Empyrion - Galactic Survival News

[h3]Hi Galactic Survivalists![/h3]
Most of you might wonder, when the Alpha 12 Experimental will hit your PC. Good news!

If everything works out as planned, the Experimental phase will start anytime next week!
As always..no liabilities assumed.

There is one thing to know about the upcoming Experimental:

For Alpha 12 we made a real BIG change in how the game handles data and info by adding a persistent database. This offers a myriad of new possibilities - in fact, it made some of the Alpha 12 features possible in the first place - but this needs to be tested in-depth, especially for Multiplayer.

That’s why this time, in the first week of the Experimental release, we will only have our own EXP Server as a testing field.

This way, we will be able to grab all the logs directly and track the performance of the database in a live environment with the highest possible load. Again, and to be precise: this is for the initial phase (only!)
We hope everyone planning to set up an own EXP Server will understand this move, as testing the database is crucial for the progress of the game as a whole.

Rest assured the EXP will have a server version released, as soon as the tests are passed and we are confident about the stability of the database.

The Singleplayer version will of course be available from day one, just the dedicated server version will be delayed.

If things go accordingly, this initial phase might only last a few days. A minor period, given the Alpha 12 is a milestone release with an Experimental phase of several weeks, where we will be happy to see a lot of Experimental-version servers out there.

A note for the server owners, as this might not be known a lot: feel free to get in touch with us about any global topics via [email protected] (Feedback, Ideas etc.. no specific topic ;) )

Hope to see you soon playing the Experimental version! :)
- Empyrion Dev Team

PS: For all of you interested in an evening talk about Alpha 12 and maybe some gameplay right from the final Experimental pre-release candidate, tune in to our Dev Q&A, hosted by Spanj

[h3]Welcome back, Galactic Survivalists![/h3]
For today's blog, we would like to give you more insight on a device feature, a lot of you have asked for.

Until now, you could make use of the device in question in NPC stations and some dungeons.
Now, it will be available to you players: Teleporters!

(New CV teleporter model)

The Teleporters will come in two versions:

• Teleporter for bases. Their range will be 30 LY
  
• Teleporter for capital vessels. They will allow you to teleport within a sector, what means between Planet Orbit, Planet Moon, Orbit Moons etc. No need to EVA over to a space station anymore!
  

There are a few constraints of course.

• You can NOT teleport to another PLAYER or PLAYER FACTIONS teleporters! You can only use your own teleporters, those of your faction and from NPC factions you are at least in a friendly state.
  
• It is not possible to teleport FROM or teleport TO a CV that is currently MOVING
  
• It is not possible to use a CV or BA teleporter (as outgoing-transport) when
  a) shields are active
  b) the structure is under fire (cooldown of 20 seconds after last “hit”)
  

Incoming teleports currently can end on devices that are off or behind a shield - of course only if you ‘allowed’ to use the teleporter as a target.

If there is any condition that denies you to use a teleport target, its destination simply will not show in the teleporter target overview.



We hope you will like this little feature improvement.
As usual, feel free to post an questions to the comments. :)

Read you soon,
Empyrion Dev Team

[h3]Hello Galactic Survivalists![/h3]
It’s wednesday again! First and foremost: We hope you are all well - and if not, we hope you will get well very soon! And because we got a lot of concerned emails and messages: Everyone in the team is Ok or is already getting better. Thanks a lot for all the wishes. :)

We have been kind of silent the last 2 weeks, simply because a lot of code work had to happen, to flesh out the features.

Today we have a mix of different things that made good progress and got added until recently.

1. The Empyrion ingame card game?
   Our Modelling team has been busy with some new stuff. We added two new devices (we will not disclose just yet. Sorry ;) ) and a few others, like the Zirax CV turrets that are currently in a finishing phase.
   
   A new entry to the blocks and devices are two gambling tables.
   
   
   
   What started as an internal use case, just for testing the NPC Dialogue system with a Black Jack script, found some interest in the tester group and the team itself. So we thought: Where Star Trek TNG has had Poker, Star Wars has Sabacc, BSG has Triad Cars .. how would the favored Card-game based amusement of Polaris, Talon, Zirax and other species in Andromeda be named and how would it work?
   Any ideas? Let us know your suggestions for a name and a system! We might use it! :)
   
   
2. New playfield types!
   While the galaxy has grown the amount of stars to fill with something to explore, we are constantly looking for new playfield types to integrate. While we are happy to review any suggestion you send us via email, we have opened the CUSTOM PLAYFIELDS forum for that purpose.
   
   That being said, reworks of old playfield types and new iterations, are in the works already. A new Ice Moon and a Forest Moon will be part of the mix, soon.
   
