Star Traders: Frontiers News

Update #262 bundles up a lot of meta changes that we've been in the pipe for some time as we finish testing and analysis of the improvements. #262 includes ship Crippling Effect improvements, new economic angles and demand, new enemy AI and ship combinations and finally new tweaks to high and low mass Chaser engines.

We're excited to keep improving and expanding Star Traders: Frontiers and hope you'll help us do so by sharing the game with a friend and leaving a review.

[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]Crippling Effect Rebalance[/h2]
With Update #262, we've tuned some of the classic ship crippling effects coming from powerful weapons, paying special attention to their % chance to appear for the class. As one of the rarer sets, Missiles have gained powerful bonuses to their unique effects. Crew Stunned (coming from Missiles) has gained a -1 Reactor penalty. Secondary Explosions (coming from Missiles and craft Rockets) has gained 10 Component Damage per Turn. Radiation Wash (coming from Railguns, Lances, Plasma Cannons) has split its 20 Morale Damage into 10 Crew Damage and 10 Crew Morale loss per turn.


[h2]Economic Shifts[/h2]
Another meta analysis and improvement we've completed with this update is to specific economic resources and increasing their demand across the galactic Exchanges, in some cases opening up new trade route possibilities and in others simply growing the roaring yell for moar moar moar of a certain product.

• Demand for Iridlaentine has simply grown much stronger in the places where they've already called for it.
  
• Narcotic Spice is now more readily supplied by Farming worlds
  
• To feed the small but important local agriculture on Population and Luxury Population worlds, there is now demand for both Fertilizer and Pesticides
  
• Industrial worlds supply more Terraforming Components while Tradeways no longer provide these key manufactured components
  

[h2]New Enemy AI[/h2]
As new ships are brought online in the game, we always give the player-base a chance to test them out before we build AI around them. It's a cautious move to ensure captains are not killed unfairly until we've seen the ships in action. With this release, we're catching up a bit and have added 5 new enemy captain AI's in specialized ships and factions, bringing out the Lockwood Defender for Rychart Military Officers all the way down to the Larimar Battlecruiser (yikes!) for Cadar Bounty Hunters.

[h2]Engine Balance[/h2]
In our quest to perfect the balance of ship's engines, we've reduced the Safety Rating on two engine groups with Update #262 -- the M9000 Dual Field and all Chaser engines at the M6000 class and above. We've also bumped the M2400 Chaser Engine's safety to 10.

[h2]Community Fixes[/h2]
And, as always -- a big thanks to everyone in the community posting feedback, feature requests and bugs. We've fixed a number of typos, minor display bugs and issues this week include a issue where Ship victory Talents boost the wrong Conflict!

[h2]v3.1.51 - 4/18/2021[/h2]
- Rebalanced Secondary Explosions, Radiation Wash and Crew Stunned Crippling Ship Effects
- Added new galactic demand for Fertilizers and Pesticides
- Added new galactic production for Narcotic Spice
- Increased industrial supply for Terraforming Components
- Increased galactic demand for Iridlaentine
- Added "Lockwood Defender" Rychart Military Officer AI
- Added "Neutiquam Cruiser" Steel Song Smuggler AI
- Added "Tempus Freighter" De Valtos Merchant AI
- Added "Vark Carrier" Zenrin Pirate AI
- Added "Larimar Battlecruiser" Cadar Bounty Hunter AI
- Fixed issue where Ship Victory Conflict Talents could misidentify the Conflict they boosted
- Reduced Safety Rating on M9000 Balanced and Dual Field Engines
- Reduced Safety Rating on M6000+ Chaser Void Engines

Update #261 comes in with a new ultra heavy Mass 9000 ship launching to the stars paired with two new M9000 battle hyperwarp drives and a M9000 Dual-Field Void Engine. What a package! We've also rounded out the faction affinities set with 4 new affinities for Thulun, De Valtos, Javat and Moklumnue. Update #261 brings a few tweaks to combat Talents that will help negative Bleed Res be featured in more strategies as well as adjusting the Jyeeta craft weaponry (watch out, bombers incoming!) to ensure their bombers and interdictors are hitting with the right punch.

It's a big one with a lot of new content, so enjoy it! If you're liking the steady stream of free updates and expansions, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review.

