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