Star Traders: Frontiers News

Update #268 roars into summer with a new and challenging story vignette, Fractured Factions, a much needed fix to type-locked Launch Bays and new card art for orbital ops. The newest storyline will join any existing game after the Coalition has formed and is started by a Contact "Felix Slayer Na'Zee." As always, we want to give a shout out to all of our Kickstarter backers who gave us so many great ideas for stories over the years.

If you're enjoying the new content, please take a moment to leave a review, post some feedback and tell a friend.

[h2]What’s the latest on Cyber Knights?[/h2]
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. We’re currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (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]Fractured Factions Storyline[/h2]
The looming maw of faction politics awaits you in the "Fractured Factions" story vignette. Keep an eye out for the Contact Felix Slayer Na'Zee who will meet you at the starport when landing at a Cadar world. We won't include any more spoilers here, but through the multiple endings, you stand to make powerful enemies, allies, and gain access to multiple powerful ship components and/or a unique crew weapon. As the quadrants have reunited, the balance of power is in constant shift ...

[h2]Unlocked Launch Bays[/h2]
Update #267 included a bug that type-locked all launch bays and made it impossible to replace them with any other type of component. This was an unintentional change due to some updates made for the growing modding community and drastically changes the landscape of ship and hull design. We've rolled this bug back and now Launch Bays can be swapped out once again.


[h2]New Card Art[/h2]
With Update #268 we've added 7 new pieces of card art to help increase the visible readability of orbital ops. When you play enough of the ops games, its extremely helpful to just be able to see the card art and grok the hand, so these new cards -- for 3 tiers of ship and crew danger and and updated mission success card -- all improve the pace of play as well as the consistency of look in a very large set of cards.

[h2]Conscription Sort and Ritualized Retreat[/h2]
We've fixed a lingering bug with Sort by Job not working when conscripting enemy crew. Also, the Blade Dancer's Talent "Ritualized Retreat" was previously not dubbed a "Smuggle" Talent and now it is correctly marked.

[h2]v3.1.69 - 6/23/2021[/h2]
- Added new story vignette "Fractured Faction" starting on Cadar worlds with Felix Slayer Na'Zee
- Get tangled up in a web of deadly faction politics
- Multiple possible unique story Ship Components unlocked by story -- top tier new lance weaponry
- Story includes new high powered Contact type, so called "Ex-Naval Commander"
- Story includes chance to earn a new high powered level 11 blade
- Added 7 new orbital ops card art for missions, and 3 tiers of ship and crew dangers
- Fixed issue with all Launch Bays being type-locked as of 3.1.67
- Fixed "Sort by Job" not working when conscripting enemy crew
- Fixed label on Blade Dancer Talent "Ritualized Retreat" to market it as a smuggling Talent

Summer has slowed our pace of updates down a little bit but still, the updates must flow. Update #267 improves Saboteur's highest level Talent, ensures that the captain's log always includes key details about story-added ship components, improves combat logging for mid-combat repair Talents, and finally hides hidden Trait bonuses from the character list effect summary. Along with a heap of community requested tweaks and fixes, it also has some important items for the modding creator community who continues to put together some really exciting stuff in advance of the upcoming full launch of mods for Star Traders: Frontiers.

Speaking of moar, better, faster -- 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?utm_source=steam&utm_campaign=stfupdate


[h2]Engine Disruption[/h2]
Saboteur's powerful rank 15 Talent is the rare exception that allows you to always damage the enemy void engine. It's powerful but when we set it up, we included one major balancing requirement -- that the Void Engine have 0% Damage. Thanks to helpful feedback from the community, we've eased this restriction back to 25%. The 0% rule was preventing the Talent from being used in all sorts of cases and making it hard to mix and match ship weapons and boarding and the Talent successfully as a glancing hit would do 6% Damage to the Engine and tank your opening boarding strategy.

Saboteur on!

[h2]Story-Driven Ship Components and Craft[/h2]
There are many different storylines that result in special ship components and craft being added to the starports, and most often faction-specific starports. These are explained in dialog, but that can be too easy to miss and so with this update we've ensured that whenever you encounter one of these story events, it always writes a clear and concise captain's log entry that includes the key details -- the component name, slot size, type and faction, if it is limited.

[h2]Mid-Combat Repair[/h2]
Those ship combat Talents like the Mechanic's "Rushed Patches" that effect mid-combat repair now include the full list of repaired components in the ship combat log. This helps cut down any detective work you might have been doing to figure out what exactly was repaired by 28%!


[h2]Effect Summary and Hidden Traits[/h2]
The awesome new effect summary on each crew roster entry had one flaw -- it could be used to reveal hidden Traits as it was including their bonuses. We've now resolved this issue and hidden Traits are now longer factored into the summary.


[h2]Type-Locked Components[/h2]
Your Bridge, Engine and Hyperwarp Drive are all type-locked components. This means you can't replace them with a component of any other type. To help reinforce this, we've added the type-locked icon to more screens -- the ship preview and component replacement screens. This is helpful as we've also granted the ability for modders to type-lock anything they want on any ship in this update, so for mods that perhaps force hangar bays, weapon slots, explorer slots or cargo slots on ships, this extra reinforced display will be critical.

