people playing with smaller windows. Anyone playing below 1400x900 will see UI scaling coming into effect in v2.05 which should do away with any UI overlaps and let the game be played as intended. For those with larger resolutions -- you are next! We have created a master thread for the discussion about UI scaling here -- please direct your questions / issues there! http://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/discussions/0/3183345000081412928/
The Starport's refuel and repair function have been reskinned to the better UI. There are improved alerts when you need either and all the buttons have been clustered near the bottom for fastest clicking. Repair times were often taking a really long time at the starport because the Hull took so long to repair. To balance this out, we've reduced the hull repair time by half and you will find ship repairs more timely because of it. Some players were encountering situations where new ships were bought but could not be accessed due to lack of Dry Dock. They were literally holding your ship hostage! This is fixed -- you can't buy a new ship unless you can dry dock a ship.
We've fixed all of the reported crashes and will keep up this sustained effort until there are no more crashes. Please keep hitting report and we will fix. We've also fixed a couple of big issues with the story that were causing strange loops or unexpected results.
- Rebuilt Refueling and Repair UIs in landing zones - Added minimum UI scaling for lower resolution screens - Reduced time to repair Hull at Starport - Properly limited New Ship and Dry Dock by Rank requirement -- get Rank from your Contacts - Added Date label to HUD wherever AE date is shown - Fixed all reported crashes, story bugs - Keybinding left and right arrows page through crew list - Fixed odd loops with Valencia's story and crashes - Fixed issue that could cause large negative Rep with Calagan Faen
[ 2017-11-17 02:57:56 CET ] [ Original post ]
Now that looks like a starport!
It has been another busy day here on Steam and we are proud to release v2.0.5 in order to rapidly address your bugs, issues and the first crop of feedback! Thanks for sharing -- the fruits of your typing will manifest in the upcoming updates!
First - a huge thank you to everyone leaving a review. Many of you are already putting in hours and have valuable intel that other Steamers are looking for as to whether or not they should dive into the Star Traders universe. So thanks to everyone sharing!
Second - we fixed, improved and added things! Lots of things! Let's review --
New Ship Hulls
The ship masters of Alta Mesa have deemed it time to release the Lightbow Raptor and the Longbow Cruiser to the shipyards of the quadrant for sail. Weighing in at 3400 Mass and 5000 Mass, these hulls are built tough with high starting Armor and Shield. With a high number of Medium sized components but smaller starting fuel reserves, they are powerful mid-range warships, pirates or smugglers. In the next update, we will release these two new hulls to the AI.
First Pass UI Scaling
The first pass of UI scaling is to address smaller resolution devices or people playing with smaller windows. Anyone playing below 1400x900 will see UI scaling coming into effect in v2.05 which should do away with any UI overlaps and let the game be played as intended. For those with larger resolutions -- you are next! We have created a master thread for the discussion about UI scaling here -- please direct your questions / issues there! http://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/discussions/0/3183345000081412928/
Rebuilt Refuel and Repair
The Starport's refuel and repair function have been reskinned to the better UI. There are improved alerts when you need either and all the buttons have been clustered near the bottom for fastest clicking. Repair times were often taking a really long time at the starport because the Hull took so long to repair. To balance this out, we've reduced the hull repair time by half and you will find ship repairs more timely because of it. Some players were encountering situations where new ships were bought but could not be accessed due to lack of Dry Dock. They were literally holding your ship hostage! This is fixed -- you can't buy a new ship unless you can dry dock a ship.
Bugs too
We've fixed all of the reported crashes and will keep up this sustained effort until there are no more crashes. Please keep hitting report and we will fix. We've also fixed a couple of big issues with the story that were causing strange loops or unexpected results.
Full Release Notes v2.0.5 - 11/16/2017
- Rebuilt Refueling and Repair UIs in landing zones - Added minimum UI scaling for lower resolution screens - Reduced time to repair Hull at Starport - Properly limited New Ship and Dry Dock by Rank requirement -- get Rank from your Contacts - Added Date label to HUD wherever AE date is shown - Fixed all reported crashes, story bugs - Keybinding left and right arrows page through crew list - Fixed odd loops with Valencia's story and crashes - Fixed issue that could cause large negative Rep with Calagan Faen
Update #1: First Patch and Improvements
[ 2017-11-15 18:48:35 CET ] [ Original post ]
First, a huge thank you to all of the Captains who have joined in to our first 24 hours of Star Traders: Frontiers! This spice hall is very busy, folks.
We're hard at work improving the game already on your feedback. We've reproduced and fixed a pile of crash reports (thanks for clicking send!) and are already moving on some of the early UI suggestions made by all of you.
