Star Traders: Frontiers News

Update #218 delivers a new ship component, clarifies a Talent rule, improves default sorting for the crew list and most importantly delivers on the start of a much needed set of quality improvements when it comes to shopping for a new ship. As always, there is more work to do, so we'll be listening closely to the community for suggestions.

If you enjoy the pace of updates, new features and new content please be sure to leave a review!


[h2]Professional Salvage[/h2]
Update #218 adds a new level 5 ship component for those orbital scavengers who are truly dedicated to their work. Weighing in with a hefty price tag over $600K, the Salvage Bay 5 boasts the best salvage bonus available at 54% along with 25 Fuel and 25 Cargo. Capable of doubling as your cargo bay, this large component can fill a lot of needs on the right salvage ship.


[h2]New Ship Browsing: Call for Suggestions![/h2]
This update also delivers the first wave of much needed updates to the ship purchasing screens. As the variety and options of new ships have grown in the game, this list has become more difficult to navigate and to find the ship that properly fits your needs.

This round of changes is basically the opening salvo. We know that we need more, but we wanted to hear from the community what types of sort, filter and metadata about the ships they need. As we've previewed the screenshots of the features to the community, we're already hearing ideas we hadn't thought up yet that will help us drive the second round. So, please post your thoughts after checking it out!

With Update #218, we've added sorting and filtering to the ship purchasing screen. First, this suppresses any ship you can't buy due to faction restrictions. If you want to see specific factions or all the ships, then you can enable that in the filter ("Only Cadar" or "Cadar and Thulun", etc). Sorting currently allows you to sort by Mass, Price and Name. We know we'll need both more sorting and filtering, but we're still working through which are best as filters (filter by M3400, M5000, etc) and which should be sorts (sort by cargo, fuel, small component count).

Also, we'd like to use this time to prompt for more metadata requests from the community. What else do you need to see on the left and right side in order to make better decisions. P.s. we already know we need to enable a component preview, working on that! :D


[h2]Counter-attack Rules[/h2]
Since the beginning of the game, all counter-attacks have been able to use the Swordsman's Balanced Blade Talent, if it is trained, as their counter-attack. If you use Sharp Counter and someone attacks you, if you know Balanced Blade that is your riposte and you get the buff. These are Talents matched like a glove, but it was never clearly spelled out in the rules. We've added this clarification to all counter-attack Talents (Swordsman, Wing Commando) in the right hand sidebar of the Talent's screen.

[h2]Cyber Knights: Flashpoint[/h2]
Do you happen to like turn-based RPGs? Complex storylines? Job systems featuring combining Jobs? Base building? Stealth, combat hacking!? If you haven't seen Cyber Knights -- our next upcoming game -- take a look and give it a wishlist.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/

[h2]v3.0.79 - 7/21/2020[/h2]
- New Component: Salvage Bay 5
- Added filters and sort to New Ship list, filter by faction, carriers and sort by mass, price
- New Ship list filter starts by hiding ships that cannot be sold (other factions), filter "Any Faction" to see all
- Improved display of each ship in table with Mass/Hull/Fuel/Armor/Shield
- Default starting crew list sort is now by Job instead of Level
- Clarified rules in right side bar for all counter-attack Talents, which use Balanced Blade if it is trained

Update #217 comes quickly on the heels of #216 to provide a hotfix for one issue related to replacing officer cabins, to improve the warnings about those component swaps and to provide proper coverage to specialist component types that provide officer living space. In addition, we've improved the Contact list search options, addressed an issue with maximum repair times not lining up on high value components, added a new Explorer -5 risk card "Time Dilation", improved power levels on faction-specific Contacts and turned how the Coalition contacts use their actions in the simulation.

So, let's look in detail!

[h2]Contact List Search[/h2]
You can now search in the contact list by the type of zone they live on, such as "mining". Keep in mind that search uses an AND syntax, so you can't search "mining refinery" but you can use one at a time in combination with other filters such as Black Market. This can definitely help in smoothing out paths, and I've found it useful in quickly checking the opportunity to complete multiple tasks during a visit to a contact.


[h2]Time Dilation and Time Lost[/h2]
We've rebalanced the amount of time that can be wasted in the "Lost" card to ensure that it lives up to the threat of "weeks". In addition, we've added another time related negative card, "Time Dilation" which threatens that your expedition can wander into some time rift, possibly related to the hyperwarp dimension.

[h2]Czar and Samrak[/h2]
The power levels of the Contact types Trade Czar, Mining Samrak, Red Lion, Naval Commander, Ranking Executive Contacts have all been bumped up with Update #217, putting more power into the hands of these rarer but awesome faction-specific Contacts.

We've also changed how the Coalition Liaison Contact fits into the world, buffing their starting Influence. Finally we've tweaked the Contact AI for all Coalition Contacts when it comes to how to use their influence and turns in the simulators -- they now have unique Rumor buying logic focused on Tax, Civil and Starport Rumors. The Coalition will now more directly support the faction economic status quo.


