The big main branch update is finally here! But let's start off by fulfilling a promise I made last year:
Uncountable Infinities for Everyone!
Warning: this experimental game mode may drive completionists INSANE.
In the base game, the explorable part of a planet has always been just a single 30x30 map. It was never meant to represent the *entire* planet, only the most interesting part.
Uncountable Infinities changes all that:
Somewhere on each edge of the map, a green arrow may spawn. If you touch that arrow, you'll travel north, east, south, or west (depending on which edge of the map you're on) to a new part of the planet, that is mostly similar, but new and different.
This mode is not "balanced" with the rest of the game. You can indeed collect too much loot and XP. But get out there and do it anyway, you won't regret it! The code to enter in order to activate this new experience is:
"tripleinfinity"
Why "triple infinity"? Space was already infinite, so that's the first one. Now planets are infinite, so that's 2. But what else? CAVES! Not only can you travel NESW on the surface, but you can do it in caves too! Wow. This code will work until the end of March and then Uncountable Infinities will go away... until it comes back later as a more balanced, less infinite but permanent change.
Shipwreck Takeover!
I've been talking about this for a long time, now it's finally here.
If you find a shipwreck with 3+ decks with a working life support system, fix all the damaged walls, floors, and vital systems, and remove all the aliens, you can transfer all your equipment over and USE THE SHIP FOR YOUR OWN!
Approaching Infinity comes with 20 standard ship classes, and those are what you can fly. You might buy an upgraded version of one of those ships at a station, but they're always the same basic flavor.
(This readout appears when you visit a "repair terminal".)
When you take over a shipwreck, you get to pick from 3 potential stack blocks (hull, speed, cargo, crew, and supplies) that the ship could reasonably be configured into (based on what kind of ship it was to begin with).
But the best part comes a little later, when you get to choose your own pair of "built-in devices". They don't take up slots and are always 'on'. Want infinite supplies? Install a "nebulizer" and a "ram scoop". Or choose a "resource extractor" and an "orbital mining beam" if you want to strip-mine planets. If you can find it, buy it, or build it, you can install it here and define your *own* class of ship!
You're going to need resources to accomplish this.
Unless you find a shipwreck with no discernible damage, you will need a combination of scrap metal, repair kits, crafting parts, and gadgets to get everything back in order. You'll probably also want to refrain from using corrosive or explosive weaponry while clearing out any nasty alien infestations you might find...
You even get to pick what your new ship looks like!
https://youtu.be/oBxT-eV1nmM
OK, but what if you don't want to put in all that work?
Tow It!
You still need to visit every deck and you still need to get rid of the monsters. But you don't have to make any repairs. You could even blow the inside to hell. But on the way out, you might get the option to tow it to a station, where someone will hopefully pay a lot of money for the junk you're hauling.
(Here I am in my custom ship, towing the remains of another ship I explored.)
Towing will slow your ship down. A lot. And it will keep you from warping, landing, or docking anywhere *until* you actually sell the salvage. So don't do it in a sector where you're badly outnumbered or outgunned.
But it's a great way to make some extra cash, and it even lets you tidy up the sector map a bit. But just in case you can't deal with all the aliens, or be bothered to explore more than 50% of the ship...
BLOW IT UP!
Yep. You found a weak spot you can exploit to make it come apart and spill its guts into space. As soon as you move away, it will blow. Collect the spoils!
These features represent a major milestone in the shipwreck overhaul, which is a big part of version 1.7 (but there are at least 4 other big parts of 1.7, so *WAY* more galaxy-shattering revelations to come.)
Shorter Skill Cooldowns
Like, *way* shorter. I'm still trying to find the proper balance for cybernetic gel (which cuts activated-skill cooldown times in half). The previous idea was that using skills was very rare, and using gel was even rarer.
But for now, we'll try this: skill cooldowns aren't very long at all, and using gel will significantly shorten that time, allowing you to possibly use the same skill twice during an encounter, if you feel the need is great enough.
Portraits In Hails!
A while ago, I introduced the beautiful alien species portraits that @kennydalman made, but they weren't actually in the game yet. Well...
Wait, those aren't exactly hails, what are they?
Aliens On A Mission
When you board a shipwreck with sentient aliens on it, they're not just "there" anymore. They're *doing* something. Maybe they're on a mission and don't want to be disturbed. Maybe they need your help fixing the ship. Or maybe they just want you to stand still for a second. Anyway, the universe keeps getting more "alive", and you've got to deal with it.
What Else?
- You can now shelter in the shuttle on planets that cause environmental damage.
- "Stun" weapons got a speed boost.
- A lot of things were fixed that caused other things to break, and then those things got fixed too.
- Take my word for it.
- If you raid a Firax Vault (found at cave level 12 or deeper), you're in for a tougher time and some lasting consequences...
- Air pressure is restored much more quickly when you have working life support and 100% hull integrity.
- YOU CAN BUILD DOORS IN WALLS USING RARE CRAFTING PARTS!
- When starting a new game, the order of officer classes has been adjusted sequentially by division (curiosity, combat, systems, etc.)
- You also get tooltips on how to unlock any playable officer classes you're still missing.
- Added 13 new pieces of alien art to find.
- more More MOAR...