Update #157: Sig Concealment

[fallen]

Update #157 adds a exciting new function capability of ship components, 5 new ship components, new rules to help keep Interdictors competitive, new rules to help keep your active wing specialist pilots up to level, a major balance improvement for On Init crew combat Talents, a big wave of component rebalance and more.

It's another big update from our HQ to you -- if you're enjoying the constant stream of new content, please be sure to leave a review and rave to a friend

Signature Dampeners

With this update, we've added a new capability for ship components -- that of reducing deep space encounters -- with the Sig Dampener and Signal Concealment Field components. Joining the existing small slot Sig Dampener are the small slot Sig Dampener 2 and 3 and the Rychart-only Sig Veil Field. For a medium slot option, the Sig Concealment Field packs a higher reduction rate of 10% but is a larger slot investment.

When stacked, these components can reduce ship encounters up to 25% maximum. Each of them has other bonuses, adding both strong Escape bonuses and primarily Electronics and secondarily Nav Skills with some light Void Resistance on the top end options.

For those ships looking to avoid encounters and escape in the case of being forced into an encounter, these new Sig Dampener components and feature are going to be a great boon.

As an all new area, they're likely to get some balancing up and down in some stats in the next release or two, so be sure to post your feedback!

Interdictors and Ace Pilots

Craft have gained two more important balance additions with this update. First, in order to reward their successful service, those wing specialist pilots who make a complete and successful Flight Plan during ship combat will gain Experience directly. This helps to keep your most active wing specialists pilots gaining XP for their flight duties, in the same way that crew combat gains XP for their battles.

Second, Interdictors have now joined Bombers and Shuttles in landing on the same turn that their flight plan ends. Previously, Interdictors would have a final turn where they were not blocking torpedoes but only focusing on landing the craft. Now, they land at the end of the last turn on which they will block incoming long range attacks, improving their flight plan efficiency by 20%.

On Init Crew Talents

Crew Combat Talents that fire "On Init" have gained a major upgrade as they now impart their Init bonuses on the turn they fire. As almost every On Init Talent gives a +Init bonus, this is a big boon and guarantees at least one of your combatants to get an Init bonus on the first round of combat (assuming you're wisely using these power talents) and then more bonuses to come if you have more Talents.

Of course, the enemy gets the same. And they are wise to use these Talents as well

Component Rebalancing Sweep!

A lot of balance changes have been rolled up into this release. A huge thanks to all the community members, including @prime_resistor for posting such great suggestions.

With Update #157, we've adjusted all Combat Hyperwarp drives to tweak their allocation of Skill Points, putting more into Navigation over Electronics. Smaller ship Combat HW Drives -- for Mass 2400 and 3400 hulls -- have gained additional Skill points.

The large slot Hull Plating components now add to Ship Ops as well as contributing better Electronics and Void and Radiation Resist. For such an investment in an armor-focused large slot, these components are now far more competitive and also have reduced Jump Cost across the boards.

The medium slot Deflector Arrays have gained improved Electronics Skill Pool as well as new Void Resist to help their long range defense contribution, shifting them into a more advantageous position within the Elo-defense meta.

Finally, we've added +15 Fuel Storage to Micro Launch Bays to help offset their Jump Cost.

There is always more! Be sure to check the full release notes below and leave a review!

