Star Traders: Frontiers News

Stemming from an excellent conversation on the Steam forums, Update #298 adds 4 new starting Contacts to help balance out the mix of starting Contact recruits and services. With these 4 new starting options, we've also addressed a number of requests and bugs posted by the community in the last week -- all rolling up into an exciting new release.

A huge thanks goes out to everyone posting on the Steam forums, sharing the game and leaving reviews. Your time and effort helps us keep developing and improving Star Traders: Frontiers as we near an exciting Update #300.

[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]4 New Starting Contacts[/h2]
Four new unlockable Contacts have been added with Update #298, adding more options for key servicesl like Combat Armor and filling in missing melee recruit options. If you dislike playing with unlocks, keep in mind that you can just play the modded version without any mods and skip unlocks altogether.

The Palace Guard (unlocked by Wraithful Corsair) is charged with defending palace visitors, royals and diplomats and can recruit Bodyguards, offer Introductions and has connections both for Edicts and Military Rank.

Cruising the underground with a pack of ruffians and an eager blade, the Smuggler Rover (unlocked by Salvage Contractor) is likely to rob those they don't respect. If you can earn their respect, they recruit Blade Dancers, offer the Black Market, sell Rare Trade Goods, and have some connections above-the-shadows that allow them to offer low level Permits.

Trained at the academy and hardened in fleet service, the Naval Doctor (unlocked by Pit Fighter V) has returned from their tour of duty and now works within the grav military. They can recruit Combat Medics, SellsArmor, Buy Intel and offer Military Rank as well.

The Retired Blademaster (unlocked by Master Adventurer) was once a deadly duelist or a revered Blade Dancer. Now, retired to their residence or school, eager fighters come to train at their feet or to hear the tales of their warrior days. The Retired Blademaster can recruit Swordsman, Sell Weapons and has their ear to th ground for Recruit Rumors.


[h2]Quality Updates[/h2]
With Update #298, we've also ensured completed a few more tasks for the community:

• Hitting ESC and then clicking to go to the Main Menu always works, it only worked sometimes before
  
• The Hunna and Templar factions are always visible in the faction list
  
• The new Caliga Vindex (if you buy a new one!) has a better setup with the correct number of officer cabins.
  
• Fixed position of engine burner for some ships during Hyperwarp jumps -- we appreciate the reports!
  

[h2]v3.2.47 - 6/21/2022[/h2]
- Added 4 new unlockable Starting Contacts
- Palace Guard (unlock Wraithful Corsair) recruits Bodyguards, offers Introductions, Discounts Fuel, Rank, Edict
- Smuggler Rover (unlock Salvage Contractor) recruits Blade Dancers, Black Market, Rare Trade Goods, Permit
- Naval Doctor (unlock Pit Fighter V) recruits Combat Medics, Sells Armor, Buys Intel, Rank
- Retired Blademaster (unlock Master Adventurer) recruits Swordsman, Sells Weapons, Recruit Rumors
- Hunna and Templar factions are now always shown in faction list
- Fixed issue with ESC > Quit to Main Menu not working in ship or crew combat sometimes
- Repositioned engine burners for some ships, including Longbolt, during Hyperwarp jumps
- Fixed too many Officer Cabins on Caliga Vindex

Update #297 breaks out an all new Rare Trade Good, an all new 2400 Mass class ship with 6 officer slots and the long-requested option to gain more Hunna Contacts. Along with some key rebalances to improve Orbital Salvage, this one is full of exciting adds for your captain. Sell some Shards, buy a new ship, join the Hunna? Thanks to everyone posting feedback here on Steam and helping us continue to develop and improve this game.

[h2]Keep this game growing![/h2]
After four 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]Steel Song Caliga: 6 Officers at 2400M[/h2]
The Caliga Vindex is built for Steel Song bounty hunters and clan assassins -- and rumored to have been designed in the first place for use by Faug Daen operatives. Architected for boarding, the Caliga has light weapons, solid defense and extreme speed. Appointments for six private cabins make it very attractive to Captains who prize officer space over all else. Coming in at a cool $1.8M, this is a small fast, ship that is touchy to configure by standout for its officer capacity.


