Stars in Shadow News

We are glad to finally announce the release date of Stars in Shadow Legacies! This first expansion for Stars in Shadow will release October 19 through Steam.

In Legacies, players step into the shoes of the cyborg mechanic race, the Tinkers. The Tinkers worship Dzibix, an ancient mega-machine that covers the whole surface of their home planet. Dzibix now demands that the Tinkers expand beyond their own borders.

The Tinkers are the first new faction introduced since the game’s release, bringing the total of playable factions to eight. They are the first mechanic race to be introduced, with many new features. The cyborgs have their own planetary special: planetary debris rings and asteroid bases. They are also able to build space habitats and re-deployable mobile stations.

Tinkers ships have increased armor, self-repair capability, and special systems for handling missiles and fighters. In battle, players can launch Tinkers fighters from torpedo tubes. Their exquisite crafting skills make it possible for Tinkers lost in battle to immediately be replaced while in combat.



Legacies also introduces a new minor faction, the Arda Seed. They have restored the hyperspace lanes, which collapsed after the Great War. The Arda Seed and their faster-than-light travel abilities are the next step in uncovering the mystery that fuels Stars in Shadow: what caused the Great War?



Legacies Features

• New playable faction: Tinkers
o New population type: cyborgs
o New planetary special: Planetary Debris Rings and Asteroid Bases
o Space Habitats and Re-deployable Mobile Stations

• New minor faction: Arda Seed
o New “Hyperspace Anomaly” locations
o Technology Boosts and Researchable Artifacts
o Herald encounters

• New technologies, weapons and encounters

http://store.steampowered.com/app/698280/Stars_in_Shadow_Legacies/

Hailing frequencies open, Admiral!

We are a bit behind schedule in our work on the Legacies expansion. Naturally, it's important to us to release a DLC that meets your expectations (and our own), and so we have pushed the release date of the DLC to October to allow enough time to get things right. For more info on the DLC, check below the patch notes.

However, we do have some changes ready that we'd like to put into the field, and so we are pushing a patch today with some fixes and a few additions. As always, your feedback and suggestions are important to us. Keep them coming!



Changes & Additions

• Added a choice of Map Shape options (Box, Ring, Hourglass, Ellipse) to the Advanced Map Settings pane when creating a new game.
  
• Added a number of new UI sound effects including: load/save game complete, colony founded, planet special discovery, war declaration, enslave, liberate, forced labor, experiments, and galaxy creation complete.
  
• Added a 'Right Click Close' UI option to the Options pane.
  
• 'B' now acts as a hotkey for buying production on the currently selected planet.
  
• There is now a "Hail Fleet" option that adds a diplomatic option when your fleet intercepts an alien colony ship attempting to land in the same system.
  
• AI factions will now accept trades for some resources, provided that a fair offer is made.
  
• Hiring mercenaries now costs influence, in addition to coins.
  
• The influence cost of securing a peace treaty will now vary depending on how the other faction feels the war has been going.
  
• All factions now receive 1 influence per turn if they have any contact with alien factions.
  
• When initially researched, Markets now increase trade capacity by 2 each (up from 0).
  

Fixes

• Changed AI handling of three+ sided conflicts, should fix logic errors in AI code.
  
• Reduced the frequency of several types of planet disaster events.
  
• Fix for a formatting error when trading with marauder companies.
  
• Made several low-level changes intended to work around problems with the latest AMD drivers.
  
• In windowed mode, window resizing cursors should now appear when appropriate.
  
• Altered the deficit handling rules -- forced scrapping now always yields some coin return.
  
• Adjusted planet autobuild logic to favor Trade in situations where deficits are imminent.
  
• AI players should now build more Markets during the late game.
  
• Fix for a bug that could cause re-contacted empires to respond as if you'd just meet.
  

(Click here to view the complete development changelogs.)


