Star Traders: Frontiers News

Update #242 continues to expand your character customization options, adds new wilderness zone art and plugs a few more holes in the ever expanding Talent Manifest. We've also fixed a huge raft of issues and bugs reported by the community.

We're closing in on capping of 2020 and this is our 50th update of the year! If you like the pace of updates, our dedication to improving the game and all the new, free content please take a moment to leave us a holiday present -- a wee review!

Next year will be an exciting year as our turn-based cyberpunk heist RPG will be coming to Steam. 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, its time to get on the wishlist. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint 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. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]Matched Smuggler Outfits[/h2]
To follow up on the new 12 faces that were added across Update #242 and #243, we've now added a new set of match space smuggler outfits. We're always hearing how we need more matched outfits, so we're glad to see how well these two work together and depending on the type of crew you are running, they can fill in for a lot of ship or combat roles.


[h2]Flash Charge in Talent Manifest[/h2]
The Navigator's "Flash Charge" ship encounter Talent which allows you to lunge into ship combat at either range 4 or 3 was missing from the Ship Encounter section of the Talent Manifest. It has now been added to make this easy to keep an eye on.

[h2]Community Quality of Life[/h2]
A huge thanks -- as always -- to our community for helping us to improve the game, fix bugs, and file down rough edges.

• We've improved the display for the "Entropic Estimate" Talent to ensure it shows not only the duration of the Rumor but also its estimated end date.
  
• Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" Talent is improved to affect 5 enemy crew instead of 3 with its significant Morale damage.
  
• Fixing an oversight, Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" and Military Officer's "Call for Surrender" are no longer shown as options against xeno.
  
• We've fixed a whole close of bugs that could cause the ship skill pools to get out of date during orbital ops if components were repaired or damaged.
  
• We've fixed a bug where some Contacts might have two "Sell Intel" offers due to Traits.
  

[h2]v3.1.11 - 12/13/2020[/h2]
- Added two new outfits, matched space smugglers
- Added new environment background for jungle wilderness
- Added Navigator's "Flash Charge" to the Talent Manifest in Encounter Talents
- "Entropic Estimate" Talent now includes the length of the Salvage Rumor as well as the estimated date of completion
- Improved Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" to affect 5 targets instead of 3
- Fixed issue where Bounty Hunter's "Cold-Blooded Threats" and Mil Officers "Call for Surrender" could be used against xeno
- Fixed set of issues in orbital ops and explorer where ship skill pools could become out of date due to repair or damage
- Fixed bug where Contact could have 2 Sell Intel services due to Traits
- Fixed description issues with Spy's "Distracting Shots" Talent
- Fixed positioning of recruit review on some window sizes and resolutions

Update #243 comes hot on the tail of Update #242 to fix a bug where half your crew was wearing an eyepatch unexpectedly. I blame the airlock!

We've also added another 6 new faces for your crew and an awesome new winter seasonal hat! Through the end of the year, we'll be doubling down on more art, outfits, faces and hats as well as new storylines. You can clearly see the part of the Content Expansion roadmap we are hammering away at :D


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. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]December Community Challenge[/h2]
December's monthly community challenge has gone out and its a fun one! Check out "Santa’s Stash & Spacemas Cocktail" challenge :D

Now with the holiday hat, you can be even more good looking for your challenge screenshots!


[h2]Six New Faces in the Spice Hall[/h2]
To follow up on Update #242, we've added another 6 new character faces AND an awesome new holiday hat. We're always hearing from the community about how new faces, hats and outfits are so much fun so we're working to hit those big goals. A lot more art will be piling into the game through the New Year, so stay tuned. Also, we've started a longer process of adjusting the proportions and connection points of the male character's head and torsos -- there will be some more changes coming to improve the look!


[h2]Reputation Protection in Talent Manifest[/h2]
In an odd oversight, the E-Tech's "Signature Jammer" and Smuggler's "Garbled Identity" Talents were never included in the Talent Manifest. They have now been added under the Ship Encounter section as "Rep Protection" category to make this easy to keep an eye on.

[h2]v3.1.9 - 12/6/2020[/h2]
- Added new holiday seasonal fur hat
- Added 6 new character faces including new mustache and beard
- Added E-Tech's "Signature Jammer" and Smuggler's "Garbled Identity" to the Talent Manifest in Encounter Talents
- Fixed issue with half the crew always having an eyepatch

Update #242 expands both map generation for v2 seeds as well as the roster of interesting faces that might join your crew. Not to mention a boss hat! Through the end of the year, we'll be doubling down on more art, outfits, faces and hats as well as new storylines.