We promise to work really hard for you during Early Access. We aim to be ever-present and to produce a constant stream of fun, excellent updates. If you've been with us on games like Templar Battleforce, you know how seriously we take that pledge.
Also, while there is a lot going on here on the Steam forums, our Discord is also very busy and a great place to chat with the Alpha Captains who have been plying the quadrants for 9 months. Hop in!
https://discord.gg/ugyyYP
So with no further wait!
v2.0.3 - 11/14/2017
- Added Mission Accept button very easy to see and find
- Added support for 1440p resolution in windowed mode
- Fixed issue with mission offers when sometimes very large negative numbers are shown
- Fixed all reported crashes, story bugs
- Improved Consult options and add more, recognizes wilderness zones
- Improved options screen
We've added the Mission Accept button big and bold so you can't miss it.
Weaving Sandbox and Narrative
Star Traders: Frontiers is first and foremost an open world sandbox game full of dynamic actors and forces. In this sandbox, you have extensive freedom to run your ship and crew any way you want -- to be a spy, smuggler, pirate, loyal military officer, faction zealot or infamous criminal. You can explore, profit, terrorize, or be the champion of any faction you choose to craft your own destiny. As you navigate the world, your actions tie into a set of layered simulations -- political, economic, rumored events and personal goals. The major factions within the world vie on political and economic level and your allies and enemies are actors within those same simulations. These individual allies and enemies will work toward the larger faction goals but also strive to achieve their own personal goals.
A vignette storyline, crafted by a KickStarter backer - blurred to avoid spoilers These actors need your help, just as you need the crucial services they offer, so you’ll find your Captain drawn into the larger dynamic context over and over again through these contacts. Each layer of the simulation will affect the others as it plays out -- economic pressures can cause conflicts, and conflicts can kill or empower contacts, and contacts can cause conflicts, economic shortages or pay fleets of privateers to harass their enemies. We’ve worked hard to ensure that the sandbox alone is a lively, ever-changing and fun galaxy in which to explore, plunder and battle.
A larger storyline wrapped around the start of an era - blurred to avoid spoilers
Our second goal was to infuse Frontiers with storylines that share the rich lore of the universe and to highlight how the Star Trader’s world, society, laws and technology are all going through times of radical change. These storylines will also include the Templar Knights, Zendu Arbiters and familiar faces from other games, like Templar Battleforce. The storylines will range from self-contained vignettes about human struggles to larger arcs involving quadrant-wide conflicts, shifts and catastrophes. When we launch Frontiers into early access, we will have a small slice of the total story design ready and available in the game -- basically the first “era” of the storyline which will set up the other major arcs. Much more will be incoming as we build out toward the game’s full launch. Completing Early Access means finalizing the game’s storylines, vignettes (mid-length arcs with multiple choices and outcomes) and eras (major happenings with lots of angles and ways to get involved.) We will have the first 2 of 10 eras available when the game launches, and the first 5 vignettes in the game. Relying on the game’s underlying sandbox, all storylines are added using proc gen and are optional. They will resolve with or without your input once they start in the game based on the current state of the simulations. One defining aspect is that even if you are following the storylines, you have to play the sandbox. You have to find ways to make money, survive, travel, and keep your head above water politically. You will need more allies than you gain through the storylines and as you play, the line between storyline and sandbox will continue to blur as the storyline contacts play in the simulation and have long-term goals as well. -- Thanks to everyone sharing questions, comments and their excitement about Frontiers upcoming launch! We're going to be very active and very busy during the EA phase, just as we have been through our multi-month alpha. We can't wait to open the galaxy up to all of you! In the meantime, boot up Templar Battleforce to help get yourself immersed in the story. Some of our alpha captain's sailed through the Cirm Sector yesterday in Frontiers. http://store.steampowered.com/app/370020/Templar_Battleforce/ Cory and Andrew Trese Trese Brothers Games
[ 2017-10-28 22:57:31 CET ] [ Original post ]
Greetings from the void, Captains! As we ramp up for the launch of Star Traders: Frontiers, we are hard at work on meshing and improving the game’s narrative core and underlying sandbox. This is an area where we’ve received a lot of questions and we are excited to share our approach to weaving together a dynamic sandbox environment with multiple, progressing storylines. Let’s try to get down to brass tacks and avoid the marketing jibber jabber.
A Mighty Sandbox
Star Traders: Frontiers is first and foremost an open world sandbox game full of dynamic actors and forces. In this sandbox, you have extensive freedom to run your ship and crew any way you want -- to be a spy, smuggler, pirate, loyal military officer, faction zealot or infamous criminal. You can explore, profit, terrorize, or be the champion of any faction you choose to craft your own destiny. As you navigate the world, your actions tie into a set of layered simulations -- political, economic, rumored events and personal goals. The major factions within the world vie on political and economic level and your allies and enemies are actors within those same simulations. These individual allies and enemies will work toward the larger faction goals but also strive to achieve their own personal goals.
