Development Update: 19 March 2018

I bid you a formal welcome, Captain.

Today's patch contains a number of updates and tweaks to the base game, adds a new strategic territory overlay, and new functionality for the Orthin capacitors. As always, your feedback and suggestions are important to us, so keep them coming!


As part of their mania for high energy physics, the deep-water dwelling Orthin have developed a unique high pressure metallurgy that allows for ultra high capacity energy transmission subsystems, enabling their vessels to mount unusually powerful beam weaponry. The elegant and elaborate cooling mechanism used by these high-pressure superconducting busbars takes up a significant amount of the ship's hull infrastructure, but also allows for the possibility of useful components being attached to this subsystem.

Each Orthin military hull of cruiser size and larger now has a single special “Busbar” hardpoint. The busbar can accept four different components, the latter two of which are new:

• Blast Doors (Titanium Construction): increases armor
  
• Shield Regenerator (Deflector Screens): increases shield regeneration rate
  
• Shield Capacitor (Shield Capacitors): stores a portion of damage absorbed by shields for later offensive or defensive use
  
• Power Converter (Zero-Point Energy): provides additional power
  

Shield Capacitors
The Shield Capacitor is the primary target for the busbar slot, and it provides additional tactical actions. Whenever a ship equipped with a Shield Capacitor takes shield damage, a portion of the energy is stored in the capacitor. This energy can be released at any time and used either to boost shields or overcharge weapons. The "SHIELD BOOST" and "OVERCHARGE" buttons in the tactical UI show the current charge of the capacitor. Clicking on either action will spend the current stored energy on the appropriate function. Once the capacitor is fully charged, no additional energy can be stored until the capacitor is discharged.

• SHIELD BOOST: applies the stored energy to reinforce shields. Damaged shields are restored up to the reinforcement amount. Reinforcement over the normal maximum shield strength lasts until the next turn.
  
• OVERCHARGE: diverts stored energy to the main weapons. Only affects direct fire weapons in the retractable forward hull slots and any siege hardpoints; does not affect missiles, fighters or point-defense weapons. The available energy is divided amongst the eligible weapon mounts.
  

Outpost Transports can now be used to deploy a custom station equipped with any available station module (including a Space Habitat or Construction Module). Editing the Outpost Transport in the Ship Designer will now edit the payload station rather than the transport itself. For example, to create a deploy-able space habitat:

• From the Ship Designer, select "New Design"
  
• From the New Design list, select "Outpost Transport"
  
• Add the appropriate components for your custom station
  
• Type in a descriptive name (such as "Habitat") and save the design
  

Done! The "Habitat Transport" will now be available in your build menu, in addition to the existing Outpost Transport (or any other custom versions you design). Note: be sure to embark colonists aboard a Space Habitat station before leaving!

Already built Outpost Transports in older saves may not work, so you may need to scrap them and build new ones.





Gameplay Changes and Additions

• Orthin 'Capacitor' hardpoints have been renamed as 'Busbar' hardpoints. The Orthin Dreadnaught now has only 1 Capacitor slot. (Old designs may need to be edited.)
  
• Orthin ships equiped with Shield Capacitors now have access to the "Overcharge" and "Shield Boost" special abilities.
  
• Orthin players can now unlock the 'Power Converter' busbar component after researching 'Zero-Point Energy'.
  
• Colony ships can now colonize a planet if the colonists on board would be comfortable there, even if the owning faction's race would not.
  
• Editing an outpost transport design now edits the design of the created outpost.
  
• Outpost designs are no longer required to include a fuel depot.
  
• Outpost designs that include Space Habitats can now embark colonists prior to deployment.
  
• Outpost transports built in old saves will no longer function.
  
• Colonists in deployed Space Habitats now consume food.
  
• Viscid now have the 'vermin' trait, making them immune to starvation.
  
• The 'Energy Refocusing' technology is being retired, and will not appear in new games.
  
• Added the 'Supergrain Discovery' planetary event.
  
• Reduced the frequency of some Star Harpy events.
  
• The Phidi Torpedo destroyer, human Missile Cruiser, and human Battleship all now have 'Torpedo' rather than 'Missile' hardpoints.
  
• It is now possible to place 'Blast Doors' and 'Scanners' in a Heavy hardpoint.
  

UI Changes and Additions

• Added an empire territory overlay to the strategic map. It can be enabled or disabled with 'Show Empire Territory' in Options. The Empire Insignia displayed on the overlay can also be independently disabled.
  
• Fleet destination lines can now be disabled with 'Show Fleet Route Lines' in Options.
  
• Most options in the Map Settings screen now default to the values used in the most recent savegame.
  
• Replaced the 'Pirate Activity' advanced setting with 'Raider Activity', which now also controls the level of Star Harpy activity.
  
• A warning icon will now appear at systems blockaded by enemy ships.
  
• In tactical combat, +healed numbers will now appear when ships regenerate shields or armor.
  
• Clicking on a planet's special resource icon will now open the planet info entry for that resource.
  
• Clicking on a fleet's empire icon will now start a conversation with that empire, if possible.
  

Fixes

• Fix for a tech tree bug that could be triggered by reverse engineering Fusion Torpedoes while playing as Orthin or Gremak.
  
• In the case that battle salvage unlocks techs that are impossible to research, the player will no longer receive a "tech unlocked" notification.
  
• Fix for a bug that could be triggered when Vindicators retarget on a new ship.
  
• Fix for a bug that was preventing the Shield Piercing abilities of the Force Lance from working as intended.
  
• Removed redudant post-battle 'technology unlocked' notifications.
  
• The components list should no longer show incorrect small craft graphics when designing planet defenses.
  
• The 'hail fleet' option should no longer appear when an empire you are at war with attempts to colonize a planet.
  
• It should no longer be possible for the food cost of City Planning to be negative.
  
• Fix for a game state maintenance bug affecting battles in which the right-click inhibit weapon fire toggle had been used.
  
  

(Click here to view the complete development changelogs, and here to view the development roadmap post.)

Well then, we bid you farewell.
We hope to see you again
though with you sitting here, dead in space
vulnerable and alone
we won't hold our breath.

Good luck, Captain.