We'll jump into the extra details for this update below, but first a few things you might want to know!

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. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]December Community Challenge[/h2]
December's monthly community challenge has gone out and its a fun one! Check out "Santa’s Stash & Spacemas Cocktail" challenge :D


[h2]Map Seed v2 Max Upgrade[/h2]
We've loved to see all the huge maps that have been created for map seeds v2. That has inspired us to raise the roof and push it even farther. With this update, we've cranked the maximum quadrant count for map seeds v2 all the way up to 70. The maps are crazy huge but 10/10 would gen again!


[h2]New Faces, New Hat![/h2]
With Update #242, we've added 6 new character faces as well as a new wide brimmed pirate hat. We've heard from the community that we needed more faces with beards and with long hair, so we've included both in this update. Also, we've started a longer process of adjusting the proportions and connection points of the male character's head and torsos -- things should already be looking better this update.



[h2]v3.1.7 - 12/4/2020[/h2]
- Increased maximum quadrant size in map v2 to 70!
- Added new wide-brimmed pirate hat
- Added 6 new character faces include 3 new bearded faces

[h2]End-of-Month Wrap-up: The Winner, Honorable Mentions, and Next Month’s Challenge...[/h2]
(Original challenge description below, skip to it?)
[h3]Congratulations to the Santa’s Stash challenge winner, on a hot streak... bogboy3![/h3]


With a whopping 1250 bottles stashed by his Captain Jolly Missle-Toe, and a Brexian Spice Tea cocktail inspired by his time in the Himalayas(!!), he’s earned his second community challenge win in a row.



[h3]Honorable Mentions[/h3]
T3h Brambl3 with a very impressive Coolant Leak cocktail, and a Vudka stash over a month in the making… only to be cut short by the Xeno. 😭



Dr. Spendlove for bringing us the tale of a dire Vudka shortage introducing him to a local mocktail recipe, Shalun Sangria.



Thanks everyone for sharing in our holiday fun, hope you had lots more at home!

As always, you can still post a run report for this challenge or any of our previous challenges in the Steam forums or in our Discord. We’ll always consider notable runs (impressive gameplay, fun screenshots / edits, fan art or stories) for a share on our Twitter or Facebook.

We’ll kick the new year off with a new challenge soon, stay tuned!


[hr][/hr][h3]Twas the night before Spacemas, and all through the Void,
Not a Captain was flying, not even the employed.
The quadrants were gripped with a paralyzing fear,
“Like nothing seen before,” rumors said: a massive xeno fleet was near.

The gravs knew only stories, but spacers were filled with dread,
If these rumors were true, all humanity might be dead.
It was too late for another Exodus, there was no time for flight,
Deep in the governmental Palace, the Prince wrestled with the plight.

“There’s too many to fight them, our buildings too big to hide,”
His advisors all bemoaned, “Shalun save us again, how will we possibly survive!?”
As the noble Prince brooded and his soft courtiers despaired,
BANG BANG on the Palace doors -- an intruder, who would dare!?

As the massive doors opened, none were prepared for the sight.
A striking red color and spectacular hat, a Star Trader stood, one they’d heard of alright.
The captain’s exploits were infamous, the officers too;
the first mate stood with him, representing all the crew.
He spoke for his captain, grim-faced, mustache... burred…
“We have an idea, and we demand to be heard!
We must flee the city, and outwait the assault.
Deep within the wilderness, we’ve stocked a hidden vault.”

“Preposterous!” a royal idiot shouted, “and ridiculous too!”
“Hear hear,” another shouted. “We are hundreds of thousands, what kind of stockpile could do?”
But the Captain’s reputation was epic, and the Prince’s influence strong;
they knew the worth of working together, and the Prince spoke to play along:
“Our people are resilient, and food we carry can be shared.
The problem’s not in feeding them, it’s what will they do for weeks when they are scared?”

“The same thing we do in space,” that grizzled first officer did tell.
“Remember your duty, trust your crewmates, and pass the vudka til all is well.”[/h3]
[hr][/hr]
Captains, to start this challenge you must find a system with both a) a wild zone and b) an urban zone of any of these types: Mining, Tradeway, or Orbital. This will be your Stash System.



You can take as much time as you like to find your Stash System and to prepare your ship, bankroll, and knowledge of the galaxy. Once you’re ready to begin, navigate to your Stash System and take a screenshot of it from orbit -- this will show the starting date, that the system meets the criteria (one wild zone and one mining, tradeway or orbital zone) and that there is nothing currently stashed on the system (as there is no green stash icon in orbit).

