New Features For All Players

[p]Greetings space captains. Today version 2.0.20c1 is released for all players. I hope it will be the stable standard while I plan out the next few months of continued development.[/p][p][/p][h3]So what do you get in 2.0.20c1?[/h3][p][/p][p]I talked about these at length in the last beta update but they apply to everyone now. Suffice to say you can take creatures from cages on shipwrecks and sell them to stations or release them into the wild. And you have new options for managing your ship components, devices, and away team load-outs.[/p][p] [/p][h3]"Cheats" are out, "Mods" are in![/h3][p][/p][p]When starting a new game, cheats are now called mods (because some of them are actually harder), and starting with asteroid bases has been moved to this screen.[/p][p]But we also have 3 totally new options:[/p][p][/p][h3]Random Races[/h3][p]Ever notice that you always encounter the same few factions in the early game, but the Firax and Unifiers are out in the high 20's? Sure it's random to some degree, but it's also predictable.[/p][p]Not with "Random Races"! Any race can appear in any sector. I highly recommend checking the warp screen before you go someplace new, and be on guard! I've seen Narcratu and Eaters in sector 1.[/p][p]But it's FUN. Try it.[/p][p][/p][h3]No Level Limits[/h3][p]This is another one that will drastically affect your early game. Normally, monsters, weapons, and devices all have "minimum sectors" where they appear, giving the game a certain amount of natural progression.[/p][p]With "No Level Limits", those are (mostly) removed. You could potentially find a singularity launcher in sector 1, but also meet a lava-blob or caerban in sector 2... The only limit that still applies is that you can't encounter really big ships for the first few sectors: they can one-shot you[/p][p]This mode removes other more subtle limits too, like ones affecting what kinds of sectors and quests can be generated. This will change your game.[/p][p][/p][h3]Finite Resources[/h3][p]Are your red-shirts really just a meat-shield? Well, not if there were only so many crew for hire in the whole galaxy! [/p][p]"Finite Resources" mode limits the total number of crew and supplies that you can get from every station, and they never replenish.[/p][p]It will definitely add to the challenge...[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]I'll admit it: Approaching Infinity is pretty easy if you know what you're doing. Spending 40 hours in Jupiter Hell really helped to drive that home. They're 2 vastly different games, and I have no desire to emulate that game. But I like to have something for everyone, and that includes players who want more challenge.[/p][p]So no rest to heal on away missions in hard and insane games.[/p][p]Unless of course you have the "self sealing suits" device, or the "field medic" skill. Or a medkit. Or the "heal" cyber-skill. Or a healing artifact. Or the operative's "fieldcraft" skill... [/p][p]As it turns out, there are quite a few ways to get healing. This is just one more way I'm trying to improve the lives of those poor red-shirts and make you FEEL THE BURDEN OF COMMAND![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Planets now have smells! It's just flavor text. Aroma text? Anyway, this is mostly apparent on terran planets, especially disease-free UHO ones. Go ahead, open your helmets! You might also smell something if you get a suit puncture on another type of planet.[/p][p]Maybe someday it will be an achievement: "Smell 10 Planets"... 🤣[/p][p]This was inspired by a book I read in the hospital in the 90s. I swear it was one of the Foundation books... they talked about how every planet had a unique scent.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

• [p]When a faction is "on a search mission" on a shipwreck, you might find what they're looking for in a container, and they will offer to trade for it. If you decline their offer, you can instead take it to their enemies (a certain other faction). If you make it out alive after they all turn hostile...[/p]
• [p]Knife, sword, hammer, and eviscerator can now automatically destroy pricklers when you more into them.[/p]
• [p]I had to reduce the level of items you receive from degrokking, and the credits reward for "I need a gun" quests. They were too much.[/p]
• [p]I moved the "Automation" section much higher in the Options menu, for things you might want to change more often.[/p]
• [p]Sector power levels are now displayed on the warp screen and scans of planets and shipwrecks. Those power level numbers can be compared to your space power and away team power levels.[/p]
• [p]More kinds of planets will get stacks of resources: toxic & corrosive planets get stacks of chemicals. Barren & molten get stacks of ore. Irradiated planets have transuranium stacks.[/p]
• [p]I adjusted the spawning of holeworms and buccarana in sinkholes, and they can have different spawn rates on different screens of the same planet. If there is no chance that a monster will spawn from a sinkhole on the current map, your crew will occasionally give little barks like "nobody's home" when close to them.[/p]
• [p]Insane archaeology quests should no longer happen before sector 10 (except with "No Level Limits").[/p]
• [p]The "Learn" button now appears on the market screen at stations so you can more easily use data to learn commodity price grades.[/p]
• [p]Consumables sold at stations are now sold in bundles of 1-10, depending on difficulty (10 for easy, 5 for medium, 3 for hard, 1 for insane), and they can only be bought once in each station.[/p]
• [p]Syndicate Shakedowns : when you're carrying a big load of valuable cargo into a sector, you might be surrounded by syndicate ships who try to extort you. You will have options... But I'm warning you now, they are no joke.[/p]
• [p]The Zasquat can no longer be captured by the naturalist, but if you do manage to get one, it will drop something unexpected...[/p]
• [p]Amoeba Scoop device now works automatically by proximity, not by bumping into the target. And the range is dependent on the power, so higher levels matter.[/p]
• [p]Beyond sector 9, stations now sell 3 additional devices each.[/p]
• [p]Beyond sector 33, in "normal" sectors, there can now be 2 embassies, as long as the 2 factions aren't actively hostile to each other.[/p]

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