[h2]New Rare Trade Good: Shards[/h2]
This update has added a new Rare Trade Good, the Kraesline Shards. Know to be highly unstable and dangerous to transport, these goods can only be sold at Orbital Stations or Tradeways. However, they are in high demand to be used in new and developing industrial processes to refine both spice and duranium and are know to boost both the quality and profits of such processes.

Kraesline Shards are rare, expensive and highly illegal. In addition to their high profit margins, they an above average impact on a Contacts' Influence when they are sold.

Outside of purchasing Kraesline Shards from a Contact, this RTG can also be found in stashes recovered while Salvaging.

Kraesline Shards will only appear as Rare Trade Goods for a specific quadrant in newly generated maps. However, they will appear in recovered stashes from Salvage in any game regardless of when it was started.

[h2]Hunna Contacts![/h2]
While a little late for the Hunna Snakes challenge (if you haven't given it a try, its a ton of fun and never too late to join in!), we've updated all cards that can create Contacts during Salvage to have a chance to also reveal or create Hunna Contacts as well as making these cards overall more likely to appear.

[h2]Salvage Cards[/h2]
With Update #297, we've increased the XP rewards from XP cards drawn during Salvage if you are crazy enough to salvage while under an Ion Storm or Radiation Storm Rumor. Also, in the cases when Jyeeta Debris Field cards can appear -- during the Jyeeta Era, during certain Rumor events, and afterwards -- we've increased the chance that these cards will appear to ensure their threatening presence is properly felt.



[h2]v3.2.45 - 6/15/2022[/h2]
- Added all new Rare Trade Good: Kraesline Shards
- Added 'Kraesline Shards' to loot tables for recovered stashes
- Maps generated may now contain Quadrants that supply Kraesline Shards
- New Ship: Caliga Vindex (Steel Song, 2400M Officer-Focused Space Yacht)
- Salvage Cards that create Contacts can now create Hunna Contacts
- Greatly increased spawn rate for 'Contact Rescue' Salvage Card
- Increased XP bonus Cards for Salvaging during Radiation Storms
- Increased spawn rate on 'Jyeeta Debris Field' Salvage Card

You can hear the Interdictor engines screaming as they whip out of the launch day -- one, two, three rushing headlong into the void, rushing to meet the incoming torpedoes and bomber wings. Update #296 dives back into the high-adrenaline life of a defensive Wing Leader and helps buff up their ability to stop incoming Bombers from reaching the capital ship. Also, with this update, we've rebalanced and tweaked how all anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents work (better!) so check that out as well. A huge thanks to everyone posting feedback, the great discussions about balance.

If you are enjoying the on-going updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave 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]Defensive Interdictors[/h2]
With Update #296, we've integrated some great feedback from the community (thanks @Innocent!) to help improve the balance in favor of defensive Interdictors having a better shot at really stopping enemy bombers from reaching your ship, even as they shoot down incoming capital ship long-range fire.

First, defensive Interdictor Initiative has been adjusted to always trump that of Bombers. Therefore, defensive Interdictors always get an attack against an incoming Bomber before it can complete its bombing run, removing the chance that the Bomber wallops your capital ship and then your Interdictor shoots it down.

Second, we've fixed a long-standing issue (which also could cause a crash at times) where the Wing Tech "Knock from the Void" Talent could conflict with an Interdictor's targeting choice and cause the Interdictor to miss its turn because its target was Knocked. Interdictors are now coordinating with your ship's Wing Tech to make their choices around this and will never waste a turn, assuming there is another Bomber target. If a target is Knocked from the Void, then it is not subject to any attacks for the turn (that has always been the rule).


