Star Traders: Frontiers News

Trade, credits, money! Trade must flow across the galaxy, even when the local Princes think they can stop it. Trade must flow even when the local law forbids it. Here, come this way -- the Black Market awaits! Update #311 is dedicated to the crossing of Rumors and the Black Market. And a new piece of +Init gear to boot!

If you like the on-going free updates to a game original shipped in 2017 or if you just think the number 311 is crazy, please take a minute to leave a review of tell a friend about our studio.

[h2]Our upcoming heist RPG is on the way![/h2]
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the game’s private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. We also have some public demos on our roadmap for events coming up this fall. Make sure you’ve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when it’s released!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/

[h2]Black Market X Rumors[/h2]
The Black Market is now much better connected and influenced by local zone, system and event quadrant Rumors.



During rumors where illegal trade would naturally spike -- such as Pirates harassing shipping lanes or Xeno running amok in the quadrant -- Black Market confiscation of goods is reduced by 50%, making it easier to get your illegal goods to the market. For Rumors where Trade Law and all types of law would be lax -- such as Spice Festival and during the scourge of local system Xeno Rumors -- the odds of reaching the Black Market and reaching it with a high level of access are greatly increased.

[h2]Other Card Improvements[/h2]
In the Black Market, we've also reduced the chance of the "Deadly Encounter" card being pulled, it was simply too heavily weighted for the mini-game. And in Salvage where the Trait Conditioning card appears, we've further increased the XP bonus if there is no character who has a Trait that can be conditioned.

[h2]New Init Gear[/h2]
For those intrepid captains willing to risk salvage operations in the void, there is a new gear results possible on military salvage. The Hexbolt Injector is a rare piece of gear that can increase combat Initiative.

[h2]v3.3.25 - 2/1/2023[/h2]
- During Pirate and Xeno Quadrant Rumors, Black Market confiscation risk reduced by 50%
- Reduced the chances of "Deadly Encounter" card being drawn in Black Market
- Substantially improved Black Market odds during Spice Festival, Xeno Fleet Rumors
- Increased XP bonus when Trait Conditioning Cards cannot be triggered
- New Level 5 Military Salvage Gear: Hexbolt Injector (Init Bonus Gear)
- Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes

Captains, the spice hall is re-opening and let's get some updates in here! We took a much needed break over and after the holidays but it is time to ramp up the pace of updates again for our favorite space captain simulator.

To get things warmed back up, we're catching up on the community reports of bugs and improvement requests that came in over the last month. A nice quality of life update to kick it off!


[h2]Ultrawide Support (21:9)[/h2]
For anyone playing on an ultrawide with a 21:9 aspect ratio, we've fixed the issues with ship combat to ensure that you get a good combat experience.

[h2]Talent Fixes[/h2]
We've fixed a bug with some debuffs like Unfaltering Ire where the Talent name was appearing over a randomized enemy instead of the actual target. For all Ship Combat Talents that increased Morale, we've fixed their implementation to be sure to always heal the right number of crew (if the healing is needed) -- so the Quartermaster's Rallying Cry correctly targets up to 20 crew and heals them by their Skill.

Finally, we resolved some issues with Talents that added Plasma / FIre / Radiation Resistance working in reverse of the expected rules in some cases, where they could increase damage. This is a bug that slipped in during the upgrade to Auto-Combat so we're thankful to have it fixed now.


[h2]Ships and Components[/h2]
With this update, we've fixed the mislink of data for Interlocking Sensor Matrix 5 and 6 which resulted in them having duplicated stats. Now they are properly differentiated.

We've correctly linked the Neutiquam Cruiser to the Speciality Acquisitions achievement and lock. Remember, if you dislike playing with locks just play the modded version of the game without any mods.

And of course, thanks for reporting typos in the game and in Steam achievements -- we fixed many!

[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]v3.3.21 - 1/27/2022[/h2]
- Improved ship combat screen for ultrawide screens (21:9 aspect ratio)
- Fixed bugs with Plasma / Fire / Radiation resistance working in reverse or using wrong type
- Fixed bug with debuffs like Unfaltering Ire printing Talent name over wrong target
- Fixed Quartermaster's "Rallying Cry" to correctly healing the right number of crew (20)
- Correctly locked Neutiquam Cruiser behind Specialty Acquisitions achievement
- Fixed Interlocking Sensor Matrix 6 having duplicate stats with ISM 5
- Fixed typos in dialog, component descriptions and Steam achievements

Hey all, hope your quarters are cozy and your cargo holds full this season. :christmas_tree: :fire: :star: For all our captains in the void, our gift to you is a fresh update, #309: Flashing Signals. This year, we've taken a trip through the community suggestions and feedback and cherry picked a number of great quality of life suggestions and balance improvements to help us prepare for the new year.

