Hey guys!
This was originally planned to be an update about "base captures" - but I took a bit of a detour.
For one thing - the Thanksgiving Holiday and various other real life things got in the way and for another - capturing bases will require a "landing craft" type ship - and this isn't a ship you'd expect to buy at your local civilian base. So in order to make base capturing possible for players still toeing the "lawful" line - I've put in "Black Market" bases.
I don't rememmber exactly how this idea came about - but it stemmed from the desire of players to buy military ships and "The Pirate Life" and how going pirate tends to have its pros and cons. It opens up a portion of the game and locks the more peaceful one. Black Market bases are a way for players to get their hands on military hardware and to have a in between in "The Pirate Life" - whichever side you are on. Black Market bases also became a bit more important with the addition of "ship capture ships" being given to pirates and now will become even more important when "base capture ships" arrive - to support the base capture mechanics.
Another cool benefit of Black Market bases is pirates having a bit more options on where to land - you can't actually be an enemy of a Black Market base because they don't have their own ships, traffic around their bases is made up of other factions.
So to be a bit more specific:
Black Market Bases/Faction:
- 2 bases added to the Overworld
- Don't have their own ships
- Currently don't have missions (might change in the future - if I can think of some)
- Sell other faction ships (including military/pirate ships)
- No mission rank requirements
- Ship cost is doubled (the sellers have to make a tidy profit)
- It is a crime to purchase these ships (non - kill on sight level)
I hope that this adds a nice element of flexibility to the game and further enhances your enjoyment!
In other news - some new ships are on their way (some might already be in by the time you read this update) - here's a "turn table" style vid that I've gotten from the artist:
Ship capture ship (carries 2 Mites)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmk1uSicIQM
Landing craft (used in capturing bases)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emGYSkrAerU
Thank you for your support!
Paul
PS: If you have ideas for a Black Market faction mission the best place is posting on the "Idea Forum"