[h2]Anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents[/h2]
Navigators, E-Techs, Engineers and Scientists all provide Talents to help shield your ship and crew from Radiation Storms (quadrant) and Ion Storm (system) Rumors. With this update, the balance on these Talents has adjusted a bit, as some can provide additional XP or even create Scientific Intel. All of the Talents now shield your ship and crew from the ravages of the storm while still capable of granting additional bonuses (the XP boosters / Intel creators used to not shield you...). In addition, while you have the Talents on cooldown, these have gone from a partial shielding (reducing damage) to a full shield (no damage). So, stocking up on a few crew members with these capabilities is even more helpful now for your ship than before.

To offset this balance shift, we've adjusted the cooldown on these Talents by a small amount -- +1 week for the regular shields and +3 to +4 weeks for the ones that pack extra bonuses.

[h2]Additional Fixes[/h2]
With #296, we've also fixed a search string issue with searching contacts (you could search "sells weapon" but needed to search "buy Intel") and updated the hover text to be clear -- buys / sells is correct in all searches.

We've fixed a visual display issue in upgrading components where the bonuses from your components stacked every time you opened the screen (+4% ... then +8% ... then ...) -- now the values stay correct in the display all the time.

Finally, thanks for the report on the broken hat -- the character's hair no longer sticks out through hats :D Derp!

[h2]v3.2.43 - 6/1/2022[/h2]
- Defensive Interdictors always trump attacking Bombers Initiative
- Knock from the Void Talent no longer crosses badly with defensive Interdictors and prevents bombing attacks
- Improved effect of all anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents; when available they completely mitigate damage
- Extended cooldowns of all anti-Radiation and Ion Storm Talents 10-30 Turns
- Fixed issues with Scientist "Amplified Assay" and "Distortion Field Survey" not triggering for Ion Storms or Rad Storms
- Fixed search string for contact to use buys/sells (Buys Intel, Sells Weaponry) instead of buy/sells
- Fixed crash with small craft combat and Knock from the Void or Emergency Grounding
- Fixed issue with ship bonus displays doubling and tripling upon multiple opens of upgrade components
- Fixed issue with hair clipping around hat

Update #295 focuses solely on UI improvements around a big part of any Star Traders job -- plotting routes through the void, from one quadrant to the next, sometimes running missions, sometimes seeking grav services and sometimes hunting deals on cargo.

These improvements all stem directly from requests here on the Steam boards, so thank you for posting them. Also, a big thanks goes out to everyone helping us share the game, leave a review or tell a friend.

The Hunna Snakes Rule! challenge is in mid swing this month, so if you're looking for a new way to play and experience the void, this is a great way to test your limits --
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3225150323270014742

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]Galactic Map Hovers[/h2]
We've added 2 major improvements to the hovers over quadrants on the galactic map.

The first is to display a list of all Contacts who reside in that quadrant and are known by name, where previously we gave a simple count. This can help you look for specific contacts by name or by type as you plan your way across the stars.



Second -- specifically for mission runners -- we've added some very important details about offered and accepted missions. Again, where previously there was simply a count ("3 offered missions") we are now showing the mission title and the Contact who gave or is offering the mission. Now, when previewing missions from your Contact mission screen, you can make sense of the larger spread of missions and make better choices, faster.


[h2]Search Examples and Boolean Logic (AND, OR)[/h2]
To help more players find and use search effectively, we've added a set of hovers over the Contact and Star Atlas search boxes. These give a pretty awesome set of examples you are not going to want to miss. With the right search terms, you can find what you're looking for faster with just search over filters but the two combine nicely.



In addition to combining with filters, you can now use up to 2 search phrases combined with either OR or AND logic. Search likes "edicts AND trade permits", "sells water pur AND sells advanced med" come into play and make looking for higher value combinations much easier and faster.