Thank you all for your support, feedback, posts, shares and reviews. We would not be here without all of you, so thank you, happy gaming and happy holidays!

[h2]New Year, New Game Coming![/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]Inline Combat Dice Results[/h2]
Update #309 follows up on a great player suggestion to include the results of the dice rolls for movement, attack and boarding rolls inline in the on-screen display for each ship combat action. While all of this data is available in longform in the ship combat log, it is very helpful and educational to be able to see the numbers for the different actions flashing by. It immediately makes it far easier to get a sense of the tip of the balance and the sudden changes that a powerful buff or critical hit can have on the dice pools.


While the numbers flash by quickly, you can get the sense of the combat situation in a single series of salvos, seeing your own firing crew piling up 34+ successes on each attack and then enemy ranging from 19-28 gives you a strong sense of your own ability to land hits without having to dig through the full report of the combat log.


[h2]Merchant's Garner Favor[/h2]
The Merchant's Garner Favor has long been a power Talent which yielded outside results rapidly -- granting a Reputation bonus up to your Negotiation Skill (!!) for a trade over $5,000. Previously, the balance on this power Talent was to cap its Rep gain once you hit positive 80 which reduces the overall usefulness of the Talent and targets it for Respec once it has outlived its usefuless.

With Update #309, Garner Favor has been rewritten to be useful more broadly. Now, featuring a 10% + Negotiation Skill chance to granting a Reputation bonus on a $5,000+ trade it no longer needs a cap and can be evergreen beneficial. In addition, the possible Reputation bonus is based on the size of the trade, with each extra $2,500 in profit yielding a potential Rep bonus point. While this can cap out around 20 Rep per trade, the low level Talent now has room to grow and be useful in the Merchant's long-term kit.

[h2]Prize Ship Talents Improvements[/h2]
With Update #309, we've rebalanced Prize Ship Talents to improve their profitability. The spread of Talent results has increased allowing a wider range for more profit balanced against more Reputation damage. In all, the profit %s are up and the Reputation damage numbers are down, so Prize Ship Talents are more competitive even as we widen their results range within the set.


[h2]Ship Components Flagged[/h2]
Those ship components which are faction specific now have their faction origin displayed prominently in ship status and in the starport screen when you are considering replacing components. This can help you differentiate between icons with the same component, remember which specialized components you have and generally speed up shopping and ship analysis. Thanks to the players suggestion this one!

[h2]v3.3.19 - 12/24/20222[/h2]
- In Ship Combat, results of dice rolls for move, escape, boarding and attacks are shown in results
- Rebalanced Merchant's "Garner Favor" to use 10% + Negotiation chance to gain Rep Bonus, removed cap on Rep
- Improved balance and profitability of prize ship talents, wider range of results enabling high profit or no Rep loss
- Faction flags are now shown over ship components in all instances (ship status, starport ship layout, etc)
- Clarified that reductions in Hyperwarp Jump time can never exceed 50%
- Fixed crash in Auto-Battle for crew combat if character carried Sniper Rifle and trained AOE Talent
- Fixed HUD overlap issues on iOS devices with white bar

Update #308 adds 4 new pieces of gear you find in early-game Orbital Salvage and rebalances the life of the clothing merchant -- both regular Clothing and Luxury Clothing and increased the risks of Salvaging while Radiation Storms hover over the quadrant.

Thanks to everyone posting feedback, reviews and sharing the game with friends this wintery season. The Pirate's Life Community Challenge is still on-going so be sure to join up and we'll see you on the boards --

[h2]Our upcoming heist RPG is on the way![/h2]
Right now ~1,000 of the Kickstarter backers for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint have access to the game’s private alpha and are giving us great feedback as the game gets closer to Early Access. Make sure you’ve wishlisted and followed Cyber Knights for news and a special discount when it’s released!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]Early Game Salvage Loot[/h2]
With Update #308, we've expanded the options for lootable items while Salvaging. These new items focus on survivability builds, increasing Armor, Fortitude and Initiative and are great starters but will likely be phased out by future purchases and discoveries during Salvage or stories.

The new items include the Tarbax Plate (+Armor, +Debuff Res), Penta Scale (+Armor, +Dodge, +Fortitude), Galbreth Bright (+Resilience, +Debuff Res, +Deflection) and Memret Scale (+Armor, +Init).


[h2]Economics of Cloth[/h2]
The life of a cloth merchant has gotten more interesting with Update #308 as the flow of both regular Clothing and Luxury Clothing has seen overhaul.

There are minor and major changes to demand and production -- Farming zones are now major producers of Clothing while Industrial and Hi-Tech Orbitals have had minor increases to Luxury Clothing production. Population and Tradeway demand for clothing has increased. The voracious Luxury Population zones want Luxury Clothing even more than before.

And there are some new vectors altogether -- Hi-Tech Orbitals no longer manufacture Clothing and Tradeways are now interested in Luxury Clothing where they were not before.