A vignette storyline, crafted by a KickStarter backer - blurred to avoid spoilers These actors need your help, just as you need the crucial services they offer, so you’ll find your Captain drawn into the larger dynamic context over and over again through these contacts. Each layer of the simulation will affect the others as it plays out -- economic pressures can cause conflicts, and conflicts can kill or empower contacts, and contacts can cause conflicts, economic shortages or pay fleets of privateers to harass their enemies. We’ve worked hard to ensure that the sandbox alone is a lively, ever-changing and fun galaxy in which to explore, plunder and battle.
A larger storyline wrapped around the start of an era - blurred to avoid spoilers
Narrative Eras
Our second goal was to infuse Frontiers with storylines that share the rich lore of the universe and to highlight how the Star Trader’s world, society, laws and technology are all going through times of radical change. These storylines will also include the Templar Knights, Zendu Arbiters and familiar faces from other games, like Templar Battleforce. The storylines will range from self-contained vignettes about human struggles to larger arcs involving quadrant-wide conflicts, shifts and catastrophes. When we launch Frontiers into early access, we will have a small slice of the total story design ready and available in the game -- basically the first “era” of the storyline which will set up the other major arcs. Much more will be incoming as we build out toward the game’s full launch. Completing Early Access means finalizing the game’s storylines, vignettes (mid-length arcs with multiple choices and outcomes) and eras (major happenings with lots of angles and ways to get involved.) We will have the first 2 of 10 eras available when the game launches, and the first 5 vignettes in the game. Relying on the game’s underlying sandbox, all storylines are added using proc gen and are optional. They will resolve with or without your input once they start in the game based on the current state of the simulations. One defining aspect is that even if you are following the storylines, you have to play the sandbox. You have to find ways to make money, survive, travel, and keep your head above water politically. You will need more allies than you gain through the storylines and as you play, the line between storyline and sandbox will continue to blur as the storyline contacts play in the simulation and have long-term goals as well. -- Thanks to everyone sharing questions, comments and their excitement about Frontiers upcoming launch! We're going to be very active and very busy during the EA phase, just as we have been through our multi-month alpha. We can't wait to open the galaxy up to all of you! In the meantime, boot up Templar Battleforce to help get yourself immersed in the story. Some of our alpha captain's sailed through the Cirm Sector yesterday in Frontiers. http://store.steampowered.com/app/370020/Templar_Battleforce/ Cory and Andrew Trese Trese Brothers Games
Wrapping Up Alpha and Coming Soon
[ 2017-10-05 18:31:48 CET ] [ Original post ]
Greetings captains! The engines are just coming to life here on our Steam page. Very soon, we'll be opening up the frontier for everyone to explore. We're in the process of wrapping up our closed alpha phase, where we already have hundreds of Captains who have played and are testing, and submitting feedback. As soon as that phase finishes, we will be launching Star Traders: Frontiers to early access on Steam, and opening the doors to all of you -- the next generation of Captains to try to make it in the galaxy.
We can't wait to get Star Traders: Frontiers into your hands, and hope you'll follow the game, share it with your friends or group, join us on the discussion boards and post any questions you have.
If you want some direct interaction, join our Discord server:
https://discordapp.com/invite/xTQPfZv
Or watch us on Twitch:
https://go.twitch.tv/tresebrothers
Star Traders: Frontiers
Trese Brothers
Trese Brothers
2018-07-31
Singleplayer
Game News Posts 373
🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
Very Positive
(3381 reviews)
http://www.tresebrothers.com
https://store.steampowered.com/app/335620
The Game includes VR Support
Star Traders Frontiers LINUX [218.39 M]Star Traders Frontiers LINUX 64BIT [233.52 M]Star Traders: Frontiers Mod LINUX [415.12 M]Star Traders: Frontiers Mod LINUX 64 [440.54 M]
Star Traders: Frontiers Supporter Badge
Command your ship and crew as a space pirate, merchant, bounty hunter, and more in Star Traders: Frontiers – an epic space RPG. Venture forth into a massive open universe rich with the lore of the Star Traders. Choose your path by assembling and commanding your custom crew and spaceship in a constantly evolving galaxy torn by internal strife, political intrigue, and alien threats. Will you fly as a pirate terrorizing shipping lanes, join the solar wars as a military captain, or track targets across the stars as a fearsome bounty hunter?
