Ah, they bring a new Commander...
We have quite a few additions in this week's update. As always, we thank you for your Early Access support and for your helpful feedback and suggestions. Keep them coming!
New Feature: Galactic Council Victory
This build includes the initial implementation of the diplomacy event system, more agreement options (including Alliances), and the Galactic Council. The events implemented in this version are mostly related to other factions asking for assistance or suggesting various agreements; we still have a lot more to add here.
You can now form Alliances with friendly factions, if you have sufficient reputation and Influence. The Alliance agreement includes Open Ports (which allows you to use allied systems to extend your fleets' range), and you will share strategic sensor data with your ally, and so be able to see what he/she/it sees on the map. Defensive Pacts have not yet been implement, and so your ally won't automatically follow you into war, but it will be kindly predisposed towards you when the Galactic Council meets to vote. If you eliminate all non-allied factions from the game, you will win a Conquest victory.
Once any faction has gained contact with all other factions on the map, it has earned the option to host a Galactic Council for the purpose of selecting a Supreme Chancellor to rule the galaxy. The number of votes each faction can cast is based on population, and the election requires a two-thirds vote to win. Each faction may vote for any other faction (including itself), or abstain. Right now most leaders will vote for themselves or an ally (if that ally has more votes), though we will add the ability to negotiate for votes. If one faction receives the necessary vote count, it's leader is elected Chancellor and wins the game. The player may choose to reject the Council vote, either to refuse the Chancellor title and continue playing, or to fight it out against the elected Chancellor and those factions who voted against the player.
Patch Notes for 8 November 2016 (ver. 18076)
Changes and Additions
- Added alliance and open ports agreements.
- Initial implementation of the Galactic Council.
- AI factions may now request favors from the player.
- It is now possible to convince certain minor factions to join your empire.
- Added options in the diplomatic discussion menu to review and cancel current agreements.
- New planetary special resources including Artifacts, Rare Gems and Precious Metals will now appear in newly generated galaxies.
- Added art assets for planet activities. (Research, Trade, etc.)
- Added the 'Mining' activity unlocked by "Industrial Automation".
- Added the 'Synthesize food' activity unlocked by "Synthetic Foodstuffs". (The artwork and descriptions are placeholders.)
- Added a 'Repeat Build' production option, which when placed in the production queue will indefinitely repeat the previous production task.
- "Fusion Artillery" has been renamed to "Primary Artillery".
- Discontent colonists will no longer form small fractional groups, but will wait until they can form a full population point.
- Marauder-controlled colonies are now equipped with an orbiting asteroid defense base.
- Ashdar Imperials now start with an Ancient Stargate in orbit around Ashdar Prime.
Bug Fixes
- Altered rebel faction handling to reduce some late-game performance degradation on large maps.
- Fix for a bug involving starvation and AI requests for food aid.
- Fix for a bug involving transported populations and morale.
- Eliminated factions no longer appear in the faction list.
- Social Engineering should now function as described in the in-game docs.
- The "scrap improvement" option should now display the correct scrap value of the improvement in question.
- Attempts to transport Battle Mechs from one planet to another via the Stargate network should no longer cause a bug.
- The "restart" option in the exception pane should be more likely to work as intended.
(Click here to view the complete development changelogs.)
In the Works: Faction-Specific Elements
Although we already have a number of unique attributes for each faction, we are adding more -- particularly those that will flesh out the two currently disabled playable factions: the Phidi and Ashdar Imperials. Here is a brief look at some of the features we are adding to the various factions:
Ashdar Imperials: Ancient Stargate
Ashdar Prime, the ancient Ashdar homeworld still occupied by the Imperial faction, is a relic of the era from before the Great War and the collapse of the warp lanes, and still retains many examples of advanced ancient technologies. Ashdar Prime has the Artifacts special which boosts Laboratory output, and a newly reawakened Ancient Stargate in orbit. An Ancient Stargate allows instantaneous ship travel between its system and any system within normal ship range (it could send them farther, but then they wouldn't be able to return). The presence of the Ancient Stargate also gives the Imperials a leg up on researching stargate technology of their own, and eventually constructing newer (though less capable) modern stargates throughout their territory which will allow instantaneous travel between systems containing a stargate (either ancient or modern).
Phidi Combine: Mercenary Exchange
Upon establishing their first foreign Trade Charter, the Phidi will gain the ability to create a Mercenary Exchange, which will serve as a broker for any mercenary companies that are currently operating in that faction's underworld. Assuming they have the requisite reputation, influence and cash on hand, the Phidi can hire mercenary units and use them in battle -- which is, of course, greatly preferred by the Phidi to using their own ships in combat, which they feel could be better utilized in commerce. Other factions may gain the ability to hire mercenaries from specific factions, but the Phidi Mercenary Exchange will have access to all of them.
Orthin Conference: Busbars and Shield Capacitors
Orthin mastery of high-energy physics allows them to pack more power transmission infrastructure into their ships than most other races would dare conceive of, and which are needed to power their special superheavy beam wepaons. Orthin ships have built-in supercooled power systems that give then a special "Busbar" hardpoint type which can mount unique enhancements.
The most significant of these option is the Shield Capacitor, which absorbs and stores the energy of weapon hits on the ship's shields for later use. Once charged, the energy stored in the capacitors can be used to replenish depleted shields, or to temporarily overload the ship's beam weapons for increased damage (at the cost of reduced range).
Gremak Empire : Distortion Field
The Distortion Field system was devised in ancient times and used by Gremak ancestors to dangerous effect in the Great War, and now this technology has been rediscovered. The device generates a light-bending field that makes the hosting vessel harder to detect and target, though not quite invisible. Gremak vessels equipped with Distortion Fields will be detectable at shorter ranges on the strategic map and harder to hit in tactical combat, though the Gremak ship must choose whether to keep the Field active or fire its weapons, as it cannot do both at the same time. This capability helps to allow Gremak fleets to approach their targets with reduced warning, press in close in tactical combat, and use their short-range Viper weapons to maximum effect.
Humanity: Ship Capture Specialists
Having lived for centuries as scavengers, the Humans have developed great expertise in capturing vessels and converting them for their own use. Humanity already has some bonuses in this department in-game, and these will expanded upon. In particular, Humanity will gain a special armored Marine ground unit that can also be used in ship to ship boarding actions. Unlike conventional ground units which can only defend in boarding actions, the Human marines, when coupled with a special Boarding Shuttle system, will be able to use their strength in offensive boarding operations.
Well, that's all for this update. Never give up, never surrender!