The Legacies DLC release has been delayed to October. It includes a new playable faction (The Tinkers), a new minor faction (The Arda Seed), and a number of new related features.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/698280/Stars_in_Shadow_Legacies/


In their zeal to serve their world-spanning megamachine master, the Tinkers have remade themselves as a cyborg species, part organism and part machine. The transformation is psychological as well as physical; Tinkers live in harmony without emotion, immune to the effects of morale as long as they are connected to the collective through their Machine Altars.

Harmonization
To join the collective of the Tinkers' machine god Dzibix, one undergoes the process of Harmonization, which both converts the organism into a cyborg and establishes a neural connection to the collective. The Tinkers themselves undergo this procedure at birth, and it has become a crucial part of their life cycle: they are no longer capable of reproducing without it. Alien populations can also be Harmonized, if in the presence of a Machine Altar and sufficient Martial Law force (to prevent anyone from having second thoughts about the process). Harmonized populations become immune to morale effects as long as they remain in the presence of a Machine Altar, and can be used for Forced Labor or Experiments without penalty. The cyborg versions of most species gain in Labor output, but suffer reduced Science yield.



Machine Altars
The daily lives of the Tinkers are centered around their Machine Altars, which are a Tinkers-specific variant of the Factory. Machine Altars serve both as a place of work and as a medium of connection to the collective. Tinkers who are transported to a planet without a Machine Altar will become Disconnected, remaining immune to morale but suffering penalites to Labor and Science output. When Harmonized alien populations become Disconnected, however, they again become susceptible to morale penalties, and may become discontent or revolt as with normal colonists.



De-Harmonization
The Harmonization process can be reversed in alien populations, provided that the appropriate technologies are researched. De-Harmonized colonists return to normal, though they retain any morale modifiers that might have been previously masked by their Harmonized condition. Tinkers cannot be de-Harmonized; they have been living as cyborgs for so long that they can no longer function without the machine.

That's all for now! See you in October.

Transmission ends.

Our first DLC, Legacies, has been formally announced. For more info, check below the patch notes.

Today's patch includes a number of economic balance changes, and adds zoom levels to the tech tree. A full map of the tech tree can be found here (3 MB). As always, your feedback and suggestions are important to us. Keep them coming!



Changes

• The technology tree view now has two additional zoom levels. Use the new zoom icon at upper right or the mousewheel to change zoom levels.
  
• Phidi, Algorians and Pell now have the 'Friendly' racial trait, which eliminates the "Alien Rulers" morale penalty.
  
• The shipbuilding cost discount provided by Shipyards no longer stacks (more than one Shipyard at a particular colony will provide no additional discount).
  
• Surplus food is now converted to coins at a rate of 1/4 (rounded down).
  
• Upkeep costs for all ground units have been halved.
  
• Upkeep costs for most ships have been increased.
  
• Upkeep costs for planet defenses greater than level 1 have been increased.
  
• Mercenary upkeep costs are now visible in the mercenary hire overlay.
  
• Ground unit upkeeps now appear as a seperate item in the economic on-hover text.
  
• 'Subspace Networking' now reduces shipbuilding Labor costs by 25%, down from 50%.
  

Fixes

• Made tweaks to the DLL loading process to attempt to fix the "debug.dll too old" issue.
  
• Fix for a bug that was causing Tinkers and Androids to suffer the 'Alien Rulers' morale penalty.
  
• Opening and closing the tech pane should no longer reset the currently selected tech.
  
• Made tweaks to the GLSL compiler to improve compatibility with Linux/Wine. (Wine compatibility remains officially unsupported/experimental.)
  

(Click here to view the complete development changelogs.)


The Legacies DLC is targeted for release in September. It includes a new playable faction (The Tinkers), a new minor faction (The Arda Seed), and a number of new features.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/698280/Stars_in_Shadow_Legacies/



Little is known about the details of why the Great War was fought, and who was on which side, but it is clear that even the great technological prowess of the Ashdar and Gremak of the Golden Age was insufficient to prevent the collapse of the warp lanes, which were created by a civilization even more ancient and more advanced than they were. The legends speak of a culture known as the Arda, who dwell in the depths of hyperspace and who were responsible for the creation of the hyperspace network that made warp travel possible. For whatever reason, it seems that the Arda abandoned the combatants of the Great War and either allowed or deliberately caused the destruction of the warp lanes, ending the war and leading to the fall of the civilizations of the Golden Age.