[h2]And More...[/h2]
And more of course! We have resolved an issue where crew conscripted from United Coalition ships had no Traits. There were a few Talents that stated they could "reroll any card" which has been fixed to "reroll any risk card." You will no longer lose Templar Rep for one of the steps in the middle of the "Avengent Down" story mission. The gear "Falcon Reticle" now correctly buffs Ranged Accuracy instead of Melee.

[h2]For the Modders[/h2]
When it arrives (as the modder update lags a bit for extra testing), it will contain a number of nice improvements for our beta creators. In the utility bucket, the main menu now includes a "MODS ENABLED" badge that can help you be sure when you're running the modded version. We've also added a "Self Test" button to the main menu which will run some of our automated tests on your database, checking to make sure all the images and components load.

In the feature bucket, we've enabled the use of data.ShipDataCompartment.typeLocked field to type-lock any component on any ship. This opens up a whole world of exciting possibilities to really change the use-case for a ship. With type-locking you can force a ship to be carrier, or an orbital operations focused boat or a gunship with 6 guns. The AI will also adhere to these rules.

Finally, to help with graphical mods each mod can now include its own sprite sheet that overrides the baseline sprite sheets. This allows modders to add new icons and images without having to compete of the same set of baseline sprite sheets or every worry about merges.

[h2]v3.1.67 - 6/14/2021[/h2]
- Improved Saboteur's Engine Disruption to allow it to work if Engine is less than 25% damaged
- All story events that add ship components to starports clearly list Faction, component name and slot size in the captain's log
- Ship combat Talents that repair components mid-combat now report exact list of repaired components in log
- Effect Summary of all bonuses in crew roster no longer includes bonuses from unknown Traits
- Type locked ship components (hyperwarp, bridge, engine) are shown locked in ship upgrade screen
- Fixed issue where Conscripted United Coalition crew had no starting Traits
- Fixed description of "Mitigation Protocols" and "Unflinching Risk" to read "reroll any risk card"
- Fixed issues with Dissension/Consolidation not affecting all story dialog in Plague Era
- Fixed gear "Falcon Reticle" to correctly buff ranged accuracy
- Fixed Templar Rep loss during one step of mission "Avengent Down"
- Added "Kraesline Shards" and "Jyeeta Xeno Artifacts" to the wiki

For THE MODDERS
- Each mod can now provide its own uniquely named spritesheet to overload core game art
- Ship components can be locked by type using the data.ShipCompartment.typeLocked field

Last week, we opened the beta for mod creators, inviting them to come and check out the tools, get their feet wet and start creating. It has been a wild and wonderful week to see them in action and to learn about places where we can improve our support to really let their creativity run free in in the void.

While Update #266 is very much for our mod creators it also includes a very exciting -- and to be honest, a very risk -- starting profession! The Shock Trooper Captain has arrived and it is a rush. Living on the front line of every fight a snubber in hand. Hold on to your butts, here goes!

[h2]What’s the latest on Cyber Knights?[/h2]
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, proceeds apace. We’re currently working toward the private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. But you can view the latest updates on the CKF Steam page (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]Shock Trooper[/h2]
A Shock Trooper has been toughened and trained by some faction military, prepared for deadly battle in the closest of quarters. Whatever profession or career these warriors seek, they are likely to do it from the front ranks.

Picking this profession as a new captain may be especially challenging, if you plan to fight in the traditional way of a Shock Trooper. Access to the Shock Trooper profession has been locked behind the "Heir Apparent" unlock, which you can gain by helping Valencia on Normal or higher Difficulty.

Equipped with a snubber and the Battle Proven Trait ("Often set to a single, resolute purpose, +2 Fortitude, +2 Resilience, +2 Initiative, +20% Debuff Resist, Morale never breaks in Crew Combat") and the Undisputed Boarder Trait ("Charging to battle even from the bridge of their ship, gains +20 Boarding, +1 Initiative and +5 Range Change in Ship Combat") the Shock Trooper captain is a force to be reckoned with.

Be sure to set your Attributes high Priority!

An exciting early selection of mods is already coalescing!

[h2]Mod Creators Welcome[/h2]
Last week we were excited to open the mod creators beta Steam group and have welcomed over 60 creators now to check out the tools, see what can be done and get their hands dirty. This flurry of activity has resulted in a list of places where we want to improve our support. But, as we are with updates for the mainline, we're jumping on updates for the modders during this beta process.

Rapid improvements are already arriving! :D

This 3.1.61 update for modding version of the game will arrive soon. When it does --

A new data.JobConfig table now enables full add / replace / remove for both jobs and starting professions. This data.JobConfig table also allows easy marking of which Jobs have faction affinity, so you can add more, remove or change these as well. The Jobs that are recruited by Contact Traits can now be modified through the data.ContactTrait table. And we've retooled the SFX priority system to ensure all the database fields are used -- Talent > Weapon > default.