Speaking of new, 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 coming to Steam which 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]New Ultra Heavy M9000 Battlecarrier[/h2]
De Valtos has released its entry into the Mass 9000 class of ships in classically De Valtos style -- with great pomp, Mass, and circumstance! The mighty Dreadnought Battlecarrier is a 9000 Mass ship sporting 2500 Hull (exceeding Sword BC by 400), 135 Base Fuel (average in class), a crew/officer max of 42/7, 6 max craft and 12 Small / 12 Medium and 8 Large (best in class) components. Outfitted as a super carrier the price tag is very De Valtos as well at $3,981,250.

A new entry in the Mass 9000 class is sure to shake up the meta of those captain's stepping onto the bridge of the largest ships in the game during the mid-to-late game. The Dreadnought is spec'd out for ships that want more Large slot components, including launch bays or super-class weapon systems like the Obliterator Plasma Cannons, Buster Arrays or the most powerful Gravcannons.


[h2]New M9000 Engine and Hyperwarps[/h2]
The M9000 Dual-Field Void Engine extends this well-loved line of engines up to the highest mass class of any ship. Bringing a balance approach to engine statistics along with a much lower Mass requirement, the M9000 Dual-Field adds 12 Jump Cost but burns off 650 Mass. All for a pretty price of about $1.4m credits this new engine can help free up mass on a large scale ship to be spent on other priorities.

The Combat and Warhammer Hyperwarp Drives each add PIlot bonus to their profile along with significant Armor (3 and 7) and Jump Cost (40 and 50). Trading up into one of these drives can help reduce the need to dedicate other components to armor for a ship designed more for battle than for long range travel. If you're shopping for Drives, be sure to check "Any Faction" in the ship component filters so you'll spot the Warhammer Drive only sold by Thulun and the M9000 Performance Drive only sold by Moklumnue (which has been in the game a while).


[h2]New Faction Affinities[/h2]
In the last few updates, we've been loading up each faction with exciting affinities that result in the best possible Attribute bonuses when a certain Job is recruited from their spice hall or Contacts. We've now completed the set, hitting a few very core Job notes in the process. Each faction affinity is listed in the new game faction list screen under their special rules. These faction affinities grant an extra bonus on top of any existing Attribute bonuses that you are getting from Traits, Talents, zone stats, Era, recruit level, etc.

• Diplomats from Thulun
  
• Scavengers from Javat
  
• Swordsman from De Valtos
  
• Merchants from Moklumnue (could it be any other way!?)
  

There is no bonus during the new game process (if your captain starts as a Thulun Diplomat, for example).

[h2]Crew Combat Rebalance[/h2]
With Update #261 we've tweaked the balance of three talents -- Shock Trooper's "Deepstrike Grenade" and Blade Dancer's "Thousand Cut Dance" and "Squall of Blades" to add negative Bleed Resistance. Apply negative Bleed Res can increase existing Bleeds, which helps set up more synergistic strategies for the Talents. Hitting them with both a Bleed and negative Bleed Res can spike Bleeding damage as high as possible. In the case of Deepstrike Grenade, this addition was swapped in for the -2 Init penalty.


[h2]Jyeeta Bombers Beware![/h2]
We found and fixed a bug that was interjected into the set of Jyeeta craft at some point after their release. The Interdictor ended up with the higher power bomb and the bomber with a lower power rocket. This has now been fixed and will make attacking Jyeeta Interdictors less of a threat but definitely increases the threat from Jyeeta Bombers. Be sure to have your craft mitigation strategy firmly in place before flying headlong into the maw of the Jyeeta Brood!

[h2]v3.1.49 - 4/11/2021[/h2]
- New Ship: Dreadnought Battlecarrier (De Valtos, 9000M Ultra-Heavy Battlecarrier)
- New Engine: M9000 Dual-Field ($1.1M Credits)
- Rebalanced M9000 Combat and Warhammer Hyperwarp Drives
- Added 4 new faction affinities for recruits
- Scavengers recruited from Javat spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes
- Merchants recruited from Moklumnue spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes
- Diplomats recruited from Thulun spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes
- Swordsman recruited from De Valtos spice halls or Contacts gain additional bonus Attributes
- Rebalanced Deepstrike Grenade: Removed -2 Init Penalty, Added -5 Bleed Res Debuff
- Added Bleed Res Debuff to Blade Dancer Talents Thousand Cut Dance, Squall of Blades
- Improved HUD ship/crew refresh to avoid any caching issues during operation card games
- Fixed weapon mix-up in Jyeeta bombers and interdictors -- watch out, bombers now hit harder
- Fixed tooltip on shuttle's Electronics to be clear it adds to Boarding Chance %
- Fixed misnamed Dragoon Injector

Every major new update and expansion deserves a couple of solid Quality of Life follow up updates, and this is the first in that vein. We've added exciting new faction affinity's for specialist recruits, including a section in a crew roster detailing Trait and Gear bonus summary, further tuned economic and Contact simulation, fixed issues with Shock Trooper Talents, some of the new weapons and fixed a bevy of other community reported issues.

