Star Traders: Frontiers News

It's Update #316 with some new deadly enemy captain + ship combos, a new round of variations to how Xeno will build their ships, new gear and even better Contact death logs. The pre-Summer scramble has dragged our usual update schedule a bit, but we're excited to be getting back to the update roadmap here!

If you are enjoying the pace of updates and new free content, be sure to drop a review and post some feedback! We're always here and listening.

[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 AI Captains in Dangerous Ships[/h2]
Newly trained captain AI have taken command of some powerful ships -- the Dreadnought Battlecruiser and the Shizari Huntress. These new enemy challengers will show up in the later stages of the game and their captain's have new upgrade plans for them to ensure they are as threatening as they sound. If you encounter such a ship in the void, be sure to check your scopes, consider your options and choose wisely.


[h2]Xeno Variety[/h2]
In this update, we've spent some hours digging into the rules and decisions by which Terrox and Jyeeta Xeno build their ships. It was a good opportunity to check the systems against current human AI as well as the latest technologies available to you, the human Star Traders. This review has led to some exciting improvements that should help create a wider variety of xeno ships including a better mix of weaponry and defensive components.

[h2]New Gear, More Available Deathward[/h2]
With Update #316, we've added 2 new high level pieces of gear - the Edgebane Tincture and the Bexian Synthserum. Respectively at level 8 and 9, these are not likely to be easy to find and will require multiple runs into high risk Orbital Salvage operations to turn them up.

Also, the Zendu Deathward has bee reduced in level from 10 to 8 in order to make it appear more frequently in Salvage loot drops.


[h2]Contact Death Rules and Logs[/h2]
Some new rules have been added to extend Contact's lifespans on worlds with either high Spice rating or high Military Rating. For those on high Spice rating worlds, the natural lifespan has been extended even farther. For those on high military worlds, they have gained a higher chance to be able to resist an attempt by an enemy Contact to have them killed by assassins.

In addition, we've increased the variety and clarity of the death reasons that are included in Contact's death log, specifically if they were killed by some kind of violence or faction violence. We hope you enjoy these tidbits of information which can offer glimpses into the game's simulation as well as provide key details to your story as you sail the galaxy.

[h2]v3.3.39 - 5/8/2023[/h2]
- Newly trained AIs using Dreadnought Battlecarrier, Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress
- Reduced 'Zendu Deathward' Gear from Level 10 to Level 8 (more frequent drops)
- New level 8 Gear 'Edgebane Tincture'
- New level 9 Gear 'Bexian Synthserum'
- Revised some aspects of Xeno Ship Combat AI to add variety
- Contacts on zones with higher Spice Rating live even longer
- Contacts on zones with higher Military Rating more resistant to Assassins
- Added more descriptive "death reason" to Logs for Contacts that died in Faction violence
- Fixed a bunch of reported crashes, thanks for sending those

Update #315 rolls out a list of community-driven enhancements. A huge thanks to everyone posting their feedback, frustrations and questions to the Steam forums and to Discord to help us keep improving. This update has an especially helpful update to Mission icons as well as a key refinement of the ship comparison report that was throwing many players and selling them on their engine superiority when it might not really be the case. Here's Update #315, let's check it out!

I'm sure when we get to Update #400, you'll know that we're serious about this game :P

[h2]Keep this game growing![/h2]
After five years of updates, Star Traders has received a lot of love, long past release. To keep it going, Andrew & I rely on two things: reviews for this game, and wishlists for our next! Reviews for Star Traders keep the game visible on Steam, please write a few words for us if you have a minute.

Meanwhile, wishlists for our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG help us plan for the studio’s future (which includes future Star Traders games 😉). If turn-based squad tactics, creative stealth & hacking, and a unique 23rd-century dark future world sound like your thing, add to your wishlist today!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]Cargo and Stash Icons[/h2]
Cargo and Stash Missions now display the required cargo icon above the mission step! This is a huge help for everyone doing these types of missions as you can both skim the mission with overall less reading but you're less likely to accidentally buy the wrong cargo as well. Thanks to everyone making these great suggestions in the community!


[h2]Engine Comparison[/h2]
The ship encounter report about the enemy ship mistakenly used the regular math (that which is appropriate for big dice pools like Attack and Defense) when discussing your Engine's Agility and Speed stats. We've now made significant improvements to the comparison of Engine stats so that the displayed bonuses are very specific and match the game rules exactly as you'd find them on the wiki. This should be a big help in understanding how your Engine stats affect your outcomes and when you truly outclass an enemy or not.


[h2]Sneaky Enemy Craft Pilots[/h2]
With the help of some sharp players, we discovered a rare issue where enemy craft pilots on a Flight Plan could be forced into boarding crew combat defending their ship. This case where they were in 2 places at once is unfair and problematic -- because after the combat they are dead but ... flying a craft?

