Greetings Captain!
After releasing a few hot-fixes for urgent issues, we have been working on high priority player feedback as part of a Major Update. While work continues on this (which you can keep up-to-date on here) we have created a Beta Branch for you to play through the latest features as they come online. This is a good chance to help shape them before they are released as part of that Major Update.
To learn how to gain access to the Beta Branch, click on this link:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/551860/discussions/10/1698293255137774100/
Aside from some bug fixes, quality-of-life and balancing changes, the major new systems implemented in the Beta Branch improve two areas:
- Events instantly killing crew
- Difficulty in getting back into a strong position once things are going badly
These issues compounded each other, and we have implemented the following systems to mitigate them:
Badly Hurt
Events no longer insta-kill your crew! Instead, they will make them "Badly Hurt", which means they are unavailable in combat until you have revived them in an Apothecary.
This removes the feeling of unfairness while still making player choice important - and crucially, recovery is under player control.
Crew Traits System
There is now a Traits system, which gives your crew more character. Traits can be either Physical or Mental, and Positive or Negative.
When crew become Badly Hurt, they will gain a Negative Physical Trait. They will also gain one if they become Incapacitated in Combat.
Traits provide a small bonus or penalty to actions in Combat and stack up in ways that can affect your tactics in battle.
We've had a lot of fun coming up with Traits, and we're sure the community will have plenty of fun ideas too :)
Apothecary
If your crew member is Badly Hurt, you'll want to head to the new Apothecary in Ports to revive them.
Apothecaries can also cure Negative Physical Traits.
Both the Apothecary, and the Prison (which is described below) can be found in Ports.
Prisons
If you've survived Ship Destruction, or escaped a battle with barely any crew, it could be extremely tough to work your way back to the top. Now, if you're down on your luck, head to the Prison.
Here you'll be able to get cheap crew by paying their fine so they can serve on your ship. Prisoners are base-level and have several negative traits - one Mental Trait means they will never gain experience, so while Prisoners can get you out of a tight spot, they're unlikely to hold a permenant spot on your ship.
Of course, these are just some of many changes we have planned, and our focus is on tackling the major feedback points from the community first.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on these latest changes, so follow the instructions on the link above to find out how to gain access.
If you're interested in knowing what else we're working on as part of this upcoming Major Update, check out this link:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/551860/discussions/8/1696040635904210490/
Finally, our longer-term plans can be found here:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/551860/discussions/6/1693788202021118098/
Thanks for all of the support and feedback :)
The Abandon Ship Crew