Star Traders: Frontiers Update #97: Sub-Light Speeds

[fallen]

Update #97 rolls out on a Monday afternoon with another one of the most hotly requested improvements since the game's launch in August. We've been hammering our way down the priority list and will continue to do so as we work to rolling out bigger story and feature bursts of the roadmap.

If you're enjoying seeing your feedback in the game and the pace of updates, please tell a friend and leave a review!

Double the Speed!

For veteran players looking to cover more space faster, the new travel speed doubles your rate of flying across the quadrant map. This new option took a while to complete, as a lot of optimization was required to keep the game and the underlying simulator running smoothly as turns tick past. While this option does allow you to play roughly twice as fast as before, it is probably not the best choice for new players or perhaps even in the early game for veteran players. As you move more quickly, the same number of events will be flashing by in the event screen, and it is easier to miss the need to reroute to a nearby system or change your plans as an accident on board leaves crew or ship components maimed. As it's an option -- the choice is yours.

Conflict Notifications

The start and end of galactic conflicts and treaties will now appear in your event log as you travel, land or complete any activity that passes time. These new notifications can give improved visibility into the state of politics or a reminder of a new opportunity of which you should take advantage, or a vulnerable Contact that you need to protect. Hovering over the end of a Conflict notification includes the final score.

High Challenge Enemy Captains

The enemy ship and captain builder has gained 3 new advanced AI types -- a Pirate that flies the Palace Interceptor, a Military Officer that flies the Cautela Titan and a Bounty Hunter who hunts in a Sword Battlecruiser. These advanced AI are flying deadly ships but appear in high difficulties and we have tuned their appearance on the time-based difficulty curve to line up with when players should be ready to face them. Veteran captains -- beware the factions who hunt you!

We've also fixed a pile of bugs in ship and crew combat, improved logging of use of the Doctor Life Saver's Talent and implemented the Flashbacks Trait. Flashbacks is especially bad -- the 25% Stun basically knocks the character out of crew combat viability immediately. If you have a character who suffers from this debilitating Trait, seek out a Gestalt Technologist who can use Gestalt trait conditioning to remove it.

v2.3.47 - 8/27/2018

- Added option for faster movement/animation speed during map travel
- Added Event Log notifications for start and end of Conflicts, improved Spice Hall News entries on Conflicts
- Added new Captain's Log entries for Doctor's Lifesaver Talent
- Added new Pirate AI that flies 'Palace Interceptor'
- Added new Military AI that flies 'Cautela Titan'
- Added new Bounty Hunter AI that flies 'Sword Battlecruiser'
- Fixed issues where both ships use Twitch Surge not giving chance to advance twice
- Fixed issues with Crew HP not being saved after specific crew combat situations
- Fixed issue with Turn 2 displaying as Turn 3 in crew combat
- Updated "Flashbacks" Crew Trait to always cause 25% Stun during crew combat (visit a Gestalt to cure)
- Fixed issues with some stories creating indie contacts or indie contacts offering rank/edict/permit
- Fixed issues with price displays in table for Shortage, Surplus and Tax Rumors
- Fixed crashes in new game with deleting maps

[John Robinson]

Update #97

fallen
    For veteran players looking to cover more space faster, the new travel speed doubles your rate of flying across the quadrant map. 
As it's an option -- the choice is yours...

    The start and end of galactic conflicts and treaties will now appear in your event log as you travel, land or complete any activity that passes time.
These new notifications can give improved visibility into the state of politics or a reminder of a new opportunity of which you should take advantage,
or a vulnerable Contact that you need to protect. Hovering over the end of a Conflict notification includes the final score.

    Thanks for keeping 2X speed optional.  I'm a little old school STF and will stay with original speed. 
Does regular speed keep original game calculations that had to be streamlined for speed?

    Fantastic!  Adding the hover over conflicts, and seeing a contact under threat!  I've got contacts all over the galaxy, and 
have only been checking their status when landing on their planet.  Gets the Woody Woodpecker bouncing on his head award! 

P.S.  I assume you'll get a hover icon when beating the Crimson Plague? 

[fallen]

John Robinson - everything is the same with the double speed option, except if you clocked the travel on the real life clock, you'd get there in half the time.

"Seeing a Contact under threat" was just a quip I made about the new Conflict event. If you spot a new Duel of Assassins starting, it might make you think to check on your allied Contacts in those factions. There is not additional pop up at this time.

The plague is an era. I can see that it could be good to get an event log added. It adds a captain's log and ends with a cut-scene, so that is the current state of affirs.

[John Robinson]

Aug 27, 2018 23:38:41 GMT -5 fallen said:

John Robinson - everything is the same with the double speed option, except if you clocked the travel on the real life clock, you'd get there in half the time.

"Seeing a Contact under threat" was just a quip I made about the new Conflict event. If you spot a new Duel of Assassins starting, it might make you think to check on your allied Contacts in those factions. There is not additional pop up at this time.

The plague is an era. I can see that it could be good to get an event log added. It adds a captain's log and ends with a cut-scene, so that is the current state of affirs.

If I see a duel of assassins, other than the Faen story line.  How will I know which contact is in trouble?  

Unless I write down the original faction rep a contact has, it will be difficult to measure the decrease.

Cut scene for plague ending was so cool!  The big rep bonus with all the factions opens allot of opportunities, and forgives allot of sins.

I scored 124/100.  The Arbiter & Doctor taking all the credit makes me wonder.  Did the two of them create the plague to consolidate
their control of the Union?  Interesting conspiracy theory don't you think.

Thanks for all the info 

P.S.  Loved the decisions you have to make at the end of the Vat boss fight.  Great looking animation when the cliff side lab blew up.
 

[fallen]

John Robinson - glad you're enjoying the different story arcs. Makes me extremely excited and I hope its stirring up good thoughts about the future of the Morai Sector

Conspiracy theories indeed

About the Contacts in trouble ... if you see a new Duel of Assassins between Rychart and Thulun and you remember that you have some Thulun Contacts, you might pop open your Contact list, filter by Thulun and make sure everyone has good Influence. If you spot that Prince you've been working closely with and who is giving you all those Generous Trait missions ... he only has 22 Influence. *warning sirens!* You better either make sure Thulun wins that Duel of Assassins or go help him out specifically.

[spooky]

Aug 28, 2018 9:29:46 GMT -5 fallen said:

John Robinson - glad you're enjoying the different story arcs. Makes me extremely excited and I hope its stirring up good thoughts about the future of the Morai Sector

Conspiracy theories indeed

About the Contacts in trouble ... if you see a new Duel of Assassins between Rychart and Thulun and you remember that you have some Thulun Contacts, you might pop open your Contact list, filter by Thulun and make sure everyone has good Influence. If you spot that Prince you've been working closely with and who is giving you all those Generous Trait missions ... he only has 22 Influence. *warning sirens!* You better either make sure Thulun wins that Duel of Assassins or go help him out specifically.

So a contact with low influence is actively being targeted?  That could explain why I have some contacts that are low or even negative influence in his faction.  Good to know.

[fallen]

spooky - they are at higher risk for bad consequences, yes.