Star Traders: Frontiers News

It's Update #324! Not quite an orbital disaster but it sounds pretty cool. We've got some awesome improvements, tuning and fixes in this update as well as a reminder about the 5 year anniversary stream too. So -- if you like the pace of updates, please tell a friend, post some feedback and be sure to leave a review!

[h2]5 Year Celebration Reminder![/h2]
Time flies like a starship, Captains. This month we're celebrating 5 years of Star Traders: Frontiers!

Mark your calendars for TONIGHT, August 10th, 9pm EDT. We'll be live on Twitch with the Trese Brothers (including a special appearance from youngest brother Martin!) for a community hang-out and celebration stream on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TreseBrothers

[h2]What’s the latest on Cyber Knights?[/h2]
Throughout the last year, we’ve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoint’s private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. Now, with a live demo up on the Steam page, we're cranking up to finishing pace and we’re marching toward the Q4 launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure you’ve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/

[h2]Orbital Disaster[/h2]
When different types of Salvage Rumors start on a system, the local Contacts can gain or lose Influence. Orbital Salvage Rumors that can cause Influence bonuses include those like Orbital Constructions, Abandoned Military Station and others. We have now pushed Orbital Disaster Salvage Rumor correctly into the camp that harm local Contact Influence - a good change to help keep the simulation fair and clear, especially as this is a Rumor that can be bought by aggressive Contacts on their action.

[h2]Early UCF Rumors Peace[/h2]
We have added a rule change to the simulation to further improve the dynamics of the interstellar Rumors during the Early Coalition Era when Contacts attempt to create damaging Rumors. In the simulation in general -- when taking their action, Contacts can attempt to purchase damaging Rumors against other Contacts they hate (example -- Aetaan Char is in the simulation attempting to Civil Unrest the Faen homeworld due to her extreme hatred).

During the Early Coalition Era, there is now a voting mechanism where other Contacts may deny the Rumor action after it has already been paid for. This results in the Rumor not being created and the aggressive Contact losing the Influence they put on the table for the action in the first place. This helps create a relative but fragile time of peace during the Early Coalition Era.


[h2]Gear Buffs[/h2]
Two sets of combat gear -- the Paladin's Chain and Watchdog Whisper -- both have gained buffs to their stats to help push them more into the forefront of their respective categories. In addition, we've added to the respective Attribute bonuses for the Wing gear GAATSO Interlink and Vrax Harness, as it always helps for your Wing pilots to have slightly sharper Attributes along with their Wing-focused traits, gear and Talents.


[h2]More Xeno Protections[/h2]
We're on a bit of a rip making sure xeno don't slaughter early game captains unfairly. We've added another round of protections to prevent xeno rumors from being generated in certain ways that were letting them slip past the existing filter. Even less xeno Rumors should escape the lab in the early game but they are really hard to keep locked up -- so you might still see some!

[h2]Other Fixes[/h2]
We've adjusted the weighting in enemy captain ship designer to reduce the likelihood of Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress ships appearing as they were both a little overweight for fairness and pushing other ships into the margins.

Finally, thanks for reporting bugs, typos and all the rest!

[h2]v3.3.55 - 8/9/2023[/h2]
- Orbital Disaster rumors now damage Contact Influence rather than increase it
- Contact AI purchasing Rumors during UCF Era revised to use simulated votes (hurts aggressive Contacts)
- Buffed Paladin's Chain and Watchdog Whisper (Crew combat gear)
- Buffed Attribute bonuses for GAATSO Interlink and Vrax Harness (Fighter Pilot gear)
- Reduced chances of Xeno Rumors occurring early in the game
- Reduced rate of enemy Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress spawning
- Minor performance support patches, fixed reported crash & text bugs

We've joined forces with two other indie studios to offer a new Steam bundle for players who love to dive deep into a game: Endless Adventures - Deep & Replayable RPGs.



In the now 5 years 🎉 since Star Traders: Frontiers' release, we've heard from so many of you that ours is a game you enjoy coming back to time and time again, creating new captains, outfitting entirely different ships, trying playthroughs with new goals or creative challenges. To this day we continue to update the game with new content, and opened up a new frontier of possibilities for player-created content with modding support added last year.

