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