[h2]Officer Cabin Replacement[/h2]
Thanks to the captains who posted on Steam, emailed, tweeted and dropped this bug into Discord. We've now fixed the issue where officer cabins could not be replaced, which was related to #216 but also had its in much older code. With this update, we've made 3 improvements to how officer cabins work. First, we've fixed the bug -- they can now be removed. Second, we've improved handling of those components that are not cabins directly -- such as medical bays -- which were not properly participating in the rule set around officer cabins. Finally, we corrected an issue that was preventing a red warning from appearing if a captain installed a cabin that went over the ship's officer max.

[h2]Wishlist Cyber Knights![/h2]
Our next upcoming title is waiting for your wishlists here on Steam. Cyber Knights is a tactical RPG that plunges you and your team of hackers, mercs and thieves into the neon-soaked future of 2231. Smash that wishlist button!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/

[h2]v3.0.77 - 7/15/2020[/h2]
- Zone Economy Type ("refinery") now searchable in Contact List
- Adjusted maximum repair times for any single component -- be sure to repair at high level starports
- Rebalanced "Time Lost" Card in Explorer, a -1 Risk
- Added new "Time Dilation" Card in Explorer, a new -5 Risk
- Increased the power levels of Trade Czar, Mining Samrak, Red Lion, Naval Commander, Ranking Executive Contacts
- Improved the "Coalition Liaison" starting power level and Contact AI
- Coalition Era Contacts now have unique Rumor buying logic that prefers Tax, Civil and Starport Rumors
- Fixed issue with replacing officer cabins
- Fixed issue where some non-officer cabin components (medical bays) failed to print warnings when being replaced
- Improved warning message about installing more officer cabins than your ship's max capacity

Update #216 drops some retrofits, improvements and major changes on to some of key components in the starport catalog -- Warhammer and Behemoth Engines and Mass Reducers. Thanks to everyone posting reviews, sharing feedback and discussing strategies here on Steam! We're lucky to have a great community of captains sailing the void together. Tell a friend, leave a review!


[h2]Living Up To The Name[/h2]
Update #216 has rebuilt the massive Behemoth void engines to live up to their name. Built around battle-pattern void reactor cores, these engine are truly mighty and put a defining mark on any ship that can afford to install them. Depending on size, these engines are capable of generating 9 or 10 Reactor Points per turn. As a trade off, they guzzle fuel at unbelievable rates.

The Warhammer engine pattern is the next-step up from standard engines, built around a similar combat pattern and costing in the range of half a million credits.

The newly retrofitted Behemoth engines are truly over-engineered to extremes and can pack some of the highest shield and armor of any component on a ship. Bringing such an engine aboard can change the landscape of other components you need drastically, all while devastating your fuel economy. Not to mention their multi-million credit price tag!

[h2]Repricing Ships[/h2]
Those ships that already start with the Behemoth installed have all had their prices corrected for the new massive power and cost adjustments. These ships have vaulted into some of the most expensive positions on the starport.

What's more -- for those pirates seeking prize ships to capture, you've gained a new list of priority targets with Update #216: Wolf Vector, Lockwood Defender, Azurite Cruiser, Obsidian Carrier, Rim Exocruiser, Larimar Battlecruiser!

[h2]Mass Reducer Rebalance[/h2]
Every component above level 1 within the mass reducer category -- from Mass Modulators to Mass Reducers and back again -- has had some rebalancing done with Update #216. This package of changes has been in testing for a while but its the right time to roll it out. These higher level components are more expensive to install and some have had their jump costs increased as well. The components have also gained more Skill pool opportunity, making them both more demanding but more valuable in providing strong dice for your ship.

[h2]Corrected Larimar Unlock[/h2]
We fixed an unlock issue that was linking the Larimar Battlecruiser to the wrong unlock, it is now correctly dependent on the Antique Collector unlock.

[h2]Wishlist It: Cyber Knights[/h2]
Our next upcoming title is Cyber Knights: Flashppoint, a turn-based tactical RPG set in 2231 under the New Boston dome. The cyberpunk story will take you from meanest streets far beneath the street level to the lux towers and maybe even up to a gleamer and back again. Smash that wishlist button!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/

[h2]v3.0.75 - 7/13/2020[/h2]
- Fixed Larimar Battlecruiser Unlock Duplication Bug
- Rebalancing Engines -- Massive Buffs to Behemoth Engines, Revised Warhammer Patter Engines
- Rebalancing Mass Reducers -- Increased Jump Costs, Ship Ops Requirements, adjusted higher level Reducers
- Repriced: Wolf Vector, Lockwood Defender, Azurite Cruiser, Obsidian Carrier, Rim Exocruiser, Larimar Battlecruiser

With a week left to go in the Steam Summer Sale, we're dropping another quick release to add a new control switch option for combat speed, fix a repair time issue in starports, update the fields shown in the new game screen and clarify one of the Sniper's Talent abilities. It's a smaller update, but its go some nice things in it as well as the critical fix to starport.

