Star Traders: Frontiers Update #69 Distinctive Services

[fallen]

With the Distinctive Services Update, we are coming around again to further deepen many of the game's core systems and concepts. This update sees the first truly limited services types -- valuable services you can only find on a few contact types. Also, as we work on wrapping up the v2.2.x family and introducing the next story Era, we are looking more and more often toward our launch priority list. Cory has completed a major round of performance optimization with this release, getting the (already fast) game to run faster and smoother.

Trait Conditioning

The Gestalt Technologists have a storied history of employing cutting edge techniques, known only to the members of their order. This medical tradition is now capable of deploying a key new service -- Trait Conditioning. Using a combination of vat tech, genetic conditioning and other secret medical tech, Gestalt Technologist and Gestalt Explorer Contacts are now capable of purging certain Traits from your crew, for a pretty price.

Gestalt Conditioning can remove Battle Scarred, Combat Nerves, Crippled, Death Wish, Fatalistic, Flashbacks, Hyperwarp Sickness, Gravity Sickness or Weak System Traits.

If you're interested in learning more about the Gestalt beyond the story, check out the Lorebook:
www.dropbox.com/s/hxev05ooli1rp37/Star%20Traders%20Frontiers%20Lore%20Book%20-%20Volume%201.pdf?dl=0

United Coalition Pardon Brokers

The United Coalition is in a unique and powerful position within the Star Traders society. If you have Commander and Emissary Contacts within the Coalition, they are now capable of brokering a pardon for you with any of the nine major factions. However, they can only go to bat for you one time with each faction. Once they've brokered a pardon with Cadar on your behalf, Cadar will not come to the table for a second time if you've wronged them again.

Notably, these two Contact types are primarily reachable through the Arbiter Brokstrom's Early Coalition Era storylines. So, if you're seeking forgiveness for your wrongs, consider working with the Arbiter to reach this valuable service.

More Improvements

The list of other improvements in Update #69 is long! A few highlights -- Assassins are far more recruitable as new Contact types are offering them. We've fixed a longstanding issue with Civil Unrest on the Faen homeworld -- it was the sneaky Aetaan Char all along!

We've made further improvements to ship encounter Rep system by adding more contextually sensitive messages around Rep loss or gain for Indies, xeno and factions.

For those player who might have struggled with Valencia's mission where she needs you to gather Explosives in the early game, we've downgraded the requirement to Crystals, but in larger numbers.

Finally, the Officer Consult pipeline has gotten a nice overhaul in this release. It is now capable of provide much more advice on any given screen, willing to give out generic advice about your ship and crew condition anywhere. We've also added new consultations about the first deserter from your ship and what to consider when promoting new officers.

If you are enjoying the stream of updates, please leave a review!

v2.2.67 - 5/28/2018

- Gestalt Technologist and Explorer Contacts can now remove certain Traits (Crippled, Battle-Scarred, Gravity Sickness, etc) with Trait Conditioning Service
- United Coalition Commanders and Emissaries (see Arbiter storyline) can now grant Universal Pardons -- one time pardon with any faction
- Court Assassin, Weapons Dealer and Blade Dancer Contacts now recruit Assassins
- Stopped Aetaan Char AI from creating 'Civil Unrest' on Calagan's Zone in the early game
- Improved Rep warnings in ship encounter to mention Indies don't keep Rep and fighting xeno grants Rep bonuses
- Added more story scenes for failing missions within the Faen arcs
- Changed Valencia storyline stash mission from Explosives to Crystals
- Added officer consult that triggers when first crew member deserts your ship to explain rules
- Added new consult about promoting officers and the things to consider when picking from crew
- Improved Officer Consult system to provide more global advice across more screens
- Fixed odd combat behaviors and repeat turns caused by On Init Debuff Talents
- Improved some hat art for characters
- Major performance improvments!
- More accurate simulator outcomes and runtime optimizations

[drspendlove]

Excellent ideas done here. Well done!

[Brutus Aurelius]

Was it really Aetaan Char causing the Civil Unrest on the Faen homeworld? Because that is really funny

[athios]

I kind of assumed since about a dozen versions ago that it was part of the plot. One time that Duels of Assassins started, I took too long to pick up the "special passenger", and all of a sudden the planet was in riots and couldn't do that mission anymore.... Must've gotten overrun by bounty hunters.

[fallen]

Brutus Aurelius / athios - yes, it was unexpectedly caused by the setup of the simulation and Aetaan going around the standard rules. Pretty amazing find on Cory's part.