As always, we love working directly off some of the best feedback on the Steam forums. We're grinding through a cycle of QoL and UI improvements before diving back into a summer of story content, so post up your good ideas now :D

[h2]v3.2.41 - 5/15/2022[/h2]
- Quadrant hover in galactic map now lists accepted and offered mission title and contact
- Quadrant hover in galactic map now lists known Contact by title and name
- Contact / System Atlas / Map Preview search now support use of one OR and AND per search (spy recruits AND edicts)
- Contact / System Atlas / Map Preview search boxes now have hovers with useful examples included

[h2]End of Month Wrap-up:[/h2]

(original challenge description below)

This last month you all have shown your Indie stripes and refused to play any games for “the man.” You and your crew did just fine on the fringes! Who needs trade permits when you’ve got smugglers? Who needs high-level shipyards when you’ve got- okay, well, maybe that would’ve been nice. But still!

It’s been a lot of fun reading your stories and hearing about your adventures. If you want to catch up on the fun, you can check out the challenge discussion thread and head to our Discord and go to #hunna_snakes_rule_challenge.

[h3]A few highlights:[/h3] MasterShake, for engaging Captain’s Logs with stories of combat gone wrong (crew member ☠) and gone surprisingly right (3 non-combat crew and a medic holding their ground against enemy boarders).



Lord Duluth for keeping Indie crew members on board who normally wouldn’t make the cut. When you live on the edges, you work with who (or what) is available.

Innocent and aware17, along with MasterShake, for coming in with crews that were nearly all Indie at the end of the challenge. 👏👏👏



Swuul for entertaining narratives on the challenges of helping the Hunna. Who knew it would be nearly impossible to find Advanced Electronics?

Steven of the Seven Sails, who along with Swuul was practically writing full fan-fiction stories for us all and getting lots of nice spice reactions in the Discord.



Great work, Captains! There are so many more of you who participated in the challenge, shared great screenshots and stories; thank you all! Of course, even though May is over, we would love to hear about your try at this challenge (or any of the previous community challenges) any time you’re looking for a fun twist to your playthrough.

[h3]Stay tuned for future challenges![/h3]



It’s been a while, but we are back with a new challenge for the month of May 2022!

Star Traders are independent and don’t need the establishment to be successful. In this challenge, we want to see you reject those faction phonies. You play by your own rules, and if they don't like it: tough. Who will acquire success without ever being part of "the system" -- and who isn’t afraid to make some enemies along the way?



To qualify for this challenge, your Captain must never acquire a military rank, edict, or even a trade permit with any faction. Your Captain must also never accept missions from any Contact representing "the man" -- Princes, Warrant Officers, Military Officers -- Only those who flaunt those rules are worth are consideration. No missions from ANY Contact unless:

• they also offer Black Market access
  
• are Hunna / Independents
  
• are Calagan Faen or Valencia, up to the point Valencia joins the Hunna
  

All other Contact services, such as selling Intel, recruiting and purchasing equipment are allowed with any Contact, regardless of their affliation.

Show and tell us about your fiercely independent captain and crew with screenshots and stories, stats, let’s plays, interpretive dance videos, etc. You can share them here or in our Discord. At the end of the month, we’ll highlight several with the Trese Brothers flashlight.



[h3]Show your indie stripes and boast about:[/h3]

• Your favorite Indie Planet, your ship, your Indie crew with screenshots
  
• How you built your Indie crew, stories of missions from your favorite Indie/Hunna contact, and the challenges of working on the fringes
  
• Your strategies to survive outside the system: making money, finding supplies, trading partners, upgrading/buying ships
  
• Stats of your reputation with various factions, number of missions you complete
  
• Your own creative edits / showcases / celebrations of your adventures
  

No matter what you share, we ask that you include at least one screenshot of your “Indie crew roster.” Show off your coolest officers and crew and their Indie flag!

If you post in the Discord, please post in the #hunna_snakes_rule_challenge channel in the STF category.

We've opened up a discussion on the general forum for all posts, questions and shares for this challenge!

Can’t wait to see ‘em Captains. Stick it to “the man!”