The fix is simple - to remove them from the list of viable defenders during a boarding operation!

[h2]Talent Fixes[/h2]
There were some inconsistencies in post-combat Talents being overly available during post-boarding -- where Macabre Harvest and Genetic Sequencing could appear unfairly even if the character who owned them was not in the boarding party and the boarding did not occur at range 1. We have now fixed Post Boarding Talents to ensure that the list is always accurate to who was in the party, reducing these unfair advantages. Your Scientist and Xeno Hunter are going to have to work harder for their Intel and Artifacts!

At the same time we also resolved an issue where the Scientist's Genetic Sequencing might not always create Scientific Intel after xeno battle.

And finally, we have added a missing SFX to Shock Trooper's "Stand Strong" Talent -- that's nice.

[h2]v3.3.35 - 3/29/2023[/h2]
- Cargo and Stash Missions now display the required cargo icon above the mission step
- Improved Ship Encounter comparison of Engine stats (Speed/Agility) to be very specific about game bonuses
- Added missing SFX for Shock Trooper's "Stand Strong" Talent
- Fixed rare issue where enemy craft pilots on a Flight Plan could be forced into boarding crew combat
- Fixed issue with Genetic Sequencing not always creating Scientific Intel after xeno battle
- Fixed Post Boarding Talent inconsistencies where Macabre Harvest and Genetic Sequencing could appear incorrectly

Update #313 rounds out some of the orbital Salvage loot tables, improves one of the heroic allies you can get in the game, adds a new rare Zendu relic and fixes some pesky numbers (wrong numbers, not right numbers) in the recently updated Contact Death captain's log entries.

Thanks to everyone posting feedback and suggestions, from the big to the small!

[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]Templar Buffing[/h2]
If you reach the rare air of the late era epic boss battles and find yourself side by side with a Templar Leviathan, know that its armor is stronger with higher Hardness and Ballistic % to help is soak up Damage and live up to its place in the lore.


[h2]Mid-level Medical Relics[/h2]
To further balance out the loot tables within the orbital Salvage operation, we've added 3 new defensive mid-level gear. These are more common to find with regular Salvage Gear cards, making the Dermlink Weave, Orgin Plate, Inkscale Mesh all pretty good options to perhaps replace expensive gear you might have instead purchased at from a Contact.

[h2]Rare Deathward[/h2]
The Zendu Deathward is a rare find when Salvaging but its powerful bonuses will help any who bear it stave off deaths and pass those cursed Death Saves.


[h2]Contact Death Logs[/h2]
Some of the Contact Death logs were including some really weird numbers. Some were really big, some were really small, all of them were wrong. We've fixed it! Thanks to everyone report this issue.

[h2]v3.3.33 - 3/7/2023[/h2]
- Buffed Templar Leviathan's armor (Exemplar Command) Hardness, Ballistic
- Added Medical Relics (Level 4) Dermlink Weave, Orgin Plate, Inkscale Mesh
- Added Ultra Rare Relic, Zendu Deathward (Level 10)
- Clarified Contact Death Log Entries
- Data handling performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes

Update #313 ... released on 3/1/23. Ignore the 2. We've spent a decade planning this!

Update #313 breathes some life back into an ancient feud with a new story event. The rumor-mongers are jawing in the spice hall, Aetaan Char's dynasty has released new ship component technology with hard-to-believe properties. On top of that, there are new and powerful level 6 military relics to hunt in Salvage, improvements to the repair times for high level Mass Reducers and Dampeners, fixed Talents for consistency and better captain's log entries.

If you're enjoying the continued updates to the game, please leave a review and tell a friend!

[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]Char Technology[/h2]
It's an exciting moment to light the spark that starts an arc. News has flashed out across the galaxy of an shiny new ship technology offered at the starports of the Char faction. The new Adv Mass Dampener 5 and 6 both boast extreme Mass offsets (-460 and -520), already defying modern expectations of science before discussing the deflective field (+Shield) that they are able to produce. Everyone is interested in these new secrets. Will the Faen respond in kind?

With Update #313, these new ship components are dynamically linked to the faction of Aetaan Char which is determined at the beginning of the game by your starting faction and the specifics of your map and starting quadrant. Every game may have a slightly different result here, which is very cool dynamic.

If Mass Dampeners aren't your jam, it won't be the last tech from the research labs of the Char, so buckle up. If they are your kind of tech, the repair times for high level Dampeners and Reducers has been cut down by 15%.


[h2]Military Relics[/h2]
For those salvagers picking over old military relics and hulks, there are new powerful level 6 relics in your loot tables. Look for those Relic cards and hope to see the new Crysplate Weave, Drak Ops Heavy and Dusk Stalker. It's always best to find a high Danger salvage spot if you can, just to give yourself that extra edge.


