Greetings and salutations!
You might have noticed that this month is somewhat different from our usual procedure. Where's the monthly update?, you might say. Apologies captains, but this month there won't be a major patch. We're working on some major features and the current development version, in all honesty, is a complete mess at the moment. Closing that up without first finishing this segment is not prudent. But, on the bright side, you can expect the upcoming update to be the most significant in Warlords Early Access. Here's a snippet or two about what we're working on and what you can expect.
The reputation system
The reputation system is implemented. You are no longer locked in a friendly relationship with Korkyra. Start busting their ships and see how your reputation changes. And as the old saying goes: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Ruining your reputation with Korkyra will make their enemies like you all the more. Korkyra is naturally used here only as an example. The system works for any faction ;).
Controller support
Controllers... controllers are finally implemented. For starters, this means Xbox One controller, but Steam and PS4 controllers are also on the schedule. 'Nuff said.
Research on Concordia
Having a Research & Development module built on your HQ only makes sense if you can actually conduct some projects and I'm happy to say that this is being implemented. Starting with the next update, you'll be able to go all science-like.
Fast travel
The T-Gate network will finally become operational. This time, jumping around won't cost you a thing, but don't expect to start jumping right away. You have to locate the gates first and some might not function properly. You'll also be able to construct additional gates in your own territory.
Wormholes are also included in this. With the next patch you'll notice that T-Gates are now directly linked to wormholes, like an upgrade of sorts.
If you're too impatient to use the T-Gates, then you might be interested in the T-Drive. The new, reworked T-Drive equipment will get you to your destination in no time. Only... you're not jumping any more... just flying really really fast, like warp-speed fast.
There's one more tiny feature I'd like to mention specifically...
Conquest
The title may throw you off track, so please allow me to explain it in a bit more detail. Fleet management, fleet movement and fleet leaders (name-change pending) are on the schedule. We're working on this as we speak, but this whole portion is quite massive and the implementation takes time. This is also the main reason we're skipping the December update and focusing directly on the one planned in January, to combine it all into one massive update.
Now, we can't leave you hanging like this, so here's a really short list of what the conquest / fleet rework entails:
- Real-time fleet movement - Yep... They move as you move and you can follow them around every step of the way. Like...really follow them. They will no longer mysteriously appear beside a garrison.
- Fleet leaders - Instead of the originally planned mythical portraits that grant ethereal bonuses to the fleets they are attached to, these guys will actually be in the fray, commanding their own vessels, being all-around badass skill-users... Their planned level progression is still in. There's no change to that bit. The change that will happen however is their name. Since we won't limit how many of these guys can be in a single fleet, it makes no sense to call them Fleet leaders. There are a number of names we're shuffling around and one of them is Warmaster, but you'll see the final decision when the update comes out.
- Fleet followers - You're running a powerful faction. Yes, it makes sense that you simply tell your ships to follow you around. I admit, I was personally hesitant, but the benefits of this outweigh the penalties. You will be able to command your fleet to follow you. And since a fleet leader can be a part of a fleet, you can have those guys follow you around too. There's a downside to it. Something had to take a hit and in this case, the Companions are taking the fall for the greater good. It's not really that much of a hit though, since fleet leaders are taking over all the things that were originally planned for Companions (dialogues, progression...)
As I noted, we're working on the conquest portion as we speak, so please keep in mind that we might hit a few bumps on the way which could postpone some of these things, but we'll make sure to let you ladies and gentlemen know if this happens. The update is planned for the end of January 2017.
We wish you all the best for the upcoming holidays and as always,
Safe travels captains!