And remember, all of these demand factors are scaled by the zone's Population, so the highly populous Lux Pop zones -- so seek out those large pop worlds for the best trade triangles.

[h2]Dangerous Salvage[/h2]
Salvaging under dangerous conditions -- with disastrous Radiation Storms threatening on the horizon -- has become even more risky. Now, the "Reduce Duration" card which will slash the durations of other positive Rumors in the area savagely are even more likely to appear when you have Radiation Storm Rumors in the Quadrant. This is another way that the risk in Salvaging ticks up and that the local context is even more important to your choice of when and where to take these risks.

[h2]v3.3.17 - 12/6/2022[/h2]
- Economy adjustments for Clothing, Luxury Clothing to improve trade flow
- During Quadrant-wide Radiation Storms, Orbital Rumors will draw 50% more Rumor Duraction Reduction cards
- Added 4 additional early-game Salvage loot items focused on combat survivability
- New Military Gear: Tarbax Underplate
- New Relic Gear: Penta Scale
- New Medical Gears: Galbreth Bright, Memret Scaling
- Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes

Update #307 follows on the Zucho Mil-Accords with an addititional positive Trait reward card for Salvaging, updated rules for all Trait cards from Salvaging, rebalances to key components like Water-Fuel Reclamation and a new useful bonus for all Meshes, Weaves and Coating ship components.

Thanks to everyone sharing the game, posting to the forums and leaving a review as we drop this newest update.

Speaking of new, new new -- if word hasn't trickled down from the tippity top of the New Boston spires, leaked below the streets and drip-drip-dripped into your safehouse, we're here to tell you about our upcoming turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be coming to Steam in 2022 and mixes stealth, hacking and tactical combat with deep RPG elements and a unique heist system for missions. The wishlist button is calling your name, Knight.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210?snr=1_2108_9__2107

[h2]Extended Pirate's Life Challenge[/h2]
We've been thrilled by the number of captains jumping into the Pirate's Life Challenge and have decided to extend it through January of 2023. To keep it spicey and dicey, we've added two new wrinkles for you to try out if you want to -- or just play it under the original challenge rules!

1. Be a pirate against only a single faction. Pick one and be merciless.
   
2. Be a pirate against everyone. Be an indie pirate and go after every faction. How will you make it when everyone is turned against you?
   

[h2]New Salvage Card: Far From Home[/h2]
A new +5 Salvage card has appeared in Update #307, the "Far From Home" card grants a rare chance to gain a positive Trait from a short list of Traits that all improve Death Save, such as Durable, Lucky, Revenant and Life-Spark.

Also, for all other cards that add Traits, we have improved the rules for how they seek and find crew to give those Traits to as well as ensuring that in the case that Traits can't be granted (everyone has all the Traits!) then large XP bonuses are granted instead and the result text is more clear.


[h2]Coating, Weaves and Meshes[/h2]
With Update #307, we've improved the position in the meta for 3 wide categories of ship component types: Coatings, Weaves and Meshes. These components now help buff either Radiation or Void Resistance, making them more useful to a wider variety of ships.

[h2]Water-Fuel Reclamation 4[/h2]
A number of components have been repriced and rebalanced in Update #307 as we are taking a moment to sweep the ship component catalog, improve balance, pricing and progression as we prepare for future adjustments.

Water-Fuel Reclamation 4 now adds +18 more Water-Fuel (up to 48 now), reduces 4 more fuel when jumping (up to -16 now) and adds +2 more Navigation skill pool (up to 4 now). It is a significantly more appealing component and a more viable step up from WFR 3 now.


[h2]Late Era Stories[/h2]
Update #307 also fixed an issue that was identified by the help of some highly experienced captains. In games with far advanced dates that had completed the final story Era, a bug introduced by modding support could prevent certain sets of new storylines from starting in the game. This bug did cover the recently added Zucho Mil-Accords and the follow-on story event we added for Consolidation / Dissension in Update #305.

We also fixed a bug with the Research Lead contact added in Update #305 to fix the useless "Special Service" to a service offering Specialist Wing Gear.

[h2]v3.3.15 - 11/30/2022[/h2]
- Improved trait-granting rules for "Impactful Expedition" Orbital Card
- Added new rare trait-granting card focused on Death Save Traits (+5 Salvage Reward Card)
- Hull Coating, Weaves and Meshes now grant some Radiation & Void Resistance
- Completely Rebalanced "Water-Fuel Reclamation 4"
- Repriced & rebalanced "Ferrochromium Plating"
- Repriced & rebalanced "Iridlaentine Weave-Coating"
- Fixed dead-end "Special Service" in Research Lead Contact to be Wing Gear
- Fixed bug preventing new stories from proccing into very old saved games beyond the last Era
- Minor platform support patches, fixed report crashes & text issues