However, three thousand years later, the warp lanes have abruptly and unexpectedly become reactivated. The reborn civilizations of the galaxy do not understand why they are now able to return to the stars, but they are about to find out.

In the depths of hyperspace, there is an ecosystem of autonomous, self-replicating biomechanical entities created by the Arda for the purpose of maintaining the infrastructure of the hyperspace network. Slowly, over the millennia since the Great War, this Seed of the Arda has been reconstituting itself, and repairing and restoring the mechanisms that make the warp lanes functional. To continue this work, they have had to make forays out of hyperspace into the galaxy in order to collect important resources. In the current game, the player has already encountered low-level agents of this ecosystem in the form of the troublesome Star Harpies. As the player learns more about the source of these pests, they will encounter even more dangerous entities who can be formidable foes or helpful (but demanding) allies, depending on how the player chooses to deal with them.

The Star Harpies in the current game are agents of the Arda Seed, collecting resources needed to further their mission to repair and expand the hyperspace network. The Harpies and other, more powerful Seed units operate from hidden Warp Nodes, which are planet-like objects embedded in hyperspace, and which allow the operation of the warp lanes. The units of the Seed are mindless automatons, which will attack anyone who interferes with their activities. In the early game, the Seed units function primarily as space monsters. Learning about the Seed and investigating where they come from can not only eliminate the threat of attacks from these space monsters, but can potentially earn great benefits in science and the practical use of the hyperspace network.

The Arda Seed faction represents the next step in uncovering the story of the causes behind the Great War, which will continue to be expanded upon in upcoming expansions. The Arda Seed will employ a number of new starship and station types, and make special use of several new gameplay features.



New “Hyperspace Anomaly” locations
A Hyperspace Anomaly is a bubble of real space-time trapped in hyperspace. It acts as a star system in game terms, usually with one “planet” (the Warp Node). Ships can travel to and from the Hyperspace Anomaly as if it were a star system, if the owning faction has the proper sensor technologies; otherwise, they are invisible on the map.

A Warp Node is a construct created by the Arda (and their servants), that is part of the infrastructure of the Hyperspace Network that allows the Warp Lanes to function. It behaves like an uninhabitable planet (like a gas giant), but can support orbital infrastructure.

Technology Boosts and Researchable Artifacts
Codices are tradeable items which provide a tech boost for a specific technology. They can be looted from derelicts, traded from allied factions, or purchased from the Herald.

Artifacts are tradeable items that, when researched, provide benefits such as a tech boost, a unique technology unlock, or other special ability. Like codices, artifacts can be looted from derelicts, traded from allied factions, or purchased from the Herald.

Herald Encounters
Although most of the Arda Seed units are mindless automatons, there is an intelligence of sorts at work behind them. Players will be able to encounter and negotiate with “The Herald,” a virtual entity who speaks on behalf of the Seed and who will trade information for the resources which they need to conduct their activities. The Herald travels throughout the galaxy, and can provide a friendly faction with information about the state of their rivals. Players who gain sufficient influence with the Arda Seed will no longer be automatically attacked by their minions, but beware: the goals of the Arda Seed go far beyond simple repair of the warp lanes, and the Herald will be a demanding ally. On the other hand, the Seed’s warp nodes contain treasure troves of ancient information for those bold enough to plunder them and brave the consequences.

That's all for now. See you again soon.

Publisher Iceberg Interactive and developer Ashdar Games announce the release of Legacies, the first DLC for Stars in Shadow, their critically acclaimed vivid tribute to 4X classics. In Legacies ancient races who are re-emerging after the Great War will return as a playable faction and as a minor faction. The DLC is currently slated for a September 2017 release.