Thanks to every new captain for your support and especially to those leaving reviews!


[h2]What’s the latest on Cyber Knights?[/h2]
Development on our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, is continuing as we march toward the alpha test for Kickstarter backers and then on to Steam Early Access. Thankfully, we're finally be able to come clean about the true reason for the game's delays. Get on the hype, punch that wishlist button.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]Faction Affinity[/h2]
As we've added Jobs all the way up to #38 with Shock Trooper, we've started linking highly specialized Jobs to certain factions and granting them a Attribute bonus when recruited from that faction. The first was Blade Dancers -- which is an ancient and traditional Steel Song practice -- and Steel Song. Of course, the other factions have learned the practice, but the best Blade Dancers (may, all things depending) hail from Steel Song. Saboteurs have a faction affinity to Rychart and the Shock Trooper has an affinity to Cadar.

With Update #260, we've added those affinities clearly to the new game screen where you are picking factions and seeing their unique bonuses and special rules. We have also added 2 new faction affinities -- there is no tougher defender than a Zenrin Bodyguard and if you truly want an ace pilot, look no farther than a Alta Mesa Wing Leader.


[h2]Trait and Gear Bonuses[/h2]
We've now included a section in every crew member's roster dedicated to the summary of all bonuses granted by Traits and Gear. This can be a quick way to see the full effect of the choices and mutations your character has and is super helpful when evaluating officer potential!

[h2]Economic and Contact Simulation[/h2]
We've rebalanced the economics of 2 major trade goods -- Terraforming Components and Spice Extractors to ensure they are more profitable in trade routes. We've also adjusted the Influence and action rates for some of the more powerful Contact types including High Prince, UCF Emissary and Fleet Commander.


[h2]Shock Trooper Fixes[/h2]
We've fixed the last few things about Shock Trooper that were outstanding. In the Talent detail for their counterattack Talent, "Retaliation", is now correctly stated that if you have trained Bracing Shot, that is the Talent the Shock Trooper will counter with, otherwise Close Blast will be used. And finally, we've fixed a bug with "To the Front" which was always moving the Shock Trooper and not the target of the buff.

[h2]Other QOL[/h2]
We resolve issues with 3 weapons that were released in Update #259 not having the correct stats -- Paratitan HG, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon. We've also resolve an issue that was causing Thulun on map v2 default to have an 11 jump Arbiter mission which had potential impact on a lot of different maps, given the whims of proc gen. Finally, we've resolved an issue where purchasing a Military Rank would temporarily allow you to use the services of any landing zone regardless of faction rep.

[h2]v3.1.47 - 4/1/2021[/h2]
- Added new "Traits + Gear" display in Crew Details to show summary of all effects
- Bodyguards recruited from Zenrin spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes
- Wing Leaders recruited from Alta Mesa spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes
- Added faction affinity (such as Shock Trooper + Cadar) to list of faction special rules in New Game
- Rebalanced the economics and trade for "Terraforming Components" making them more profitable
- Increased galactic production of "Spice Extractors" in Industrial and Orbital Zones
- Increased Influence Base and Growth Rates for: Fleet Commander, Emissary and High Prince
- Increased Hull Points for Boarding Shuttle Small Craft at Level 5 and above
- Fixed issue where buying a rank temporarily allows you to use landed services with large negative Rep
- Fixed issue with Shock Trooper "To the Front" moving the Shock Trooper and not the buff target
- Fixed issues with low stats on level 10 weapons -- Paratitan HG, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon
- Fixed incorrect Talent detail in side panel for Retaliation, which uses Bracing Shot in its counter-attack if available
- Fixed issue with Thulun start on Map V2 default that could lead to an 11 jump Arbiter Escort mission

Update #259 follows up on the major new addition of the Shock Trooper job -- a frontline warrior with the sustaining power to hold slot 1 or 2 without a blade -- and adds new weapons, new gear, rebalances snubbers to further separate them from assault rifles, improves a merchant Talent and more! If you're new to the game, expect a lot of new updates with free, awesome content and be sure to leave a review and tell a friend.