[h2]Ship Combat Adjustments[/h2]
With Update #313, we've made an important balance adjustment and fix to ship combat. First, while we granted the player's officers the ability to add bonus Electronics, Ship Ops, Nav and Pilot from their bonus Skills some time ago, the AI had not received this feature. In the early game, it has no impact but over time but over time it should help keep some enemy ship types -- based on the captain's officer selection -- more (fairly) dangerous or at least competitive.

Second, there was a bug with how debuffed Escape dice were applied that were not giving the correct advantage to player or enemy ship. Now, correctly -- if you are attempting to Escape, you get your Escape dice whether they are positive or negative. If you are attempting to resist an Escape, you get no Escape dice whether positive or negative.

Therefore, if you want to prevent your enemies from Escaping, debuff them with either -Escape or -Move Change. If you are trying to Escape yourself, you can debuff your enemy's Move Chance.

[h2]Talent Fixes[/h2]
We've caught Garner Favor up so that it now has the same improved rules when buying goods at the Exchange as it does when selling. We've improved the rules for Healer's Intuition and Perceptive Boss Talents to match their Talent description, ensuring that they get only Skill + 20% where they were getting a Skill + 30% before.

[h2]Log Clarity[/h2]
Thanks to the players posting feedback daily! We've improved the captain's log to make a clear difference between trades made at $5,000 to $500,000 and then trades made over $500,000. If you see other issues in the captains log or any part of the game, please share! We fix :D

[h2]v3.3.31 - 3/1/2023[/h2]
- New story event - Aetaan Char's scientist release new Adv Mass Dampeners 5 and 6 with mysterious tech
- Added Military Relics (level 6) Crysplate Weave, Drak Ops Heavy, Dusk Stalker
- Fixes nasty crash in Salvage
- Synchronized Garner Favor Talent effect between buying / selling
- Enemy ship officers now gain the correct bonuses for their officers with bonus Electronics, Pilot, Nav or Ship Ops in ship combat
- Reduced repair time of some Mass Reducers and Mass Dampeners
- Fixed bugs with Escape debuffs incorrectly applied when resisting other ship Escaping
- Fixed issues with Healer's Intuition and Perceptive Boss rolling 20% + Skill instead of 30% + Skill
- Fixed captain's log scores and stats to clarify $50,000 and $500,000 trade counts

Welcome new captains to the void -- everything is on sale right now and the updates, well they're free. They're always free. Here's #312 - new Salvage Relic armor, more colorful hints in the captain's log, new Black Market card, improved Salvage Shipyard Parts and new impact for high Spice zones on Contact longevity.

If you're new to the void and have questions, the community forum our Discord are great places to get help. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please consider telling a friend and leaving a review!

[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]Pentaweave Armor and More[/h2]
Salvaging Armor has received some major improvements with Update #312, adding both 3 new types of high-level armor that can be found via the Relic card as well as improving the overall progression of armor salvage cards - including Relic - to include fewer duplicates and present a better progression of loot chance.


[h2]Contact Life & Death[/h2]
... "killed by faction assassins" ... "killed in a suspicious accident" -- the Captain's log entries detailing the death of a Contact now include colorful descriptions giving some clues to the Contact actions and direct causes that might be behind their demise -- faction infighting, questionable accidents and outright assassinations!

For those lucky Contacts who reside on zones where the Spice Rating is high, such opportunity to access such a rich spice flow can increase their longevity and help them live longer natural lives.

[h2]Backroom Deals - Traits![/h2]
The new Backroom Deals card that can appear in the Black Market has the opportunity to add new sneaky and conniving Traits to your criminal records, helping further develop your crew based on your actions. Traits like Discreet, Fearless and Menacing are some of the possible results from this card.


[h2]Shipyard Parts Salvage[/h2]
If you hit the Shipyard Parts card during Salvage, the resulting stashes are larger and with more varied results between capital ship components, weaponry and small craft components which will make your life as a merchant perhaps more interesting but also more profitable if you can find the right outlets to sell.

[h2]v3.3.27 - 2/15/2023[/h2]
- New Relic Armor (Level 9) : Pentaweave Mesh, Ranger Nine-Plate, Razorbright Stealth
- Improved behavior of Armor Relic Salvage Card (better filter, less duplicates)
- Improved Stash generation logic for "Shipyard Parts" salvage card (larger, more interesting stashes)
- New Black Market card that generates sneaky Traits (Discreet, Fearless, Menacing)
- Contacts on zones with higher Spice Rating live longer
- Added colorful "death reason" to Logs for Contacts that died in Faction violence