Wildermyth is another highly-replayable game we've admired since its release for its innovative procedural generation storytelling system, storybook-come-to-life style, and character legacies. Our shared tabletop RPG inspirations couldn't be more clear, and their many clever systems for creating unique characters and stories on every playthrough are very well executed.

Vagrus: The Riven Realms is another game we've been impressed by; this time for the sheer amount of hand-crafted content in its vast, dark-fantasy setting. Star Traders players will find lots of similarities in Vagrus' caravan premise, from the many options for who you recruit to travel alongside you, to the total freedom you have in how you choose to make your way in its detailed world.


If you're a bargain-hunter, you should know:

• With this bundle, you'll only pay for the games you don't already own.
  
• The bundle discount stacks with individual game sale discounts, so you'll often be able to find this bundle at a great price.
  

Hope you'll enjoy checking out these award-winning RPGs! Please spread the word: if you're a player who loves getting lost in a game — vast worlds, extensive character build variety, tons of ways to play — these three RPGs are for you.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/33786/

Time flies like a starship, Captains. This month we're celebrating 5 years of Star Traders: Frontiers!

Mark your calendars for August 10th, 9pm EDT. We'll be live on Twitch with the Trese Brothers (including a special appearance from youngest brother Martin!) for a community hang-out and celebration stream on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TreseBrothers

Last year, we asked you to share a favorite moment or memory, and used them as part of our commemorative 4-year anniversary image.

This year, we want to hear about (and see screenshots of!) your favorite captain and your greatest achievement in game with them! A legendary set of salvage gear? A stash of horded Vudka the size of a small moon? A black market trade route that puts the Kessel Run to shame?

Whatever your best achievement may be, share your captain screenshots and stories in the Trese Brothers Discord #stf_5_year_celebration channel by August 8th for a chance to be featured in a special way in the 5-year anniversary celebrations.

Thank you all for the fun, the support, the reviews, the memes and the memories. I know we're talking a lot about our next game these days, but we're looking forward to the new possibilities it will bring for Star Traders as well. And with all the new players that keep coming to Star Traders: Frontiers, it's still got more life (and updates!) ahead.

Join us on the 10th for a fun celebration!

Welcome all new captains to the latest Star Traders: Frontiers update. With some fixes to the newly added Talents, new sources of Era-driven Rumors, a rebalance for early game Explorers and a platform-specific fix that brings music and SFX back to mac OS, it's big #323.

A huge thanks goes out to everyone leaving a review, posting feedback and sharing the game with friends!

[h2]Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?[/h2]
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, we’re telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]New Rumor Sources[/h2]
Rumors filter into the simulation by the actions of Contacts, thrown off from Conflicts and Eras, and even caused by the ripple of other Rumors ending. With Update #323, we've adjusted these Rumors flows during 3 Eras of the game to further push certain types of Rumors that fit the Era's storyline and feeling. For early traders and merchants, in the moment of prosperity that is the start of 212 AE, new Surplus Rumors have been seeded into the game. During the founding of the UCF, intergalactic instability and worry causes a flush of new Shortage Rumors to appear and finally, during the 3rd Century as military power continues to build up without an outlet, more and more Mercenary Rumors are occurring.


[h2]Early Game Explorers[/h2]
Reports trickle back slow to the spice hall, stories of warning, danger and death. New Explorers who have sometimes never set foot on a wilderness touch down and take their away team out, searching for riches and ancient sites. Some never return, ripped apart by Terrox or Shalun help them, Jyeeta.

We've made some adjustments to help balance the life of new game Explorers a bit. There are no xeno lurking in the Exchange or the shipping lanes in the first few years of the game, so Explorers -- who could draw multiple xeno cards in a single hand !! -- we're facing an unfair uphill battle at the start of their career. We've now limited Xeno cards from appearing in early game Exploration to avoid this unfair disadvantage to their career.


[h2]Talent Fixes[/h2]
Both of the Swordsman Talents released in last week's update regrettably had issues and could cause crashes when used in crew combat. With this update, we've redone their testing and fixed the Talents to work as well in production as they did during development! En garde, let's fight!