[h2]For a different flavor of Trese Brothers sci-fi, check out Cyber Knights![/h2]
Our next game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is under development. Set in a different universe than Star Traders, we think much of what you all love about STF (a lore-rich world, many ways to play, strong independent spirit, lots of RPG depth) is shared within. Learn more about the Cyber Knights setting on its Steam page, or check out this video showing a ton of art and discussing the game design.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]Snubber Rebalance[/h2]
With Update #259, we've taken a chance to push Snubbers into an even more unique class of weapon by transforming some of their Accuracy bonuses into Parry bonuses. While they can't compete with carrying a melee weapon (as you have no Blades Skill) this bonus makes any buff to Melee Defense more noticeable and some of the high level Snubbers are bringing pretty significant Parry stacks.

[h2]Level 10 Relic Weapons[/h2]
We've added 7 new ultra rare level 10 Relic Weapons as possible results of Salvage -- the Slazah Falchion, Ki-Karat Sah, Paratitan HG, Retaliation Roar, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon and mighty AX2 Advadnium. This will be the last weapon add to Salvage as the story rewards will stand unique at Level 11. They each have their own special twist and will be of interest to specific combat builds but worth the risk in hunting.

[h2]Contacts Selling Level 5 Gear[/h2]
Contacts who sell Military and Specialist gear have gained 2 new options each with level 5 gears that are a mix of powerful offensive, defense and Attribute boosters. For those looking for a reliable pick up in ability to handle crew combat, check these out.


[h2]Shock Trooper Clean Up[/h2]
We've fixed the majority of reported Shock Trooper issues with Update #259, and what is left is small textual issues in certain Talent detail panels. We've resolved the issue with Deepstrike Grenade always immediately putting your Shock Trooper to penalty -- it was costing 196 Initiative!

We've also fixed the issue with some of the Shock Trooper's buffs and attacks adding to Melee Accuracy or Melee Damage -- these obviously were ranged.

For clarity, we're renamed the buffs that were Parry and Dodge to Melee Defense and Ranged Defense (thanks @jamesthesecond!) as these effect all dice in those pools, not only your weapon's Parry dice (etc).

[h2]And More[/h2]
Finally, we've improved the power and way that the dice roll out for Merchant's Talent "Garner Favor" which will help it have more impressive results.

[h2]v3.1.45 - Update #259: Retaliate![/h2]
- Added 7 new ultra rare level 10 Relic Weapons (Slazah Falchion, Ki-Karat Sah, Paratitan HG, Retaliation Roar, Otrike Domer, Solar Dragoon, AX2 Advadnium)
- Added 4 new level 5 Gear for sale (2 Mil, 2 Specialist) -- defensive, offensive, Attribute boosters
- Rebalanced all Snubbers to trade small percentage of weapon Accuracy for some weapon Parry
- Improved application of Negotiate Skill in Merchant's Talent "Garner Favor" to give more even better Rep bonuses
- Renamed buff bonus "Parry" to "Melee Defense" and "Dodge" to "Ranged Defense" for clarity
- Fixed bug with Shock Trooper Talents buffing Melee Accuracy instead of ranged
- Fixed issue with Deepstrike Grenade costing 196 Initiaive to use (auto Penalty)

Update #258 launches with all new frontline snubber-focused Shock Trooper combat job, all new Bleeding rules and Pinning resistance that shake up crew combat meta, powerful new boarding Talent, new recruit options for Princes and Merchants and more. Step on to the bridge captain, the void waits for no ship. To celebrate this major update and new Job, we're kicking off a weeklong 40% sale. Send shrapnel, shells and spice!



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 2021 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]Shock Trooper -- to the Front![/h2]
For too long, the bladesman has held sway over the front ranks of battle. At last, a complementary Job has arrived to prop up Soldier's frontline Talents and shake up the close-quarters combat on ship, salvage yard and open field. The Shock Trooper is a deadly close-quarters combat specialist, trained in the martial arts of deadly face-to-face firefights. These battle-hardened warriors charge forward, and can be found in the front lines of conflicts across the galaxy.