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First there was the Exodus – when survivors of a great war left the ruins of the Galactic Core behind in search of a new home in the stars. Scattered worlds were claimed on the fringe of the galaxy. Each pocket of survivors held on to their isolated set of worlds while trying to rebuild under the great law of Shalun. Three centuries later, technology has brought them back together again. Discovery of the hyperwarp has bridged what was once unimaginable distances between far-flung colonies, long-lost families, and political factions.
With that reunification has come great economic prosperity. The hyperwarp reestablished the transportation of cargo, goods, and technologies between the quadrants – but it has also brought great strife. Political rivalries have been rekindled, blood has been shed in age-old feuds, and the fires of war have been stoked. Amidst the political infighting, a ruthless revolution is rising – and the fervent explorers of the hyperwarp have awoken something that was better left asleep.
Great conflict is a time of great opportunity. For you, an aspiring Star Trader Captain who has just been given your charter, now is the time to capitalize on that opportunity.
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Our very first game, Star Traders RPG, took hundreds of thousands of gamers on an interstellar adventure. The success of Star Traders and its overwhelming positive reception helped to launch Trese Brothers Games. It was the adventures of our community’s star-crossed captains that put us on a trajectory to share more of our worlds, ideas, and dreams through digital games.
We set out to capture the loneliness, bravery, and camaraderie of people living together in a spaceship sailing across the stars. It’s time to take the helm and breathe life into the these stories, characters, and stars.
It is with great pride that after the release of four other games in the Star Traders universe, we’ve created a sequel to the original Star Traders RPG. We reached out to our fan base of Star Traders Captains with our latest KickStarter campaign and pitched our ambitious plan for an all-new open world sci-fi RPG.
Step onto the bridge of your starship, take to the stars, and create your own story in Star Traders: Frontiers. Instead of being our first foray, we have brought all of the knowledge and experience to our latest and by far most ambitious project.
- Explore a rich, open universe: Discover endless procedurally-generated galactic maps, meet unique characters, and take on enemies to conquer the galaxy!
- Become an intergalactic captain: Take on the role of a spy, smuggler, explorer, pirate, merchant, bounty hunter, and more (21 jobs total)!
- Customize your own spaceship: Choose from more than 300 upgrades and build your very own vessel to venture across the vast reaches of space.
- Assemble and tailor a loyal crew: Assign talents and equip specialized gear for every spaceship crew member.
- Experience an ever-changing narrative: Decide to make friends or foes with other factions and influence political, economic, and personal vendettas.
First there was the Exodus – when survivors of a great war left the ruins of the Galactic Core behind in search of a new home in the stars. Scattered worlds were claimed on the fringe of the galaxy. Each pocket of survivors held on to their isolated set of worlds while trying to rebuild under the great law of Shalun. Three centuries later, technology has brought them back together again. Discovery of the hyperwarp has bridged what was once unimaginable distances between far-flung colonies, long-lost families, and political factions.
With that reunification has come great economic prosperity. The hyperwarp reestablished the transportation of cargo, goods, and technologies between the quadrants – but it has also brought great strife. Political rivalries have been rekindled, blood has been shed in age-old feuds, and the fires of war have been stoked. Amidst the political infighting, a ruthless revolution is rising – and the fervent explorers of the hyperwarp have awoken something that was better left asleep.
Great conflict is a time of great opportunity. For you, an aspiring Star Trader Captain who has just been given your charter, now is the time to capitalize on that opportunity.
Our very first game, Star Traders RPG, took hundreds of thousands of gamers on an interstellar adventure. The success of Star Traders and its overwhelming positive reception helped to launch Trese Brothers Games. It was the adventures of our community’s star-crossed captains that put us on a trajectory to share more of our worlds, ideas, and dreams through digital games.
We set out to capture the loneliness, bravery, and camaraderie of people living together in a spaceship sailing across the stars. It’s time to take the helm and breathe life into the these stories, characters, and stars.
It is with great pride that after the release of four other games in the Star Traders universe, we’ve created a sequel to the original Star Traders RPG. We reached out to our fan base of Star Traders Captains with our latest KickStarter campaign and pitched our ambitious plan for an all-new open world sci-fi RPG.
Step onto the bridge of your starship, take to the stars, and create your own story in Star Traders: Frontiers. Instead of being our first foray, we have brought all of the knowledge and experience to our latest and by far most ambitious project.
MINIMAL SETUP
- OS: Ubuntu 14+
- Processor: 1.2 Ghz (32 or 64-bit)Memory: 1024 MB RAM
- Memory: 1024 MB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 or higher
- Storage: 250 MB available space
- OS: Ubuntu 20
- Processor: 2.0 Ghz (32 or 64-bit)Memory: 2048 MB RAM
- Memory: 2048 MB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 or higher
- Storage: 500 MB available space
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