Greetings space explorers!
It's been over a month since AI version 1.6 was finalized. In that time there have been countless small changes, but 2 really big ones: the addition of "showdowns" and the starting ship overhaul. And if you're brave enough to join the Steam Beta branch, you'll get to experience...
The Starting Ship Overhaul
In the past, when starting a new game, you'd get a small amount of information about your chosen ship:
Like really small.
Since I was going to change so many things about the ships, and give them more detail, attention, and uniqueness than they've ever had before... I thought I'd expand the UI a bit:
^ That's what it looks like now! ^
Easy-to-read info on basic stats like hull, supplies, speed, crew, and cargo. Full disclosure on things like warp drive and sensors. And every ship now has unique away team equipment including sidearm, melee weapon, spacesuit specifics, and many even start with a device!
Every ship now has a unique feel to it. They were always *supposed* to, but now they DO.
Take for example the Firax Yacht: it's a purpose-built artifact hunter, detecting clues and quest items at great distances. Or the Monk Counselor. Monks love to run from a fight, so this ship not only comes with a strategic cloaking device, but a weapons mod that immobilizes enemy ships with every shot!
16 of the 20 ships need to be unlocked through game-play,
but even the 4 you start with have been effectively remodeled and should be a lot more interesting than before. I actually started a video series where I use the Assault Scout (first ship on the list) and try to unlock ships. I'm getting pretty far, with 16 episodes recorded (only a few are released yet) and 8/16 ships unlocked. Here it is on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/cuyP0ESLt8E
Showdowns:
The internal name for these is "Inter-Racial Showdowns", but I think maybe that's questionable?
Anyway, it's basically where you have to choose to side with one alien race or another in a small conflict... A ship from a faction you're on good terms with hails you and says something like "Me. You. Fight. Together!", and they'll name a target and ask if you'll help them.
If you choose to ally yourself with the aggressor in the conflict, you'll immediately gain reputation with them, and lose rep the target's group. If you finish the job and defeat your new enemy, you gain even more trust.
But beware! If you try to leave before the fight's over, you'll end up on worse terms with both factions. That includes warping, docking with stations, or going on an away mission. Of course, you can choose to stay out of the fight too... you'll offend the attacker, but at least you won't anger their target.
Other changes:
- Introduced several new devices inspired by the ship redesign (savior beacon, extortionist weaponry, motion tracker, etc.)!
- Each officer class now starts the game with a specific cybernetic cooldown skill and 5 gel to power it.
- If you continuously try to dock at a space station where they don't want you, they'll eventually spawn a ship to persuade you otherwise.
- Your crafting level now appears on the crafting screen (?!)
- The internal working of the shipyard (where you can buy different ships on stations) has also been redesigned. It should be more satisfying.
- The away team now makes different "walking" sounds, depending on the terrain.
- When loading a game, the list is now sorted by the most recently played save.
- Alien space ships that have always been described as "large" are now actually bigger on the map!
- Gave slots machines a "ding ding ding" sound effect.
- Officers who die on away missions now generate "obituatries" as texts you can find in the future.
- Added "rare part boxes" that contain one of the 5 crafting parts you can't buy.
- Reduced the supply cost of all ship weapons.
- Improved the quality of the TRADIO by giving real-time information about prices everywhere.
- Reduced the number of crafting parts required to 6 (not 7) as a base.
- When experimenting in the crafting lab, wrong parts are automatically removed after each test.
- Away team device "Bio Filter" now allows breathing forever on any planet with Oxygen as a major atmospheric component.
- Radiation resistance now gives half damage on irradiated planets, but it only exists as a suit or artifact power (not a device or skill). (it's more in keeping with the theme of the power, than anything actually currently useful.)
- "Pushy" monsters now hurt you before they push you away (except Greeters).
...and those are just the changes I made notes about...
Beta Branch Only
All of these changes are currently only available in the Beta branch. But that's OK, because anyone can join and it won't affect your existing game saves. If this sounds good to you, just switch over to the beta and let me know what you think!
What's Next
Shipwrecks!
Many of the new systems outlined in the 1.7 Starmap have something to do with shipwrecks. Repairing or salvaging them, going to upper and lower decks, solving puzzles and finding new gadgets in them, find your previous ships (bones files) or even walking the interior of your current ship. Oh yeah, and scanning them!
So much to do with that "spaceship interior" scene. So version 1.7b will focus on shipwrecks, and the new systems that need to be created to encompass all the amazing things still to come.
But for now, just try out those new ships for me, OK?