From this point, you have 1 in-game year (e.g. from 219.05AE to 220.05AE) to acquire and stash as much Vudka (supplied by Farming, Refinery Zones with Trade Law 7 or less, piratable from many Smugglers and Pirates) as you can possibly find into your “Stash System”. Selecting a well-located Stash System will be critical to your success, as you will need quick access to multiple locations supplying Vudka. There are a few other restrictions about where you vudka may come from, all based around the requirement that you must obtain your stash *after* the start of your year.

• You may not move any Vudka from another stash
  
• You may not have any Vudka already in your cargo hold
  
• You may not move any Vudka from a drydocked ship's cargo hold
  

And, to make it interesting, out-of-game we are providing massive bonus points for creating a Star-Traders-themed winter cocktail you post a recipe for and photos of. The cocktail must:

• Contain vudka (vodka is acceptable), rum (because pirates), or a base drink with no alcohol whatsoever (water-fuel).
  
• Have at least two-other Star Traders-themed ingredients / toppers. Creative substitutes for actual Kongon Locusts, xeno blood, hydrogen fuel, etc. are acceptable as these may not be available on your planet.
  

[h2]Scoring Rules[/h2]

[h3]Points awarded for:[/h3]

• +1 point per unit of vudka stashed
  

[h3]Bonus points:[/h3]

• +5000 points for creating a cocktail with a recipe and photo
  
• Use the new Map Gen v2 - points x 2
  
• Screenshot your holiday captain outfit - points x 1.25
  
• x 1(+0.1 points per difficulty level above basic)
  

Note the bonuses are multiplicative. Therefore, at maximum you would get the calculation:
(Vudka + Cocktail Points) x 2 (for Map Gen 2) x 1.25 (for holiday outfit screenshot) x 1.1 (for Normal diff)

[h3]Screenshots:[/h3]
To report your challenge’s score, provide the following screenshots and text:

• Recipe & Photo -- for your Star Traders cocktail / mocktail.
  
• Screenshot -- Your Stash System from orbit -- this will show the starting date, that the system meets the criteria (one wild zone and one mining, tradeway or orbital zone) and that there is nothing currently stashed on the system (as there is no green treasure chest stash icon in orbit)
  
• Screenshot -- Your total stash and the ending stardate.
  

Clear your cargo holds and check your trade routes captains. Maybe put that new Map generator to work for you. 😉 And we can’t wait to see what drinks you come up with!

[h2]Further Discussion, Post Scores and Ask Questions[/h2]
All scores, questions and chatter about the December community challenge should be routed to the Discussions forum thread:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/335620/discussions/0/2962769352270501993/

Big updates drive a flurry of new play and from that falls a pile of great feedback. We've spent the last few days since releasing major milestone CARTOGRAPHER putting your feedback straight into the game to improve the ease of generating and sharing maps.


This time of year is a special season on Steam -- its time to nominate the games we love for Steam awards. This year, we're going up for Labor of Love and hope you'll join in by nominating us!

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. If you didn't know, now you know.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


[h2]Settings Remembered[/h2]
Clicks are evil and the less of them we ask, the better for everyone. To this end, we've enabled the map generator to remember the settings from the last map generation -- quadrant count, density, map version. If you are looking to find a certain type of Max Density, 42 quadrant, version 2 map you now quickly generate new maps with the same settings on repeat.


[h2]Easy Sharing[/h2]
We've included the map seed in the preview which makes sharing your maps easy and fast. Snap a screenshot of the preview and its everything you need to know -- the seed, the gate connections, its size, where the starting quads are. Happy sharing!


[h2]Starting Danger[/h2]
For those players looking for a certain setup with starting danger, we've added that detail to the map list. You can now see the quadrant name and starting danger for each faction in the summary. Especially for those looking for a new default map or wanting to play as a specific faction, this is a big help and increases the pace of the search.

[h2]Kamguard Deathblade[/h2]
Thanks to @DrSpendlove for suggesting this missing blade -- there is now a level 9 strength-based blade you can find in relic weapon salvage cards.

[h2]v3.1.5 - 11/28/2020[/h2]
- Added "Kamguard Deathblade" a level 9 salvagable strength-based blade
- Map preview screen now includes map seed so a single screenshot is enough to share your map
- Map gen settings including quadrant count, density and map version are remembered between gens, much faster repeat generation
- Starting quadrant name and Danger rating are now included in map list details
- Clarified maximum Intel creation rates with Unauthorized Access and Genetic Sequencing boarding Talents
- Fixed seed copying bug that could result in broken 1 quadrant map