Balance Update
[h2]Thanks to player feedback, I've executed a major balance of the new ship combat systems.
One problem was that enemy difficulty was outpacing equipment available to the player. This has been fixed.
Is it too easy now? Still too hard? Let me know!
[/h2]
Other changes:
[h3]I also updated the demo to include all changes here, and a fix for a rare bug that was plaguing some users.[/h3]
Have fun out there, space captains!
One problem was that enemy difficulty was outpacing equipment available to the player. This has been fixed.
Is it too easy now? Still too hard? Let me know!
[/h2]
Other changes:
- Away missions now employ a 4-frame animation for the landing party and monsters.
- Space stations have new art!
- Weapons can't force "crew crits" unless your shields are down.
- Reduced the rarity and minimum sector of all new ship weapons, shields, and armor, making the more interesting ones more available.
- Added explanation spiels about this and the shuttle's autopilot.
- Increased the base hull points scaling of new ships from the shipyard, and those you repair yourself.
- Some faction ships can have cloaking devices instead of shields!
- Further reduced the cooldowns on most of the new space activated skills.
- Changed the stealth runner's starting weapon to hull raker (thanks eharper256)
- New device: Ballistic Accelerator : +1 range for all cannon weapons
- New device: Cyclic Capacitor : +33% damage for all beam weapons
- New device: Armored Missiles: +1 PD required to intercept your missiles, and they do more damage even through point defense.
- New device: Missile Scrambler: Enemy missiles can't target your ship from a range greater than 5
- New random quest: Gas giant survey: collect special data pickups near gas giants (fairly basic stuff).
- New random quest: Embassy spying: intercept secret communications in space without being seen! (new and different!)
- Skill change: Level 2 of Thermal Dissipators (Lava-walk) further reduces duration of burn status effect.
- Skill change: Level 2 of Mountain Climbing skill reduces earthquake and cave-in damage.
- Skill change: The new "scan every plant and tree for data" function is now tied to the "eco-examiner" skill of the explorer class.
- Skill change: "Cartography" skill (explorer class) now helps you survey planets at less than 100%, at -5% per level.
- Skill change: "scanning specialist" skill increases your de-cloak radius by 1 per level.
- Skill change: "Mining Specialist": Level 1 automatically picks up whatever you get out of the asteroid. Level 2 automatically mines all adjacent asteroids. Level 3 increases this distance to 2 tiles!
[h3]I also updated the demo to include all changes here, and a fix for a rare bug that was plaguing some users.[/h3]
Have fun out there, space captains!