[h2]Starport Repairs[/h2]
Introduced in Update #214, a bug has been effecting starport repair times, forcing them to run around 25 weeks all the time. We've now resolved that with Update #215! Our apologies.

[h2]High Speed Combat[/h2]
While an toggle in the options screen is nice, it does not provide for easy mid-combat toggling of combat speed. Often, you'll find yourself wanting to play slow during hard combats or the start of combats and then ready to speed it up as you claim dominance on the field. A new configurable keybinding -- defaulting to "F" -- has been added to toggle between combat speeds. It will put a message up to the screen when it swaps and notably only accepts input when its y our turn.

Press F for fast!

[h2]Speed and Agility in New Game[/h2]
We've added a ship's engine speed and agility to the listed fields in the new game captain template builder. This can be a big help to pick among ships of the same or similar Mass class as you consider how quickly they traverse the map and their different values as a mission runner versus a close or long ranged combat ship.

[h2]Story Pacing[/h2]
We're constantly monitoring the data and listening to the community about the story pacing. We've made many adjustments and tweaks and want to share that with Update #215, we've picked up the pace of the later half of the game a bit to help compress the story content a bit and reduce long stretches of purely free sandbox play without the option to engage in story.

[h2]Sniper![/h2]
Finally, we've tweaked the description of the Sniper's "Target Acquired" Talent which does not require your character to already be in Stealth Mode. Simply the presence of a backline sniper bearing down on them hinders the enemy front rank target with this awesome On Init debuff.

[h2]v3.0.73 - 7/3/2020[/h2]
- Fixed bug causing all Starport repairs to take 255 turns
- Added new configurable keybinding 'F' toggles high speed ship or crew combat during combat
- When customizing new game templates, ship speed and agility are shown during selection
- Improved the pacing of late game story eras and events to ensure less story downtime late in the game
- Improved talent description of Sniper's "Target Acquired" to be clear it does not need Stealth



Check out our next upcoming game and wishlist today
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/

Welcome to the Steam Summer Sale! At 40% off it's the best price ever and a great time to pick up Star Traders: Frontiers if its been sitting on your wishlist, or you've been waiting to share it with a friend. Come, the void is calling your name, captain.

Update #214 adds a new ship, rebalances an existing one, fixes some issues with ship component repair times, adds a new keybinding from the community, and improves Rare Trade Good display in the Star Atlas. Thanks to everyone for playing, posting a review and sharing!


[h2]Larimar Battlecruiser[/h2]
The Larimar Battlecruiser has officially been greenlit and is now for sale at Cadar only military ports. Built as a destructive torpedo boat, the Larimar is ready to do battle at long range and decimate enemy crew and components with its heavy compliment of weaponry. Built with a hangar for one interdictor or a long range shuttle, the Larimar packs a bevy of torpedos, a Deflector Array 4, Battle Prow 5, shielded barracks and officer suites as well as two Interlock Sensor Matrix 4. Cadar brings torpedoes to any fight!


[h2]Reclaiming the Azurite[/h2]
The Azurite Cruiser has permanently joined the Cadar starport roster and is no longer for sale at other starports. Naturally, this means that it has been further militarized with its base Armor and base cost both going up and some nice changes to its component setup making it better prepared for battle upon lift off.

[h2]Repair Time Rebalance[/h2]
Some components that had long install times, such as the very expensive Hyperion Launch Bay, came along with grievous long repair times. Sometimes so long, you might consider installing a new one instead. We've resolved the math mistake that caused this issue and now the highest level and most expensive components correctly have their logical capping to their total repair time cost.

[h2]Keybinding Addition[/h2]
With Update #214, we added a new keybinding from a user request posted after #213. If you see missing keybinding options that would increase your pace and enjoyment of play, please post them! The default key '2' will now jump back to the map from any subscreen -- ship status, crew roster, landing zone.

This can help you quickly get back to traveling if you've hit a zone for a quick refresher. Punch 1 on your keyboard to run all the services, then punch 2 and you're back to traveling!

[h2]Check that Cyber Knights[/h2]
Our next game is hovering on Steam, waiting for you to check it out. If you like turn-based tactics, cyberpunk, dogs, cats, drones, nano, base building, XCOM, ice cream or games -- wishlist it now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/

[h2]v3.0.71 - 6/29/2020[/h2]
- New Ship: Larimar Battlecruiser (7000M Cadar-built heavy combat ship)
- Rebalanced: Azurite Cruiser (now Cadar-only, increased cost & armor)
- Rebalanced Repair times for Hyperion Bays and Level 5+ Components
- Added new configurable keybinding '2' jumps back to map from any subscreen
- Improved the phrasing of some Trait-based barks
- Rare Trade Goods now correctly appear in resource buy list in Star Atlas as well as search