The Shock Trooper unleashes 15 new Talents focused on joining the battle in the front 2 slots of crew combat and bringing enough sustaining power to survive it. Their unique buffing attack "Bracing Fire" allows them to resist being Pinned and resist all forced movement (your own team can still move you) -- helping them stay right where they want to be, in the enemies face. A Shock Trooper's firepower is legendary, and "Retaliation" creates the first and only ranged-fire counterattack Talent, allowing them to blast back if attacked from the enemy front 2. Like Swordsman, the Shock Trooper will return fire with a different Talent if available -- where Swordsman uses Balanced Blade, Shock Trooper will counter with Bracing Fire. The Shock Trooper's "Deepstrike Grenade" also pairs with the Soldier's "Concussion Grenade" to allow targeting the enemy's front or back ranks with a stunning grenade (both Talents now have 14 Initiative cost). In many ways, the Shock Trooper synergizes with the Soldier's Talent list

Their non-crew combat Talents include a Command Save, a ship combat +Boarding Buff and a powerful "finish them" style Boarding Talent. "Hota-Cored Shells" destroy up to 3 components with at least 40% but less than 60% (damaged but not yet out) guaranteeing that they are at least 60% damage or higher. If properly timed and planned, this Talent has the potential to land a knock out punch to an enemy ship, in the absolute best scenarios on the first boarding hit!

[h2]Bleeding Out[/h2]
Some exciting new meta has dripped and splattered into the Bleeding rules for crew combat. Bleeding has taken a new pace and now Bleeding Damage is rolled every time a character gets a chance to act. Naturally, we've rebalanced all of the Bleeding and Bleed Res damages but this does mean that heavier, chunkier use of Initiative will cost (Snipers) you less Hit Points to Bleeding. When thinking about who to slice up and Bleed, those characters who are high Initiative and use low Initiative attacks (Pistoleers) are your most effective targets. The new rules helps Bio-Poison stand on its own as the damage-over-time that runs once a turn where Bleeding runs every action (even if you are Stunned or Morale Break).

And the Shock Trooper brings some exciting new capabilities in this area! To battle!


[h2]Contact Adjustments[/h2]
With Update #258, we've pushed more recruit options into some of the most commonly available Contacts -- Princes and Merchants. Princes -- with their connection to their own military elite -- offer to recruit Shock Troopers and Merchants -- with their far-flung network of trade -- offer to recruit Hyperwarp Navigators.


[h2]Mission Highlight and Pending Count[/h2]
To ensure you spot the change, we've added a new highlight for whenever a Contact adds a story Mission to your offered list. At the end of the conversation, a highlight will play over the Mission option, reminding you that while the Contact told you about the Mission in story dialog, you do need to check it out, review its specifics and make an informed decision as to whether or not you'll accept.



We've also fixed a few bugs with Mission Offered count getting behind and showing too few or too many missions until you opened the subscreen, especially in the case of Missions expiring.

[h2]v3.1.43 - Shock Trooper[/h2]
- New Bleeding rules -- Bleeding damage is applied every time you act, all Bleeding and Bleed Res rebalanced
- New Job "Shock Trooper" leads with a snubber and a rack of grenades from the frontline with Rifles, Evasion, Command Skills
- Shock Troopers recruited from Cadar spice hall or Contacts will have best Attributes
- 15 new Talents for Shock troopers including multiple unique Talent types, uses and combat combos
- Shock Trooper "Braced Fire" resists forced movement and Pinning
- Shock Trooper "Retaliation" allows for ranged fire counterattacks
- Shock Trooper "Hota-Cored Shells" boarding victory Talent knocks out already damaged components
- Contact types Prince and Retired Bodyguard (new) offer Shock Troopers as recruits
- Merchant Contacts now offer Hyperwarp Navigator recruits always
- During Mercenaries Rumors, Shock Troopers and Bodyguards can be recruited in the Spice Hall
- New Contact Trait "Military Leverage" increases costs, always willing to buy Intel, recruits Shock Troopers
- Initiative on Soldier's Concussion Grenade Talent reduced to 14
- New mission highlighter shown in Contact screen if the mission count changes (due to story, etc)
- Fixed bug where crew combatants could end up smaller if they had custom outfit (legs/upper/gloves)
- Fixed all issues with incorrect number of pending missions listed when talking to contact
- Corrected Talent icon for Wing Bomber "Ruthless Destruction" to be red