   
   
   Hint: Alpha 12 will also see the addition of a menacing “Legacy Faction” playfield type, which will reveal a lot of what this faction is up to. Playfield will be revealed in the next weeks. ;)
   
   
3. New models and resources!
   In Alpha 12 we will not only have Ice available on Asteroids in space eventually, but we will also add a new resource to the game the first time ever: Titanium
   
   And while we added a forest moon with endless quantities of Plant Fiber, and because the item has become a very popular meme in the current pandemic times, we added Toilet paper (including a slightly updated toilet model) as an item for your very discreete player avatar needs as well. Of course you cannot buy it at a trader. ;)
   
   Feel free to make suggestions which status effect we should allow to be cured with it! (except the obvious ;)
   
   
   
   
4. Respawn changes
   Alpha 12 will also see some changes in the Respawn mechanic which everyone, who has run into a literal dead end, might like.
   
   First, the survival tent is now a possible respawn option. When you die, you can select the closest survival tent from the respawn menu. So make sure to be prepared.
   
   Second: you will now get a respawn option, even if you have NO home-button checked CV or BA or even a survival tent. You can respawn in a Clone Chamber or Medbay of the CLOSEST BA or CV that belongs to you or your faction, even if these structures have not been set in the HOME checkbox in the Control Panel!
   
   In addition, you get a third way of respawning: When you are at least NEUTRAL with a NPC Faction AND you discovered one of their stations, equipped with either Medbay or Clone Chamber, before, you will get offered the closest of these stations as a respawn option as well!
   
   
5. Registry and Markers
   We are currently reworking how the REGISTRY works. Not only because the Registry needed an update to handle the new star systems, but with Alpha 12 it will offer a lot more options and work more like a real Journey-book, where all your discoveries are noted. Not only your own or your faction's stuff, but also terrain placeables like Autominers, ore deposits and a lot more. Filters will help to manage all these entries.
   
   In addition, when setting a Waypoint on one of those entries, those markers are now visible on planets while you are in space - and vice versa!
   
   And: the markers will also work in space as a pre-set warp target. So aim for them, accelerate and warp right away! No need to hammer the Lock-Target Button on the Map anymore.
   
   

As a closing comment - and because we got asked this quite a lot: we are currently preparing for the Experimental to start mid of April (if nothing goes wrong). As always: No liability assumed. :D

Watch out for a scheduled live Q&A ahead of the EXP.

Read you soon,
Empyrion Dev Team

[h3]Hi Galactic Survivalist![/h3]
We recently completed the technical integration of the gas giants. Similar to the new suns, you cannot land or fly to the gas giant itself, but they will offer more than enough moons for your exploration demands.

Time for a few impressions of this milestone progress. :)

Cheers,
Empyrion Dev Team

PS: Find all the dev blogs over here

[h3]Hi Galactic Survivalists![/h3]
What happens when you attack a POI in space?

The question may sound trivial. You fight, you win or you get defeated. But beyond that point, there is not a lot of interactivity. Small and large space bases alike do not seem to be that important for the NPC factions, otherwise they would defend them better and very likely have a garrison of combat ships or reinforcements, right?

We recently spoke to our Zirax Empire and Polaris consultants, and as especially our always slightly nervous, weapon wielding friends brought up very convincing arguments, we cannot let this be the case any longer.

Reinforcements incoming!

With Alpha 12, when you are on a hostile or unfriendly standing with the owner of the POI in front of your guns, the station commander will call for help when you are coming too close. Depending on the level of the playfield, the NPC faction's vessels will warp in after a while - or sometimes the call will remain unanswered. There are a few variations possible at that point.

You, as a player, will get a note as soon as enemy warp signatures are detected. But remember: the incoming vessels might only be a part of the full fleet coming for you. ;)

As always, the range of reactions, the ships used and other parameters can be defined by creative minds in the FactionWarfare.ecf.



Each of the current and upcoming factions will of course send their very own vessels. The Polaris, Zirax and also the Legacy have gotten a total overhaul of their combat vessels lineup only recently. If you do not yet follow our posts on hat topic, have a look in our ‘Lore, Story and Factions’ sub forum

You will not only find previews of the new ship types of the different factions, but also background info to the story of the game!

NPC Factions: Call For Papers!

That being said, we also want to add a few new NPC Factions to the upcoming galaxy. As promised, we will eventually open the submission phase for NPC Faction applications!

Submissions & Info: threads/npc-factions-call-for-papers

Spread the word!
We are looking forward to your creative ideas!

While you start to think about your NPC factions stories and lore, have a look at the all new Zirax CV turrets (WiP HighRes) you might soon run into. These will replace the generic “Alien turrets” on all Zirax AI Capital Vessels - step by step. :)

Cheers,
Empyrion Dev Team


Zirax CV Laser Turret (HighRes WiP)


Zirax CV Plasma Turret (HighRes WiP)


Zirax CV Rocket Turret (HighRes WiP)