It’s been three thousand years after the Great War and the collapse of the hyperspace lanes. The galaxy is reawakening, thanks to an unknown influence who has restored the warp lanes back into operation. Who restored the warp lanes, and for what purpose?

Legacies introduces a new playable faction, the cyborg Tinkers. The Tinkers are a race of cyborgs who worship Dzibix, an ancient mega machine located on their arid homeworld that has grown to cover most of the planet and has achieved at least minimal self-awareness. To appease their machine god the dutiful Tinkers have converted themselves into cyborgs and remade their society as a cybernetic civilization.

Also joining the galaxy is a new minor faction: the hyperspace-dwelling Arda Seed. The Arda Seed will employ a number of new starship and station types, and make special use of several new gameplay features.

The Arda Seed faction represents the next step in uncovering the story of the causes behind the Great War, which will continue to be expanded upon in upcoming DLC.

Legacies Features

New playable faction: Tinkers


• New population type: cyborgs
  
• New planetary special: Planetary Debris Rings and Asteroid Bases
  
• Space Habitats and Re-deployable Mobile Stations
  
  New minor faction: Arda Seed
• New “Hyperspace Anomaly” locations
  
• Technology Boosts and Researchable Artifacts
  
• Herald encounters
  

+ New technologies, weapons and encounters

Stay up-to-date with the latest Stars in Shadow news and information on the official website www.stars-in-shadow.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sis4x and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sis4x

http://store.steampowered.com/app/698280/Stars_in_Shadow_Legacies/

With infinite complacency, men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter. No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable. Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.

Work continues on our first DLC, which we will have a formal announcement for in a few weeks. In addition to some balance tweaks, today's patch includes a variety of low-level infrastructure changes. In particular, we have made modifications to the graphics engine to improve performance when loading or processing turns, so if you notice some graphical glitches, please let us know. As always, your feedback and suggestions are important to us. Keep them coming!



Changes

• Revamped the Loading and AI Turns wait animations, and made changes to the graphics library so that star/planet/map animations will continue in the background (instead of freezing) during wait times.
  
• Revamped the Load/Save dialog.
  
• Increased the base resource yields of most alien native populations.
  
• Reduced the cost of Bombers by one-third.
  
• Increased the cost of Strike Fighters and added Antimatter as a prerequisite for the Multirole Fighters tech.
  
• Increased the cost of Heavy Railguns and halved damage.
  
• Deflector screens now absorb 50% of kinetic weapons damage, while Battle shields now absorb 70%.
  
• Decreased the damage of Neutron Beams.
  
• Ashdar Colonials fighter squadrons now have one additional fighter per Hangar module.
  
• Increased the damage of Pulson Launchers from 35 to 50.
  
• The technology 'Energy Torpedoes' is now called 'Plasma Projectiles' and requires Plasma Focusing.
  
• Increased the research costs of all late game technologies.
  
• Adjusted the wording in various resource descriptions to help clarify the distinction between the resource names (Labor, Science, Coin, Metal, Food) and the associated activities (Production, Research, Trading, Mining, Farming).
  

Fixes

• Fixed a bug in the tactical weapon selection UI that prevented the first item in a ship's weapon list from being consistently selected when selecting a ship.
  
• Fixed a glitch in the planet farming/food description text.
  
• Fixed a few description text errors.
  
• Added new UI scaling rules for very high resolution monitors, and changes to avoid blurriness on high DPI monitors.
  
• Made improvements to GoG Galaxy achievement/stat error handling.
  
• Updated the Visual Studio runtime libraries to the 2017 versions.
  
• The 'simplified graphics' rendering mode is now enabled by default for all Intel HD 3000 and Radeon HD 7800 Series cards.
  

(Click here to view the complete development changelogs.)

By the toll of a billion deaths man has bought his birthright of the earth, and it is his against all comers; it would still be his were the Martians ten times as mighty as they are. For neither do men live nor die in vain.