[h2]v3.3.53 - 8/2/2023[/h2]
- Balance Change: Xeno Cards No Longer Appear in early Turn Explorer Hands
- Early game now contains more Surplus Rumors
- UCF Founding now triggers widespread shortages during trade disruptions
- Increased the number of Mercenary rumors that are created for 3rd Century
- Fixed issues with Secrets of Steel
- Fixed issues with Nine Bladed Cut
- Fixed crashes and freezes in Crew Combat
- Card title formatting adjustments in Salvage
- Fixed missing music and SFX for Mac OS

Update #322 continues the push to fill out the high level Talents for crew combatants, bringing 2 new Talents to Swordsman and adjusting the AI talent selections based on all the new adds, fixing Bodyguard selections and making xeno even more dangerous in their Talent picks. We've also added a bit more balance to the latest Soldier Talent additional, Still Standing, and fixed issues with the AI ship builder that could result in enemy ships have the wrong Hyperwarp Drive occasionally.

A huge thanks to everyone posting feedback, sharing the game and leaving a review!

[h2]Stealth Fest Demo![/h2]
Calling all ninjas, shadows, and ghosts in the machine -- Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is waiting to see just how stealthy you can be in our freshly-updated free demo for Steam Stealth Fest this week.
The first rule should probably be, "Don't talk about Stealth Fest", so just roll up your Vanguard, lock-and-load your shock mines and power up your Chameleon suit - it's time to kill quietly, move as a shadow, become one with the patrol routes. Blades and silent pistols are your weapons, speed and silence your friends.

We're excited to share this demo that takes you to the very start of your Cyber Knight's career: the night of your cyber surgery. In the underworld of New Boston, nothing goes down easy and everyone has an agenda. Can you keep your head up in these dangerous waters?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]Swordsman Coming Around![/h2]
Each major crew combat class with missing rank 15 Talents is getting its day - and now it's time for Swordsman to get the treatment. With Update #322, the Swordsman has gained a new rank 11 and new rank 15 Talent to complement their already powerful set.

The new rank 11 Talent, Secrets of Steel is a companion to the venerable Strength of Steel and not related to our other games at all. Secrets of Steel can help a Swordsman who has been knocked back - or retreated of their own will - rapidly recover and get back into the fight and offers some powerful synergy for blade wielders who are willing to exercise additional mobility or fight with an offhand pistol.

Nine Blade Cut is a powerful stunning attack targeted at the front row which can be especially useful if any ranged weapon fighters are brought into the front, as it will further dent their accuracy. Combining Stun with an immediate Initiative penalty, Nine Blade Cut is a great way to slow down and trip enemy combatants and may be - for some strategies - especially useful against xeno.


[h2]High-Level Talent Rebalance[/h2]
As we add a number of new high level crew combat Talents to the game, rebalances are sure to be required. With this update, we've reduced the duration of the Soldier's Still Standing Talent by 1 Turn.

[h2]AI Talent Selection[/h2]
With this update, we've completed another review of the AI Talent selection logic across different enemy types and jobs. We found some issues where enemy Bodyguards would incorrectly purchase Talents from any other job, often beyond the rules of multi-jobbing.

Second, we've updated the logic for how enemy xeno pick their Talents to make them more synergistic as a group. We're sorry in advance. Be sure to buff your armor, sharpen your blades and prepare for the worst if you're high level and tangling with Terrox or Jyeeta.


[h2]Underwhelming HW Drives[/h2]
We fixed an issue for some AI ships which were built with incorrectly sized Hyperwarp drives. Unable to actually send the mass of the ship through a Hyperwarp gate, these could become quite the burden to a captain who captured them with Prize Ship and require a significant retrofit before they could really become useful.

[h2]v3.3.51 - 7/26/2023[/h2]
- New Rank 11 Swordsman Talent: Secrets of Steel
- New Rank 15 Swordsman Talent: Nine Bladed Cut
- Reduced 'Still Standing' Duration by 1 turn
- Fixed issue with AI Bodyguards buying Talents from all Jobs
- Improved Xeno Talent selection logic (sorry!)
- Fixed issue that could cause seized AI ships to have undersized HW drives