We'll be posting more on this update in the mod creators beta Steam group if you are interested!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/335620/view/3067493264357330871

[h2]v3.1.65 - 5/29/2021[/h2]
- Added new Shock Trooper profession, the hardened military operative
- New unique Traits for Shock Trooper profession
- Shock Trooper profession requires "Heir Apparent" unlock (protect Valencia, Normal difficulty)
- Minor improvements to sorting of ship combat Talents within range groups
- Fixed misprints with Hota-Cored Shells boarding talent

[h2]Modding Kit v3.1.65[/h2]
- Jobs and starting Professions now ready to be modded
- Faction affinity for Jobs now ready to be modded
- Jobs recruited by Contact Trait now ready to be modded
- Override SFX for ship weapon and crew weapons now ready to be modded

It has been a long road to get here, with modding interest for the game starting on the very first day of Early Access in 2017. We are excited to announce that after #265 updates, we are now inviting any mod creator who wants to get in, test out the tools and start creating mods to come aboard and get busy!

As of Update #265 we've finished the prep work for modding and released it in a beta branch for creators to pick up and try. If you want to give it a shot, join the modding creators beta group and we can't wait to see what you create.

Things have been rolling for less than 48 hours and we have over 30 creators already on the tools and the first working content mods are starting to appear. We've even had an enterprising community member step forward to write a Mod Manager (thanks @TheWelp!) to help us improve the tooling. The wikis is growing up quickly with more and more data and great examples coming online (thanks @phara0h!)

Ever dreamed of an Empty Slot component? Ever wanted a better Palace Interceptor? Just wanted more faction armbands for your characters? The modding community is in the kitchen and cooking up a galactic storm. We cannot wait to see what you create!


If you are a mod creator please join the modding creators beta group.

If you are a player interested in mods know that mods aren't far off and our amazing community is going to deliver -- as always!

Welcome all new captains! It is a big week here on the bridge with a 40% off discount, new update, new ship weapons, improved Rumors and Traits and word coming down from the officers that our private modding beta is about to open.

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]Modding Workshop Coming![/h2]
Update #265 includes a lot of behind-the-scenes changes that have prepped the game for modding. It has taken a lot of work, so please report any issues you see but it is very unlikely to appear in the base game. We are excited to open the private modding beta to interested mod creators who want to take a first crack at creating mods. If you're interested, please request to join the modding private beta Steam group

We cannot wait to see what you create!


[h2]New Level 8 Weapons[/h2]
With the last few updates, we've been rounding out the options for level 8 ship weapons in the game. Update #265 adds 2 more options, the M101 Tracker Cannon is a mean new 1 RP autocannon featuring high damage and high crippling hit chance, best for pummeling capital ships into bits at close range. The new Gargoyle Missile Battery clocks in at 3 RP and has higher Crippling Rate and Damage in trade for lower Radiation and Critical Hit rate.

[h2]Fuel Tweaks[/h2]
Big ships can bring a lot to the table but with Update #265, we've slightly ticked up their fuel cost for combat encounters to offset some of their other many advantages.

[h2]Rumor Improvements[/h2]
A bevy of Rumor improvements are helping to keep Rumors interesting, dangerous or valueable even into the later game. The Starport Boosted Rumor is now more likely once the 3rd Century has started, helping you late game shopping sprees. The risk and fuel costs for some of the more localized orbital Rumors -- Ion Meteor Storm, Salvage Hive, Orbital Disaster -- have all increased which makes Salvaging an landing often on the same world a little more challenging. We've also reduced the boost that "Offworld Stash" Card was getting while Exploring under the Jyeeta Spoors Rumor, as it was showing up just too often.

The "First Infections" Rumor can no longer appear on Wild Zones!

[h2]Trait Clarifications[/h2]
For all Traits that boost bonuses at +10% in card games and post-combat (etc), we've clearly labeled them having a 30% maximum now. We also fixed a bug where the Crafty Trait was printing oodles of reports that crew members were using their Trait above the 30% maximum (just a printing error, not real).

[h2]v3.1.59 - 5/18/2021[/h2]
- New level 8 Autocannon: M101 Tracker Cannon (1 RP, High Damage & Crippling Hit)
- New level 8 Missiles: Gargoyle Missile Battery (3 RP, High Damage & Crippling Hit)
- Increased spawn rate of "Starport Boosted" Rumor during 3rd Century
- Increased Fuel cost and Danger Boost for Ion Meteor Storm, Salvage Hive, Orbital Disaster
- Reduced too common "Offworld Stash" Card during Jyeeta Spoors Rumor
- Locating a new Rumor or Contact in the Spice Hall now grants an Experience Bonus
- Increased Combat Fuel Cost for M6000, M7000 and M8000 Ships
- Clarified rules for Traits Bandit, Vulture, Crafty, Sly, Terrifying -- all stack to max 30% bonus
- Fixed issue with Crafty Trait printing all crew members even though only 30% bonus was applied
- Fixed issue where an infected crew could cause "First Infections" Rumor on a Wild Zone
- Slight balance adjustments to Xeno Ship Engine Speed & Agility