v2.5.45 - 6/8/2019

- Added new component capability - reduce encounter rate in void travel by %, up to 25% maximum (starport "Ship" filter)
- Added new 2 new small slot Sig Dampener components (2, 3) to join original Sig Dampener in granting reduction in encounter rate, grant Elo, small Nav, Void Res
- Added new Rychart only small slot Sig Veil Field as top tier Sig Dampener type component
- Added new medium slot Sig Concealment Field which reduces encounter rate, grants Rad/Void Res, Elo/Nav Skill
- Wing specialist pilots now gain XP for each successful flight plan run keeping active wing pilots better leveled
- Interdictors on defensive flight plans now land after the final turn instead of waiting one last turn to only land (just like offensive flight plans)
- Big buff to all On Init Talents: now correctly granting the Initiative bonuses on the first Turn they are used
- Adjusted all size Combat Hyperwarp Drives to rebalance Electronics and Navigation, improved Skill Pools for Mass 2400 and Mass 3400 drives
- Adjusted large comp Hull Plating to include Ship Ops, better Electronics, moderate Void and Radiation Res on all tiers and lower jump cost
- Adjusted medium comp Deflector Array to give slightly better Electronics bonus and Void Res
- Added +15 Fuel Storage to Micro Launch bay
- Adjusted Wing Tech's "Recovery Pod" Talent to use Repair to determine health of saved wing pilot
- Improved language in ship encounter to explain current disposition / hostility versus base disposition / hostility
- Fixed some bugs with certain play loops causing game date to skip backwards
- Fixed bug with Wing Tech's "Hangar Triage" Talent not using Repair Skill correctly

[drspendlove]

You have a typo: I think you meant "Sick Veal Field", where sickly calves don't move a lot and discourage enemies from coming too close.

[fallen]

Lol woops, will fix typo

[nerezzar]

How much is the total percentage you can reduce encounters?

In the textual description you mention 25% but in the end in the short descriptions, you only mention 20%.

[John Robinson]

On Init Crew Talents

Crew Combat Talents that fire "On Init" have gained a major upgrade as they now impart their Init bonuses on the turn they fire. As almost every On Init Talent gives a +Init bonus,
this is a big boon and guarantees at least one of your combatants to get an Init bonus on the first round of combat (assuming you're wisely using these power talents) and then more bonuses to come if you have more Talents.

Reminds me of old west movies.  When the two cowboys step away from the bar and one says "Draw!".   Crew combat is my main focus.  This feels much more realistic/real time.  Thank you 

I'm also a big fan of avoiding ship encounters, loving the new dampners.

[tarquelne]

Sig Dampeners:

Verry interesting. 

A Nav 4 effectively has the same Escape as the Damper 3, since it’s got 5 more Nav.

The Nav 4 has +1 defense, from the extra point of Electronics.

So the Dampener might be expressed as Nav 4 with -1 Electronics, -5 Nav for all non-Escape uses, but +6 Void resist and that 6% masking. (And minus a little jump red, and plus a little ShipOp.)

Void resist is a good bonus for trying to flee while being torped, but I’d need to run the numbers to understand how good a bonus.

While I love the concept - a LOT! - the masking doesn’t strike me as worth the Nav/Elec. loss. I guess it is if you don’t use Nav much. But Nav is extremely useful. Merchants and Smugglers perhaps, who just want to avoid encounters, to escape when they have one, and otherwise only need enough Nav to jump safely?

Of course the Rychart-only part I’ve yet to see might clearly tip the scales the other way, and that’s fine because the Rychart are the only Faction that matters.

[fallen]

Jun 9, 2019 1:51:46 GMT -5 nerezzar said:

How much is the total percentage you can reduce encounters?

In the textual description you mention 25% but in the end in the short descriptions, you only mention 20%.

25%

[fallen]

Jun 10, 2019 9:22:22 GMT -5 tarquelne said:

Sig Dampeners:

Verry interesting. 

A Nav 4 effectively has the same Escape as the Damper 3, since it’s got 5 more Nav.

The Nav 4 has +1 defense, from the extra point of Electronics.

So the Dampener might be expressed as Nav 4 with -1 Electronics, -5 Nav for all non-Escape uses, but +6 Void resist and that 6% masking. (And minus a little jump red, and plus a little ShipOp.)

Void resist is a good bonus for trying to flee while being torped, but I’d need to run the numbers to understand how good a bonus.

While I love the concept - a LOT! - the masking doesn’t strike me as worth the Nav/Elec. loss. I guess it is if you don’t use Nav much. But Nav is extremely useful. Merchants and Smugglers perhaps, who just want to avoid encounters, to escape when they have one, and otherwise only need enough Nav to jump safely?

Of course the Rychart-only part I’ve yet to see might clearly tip the scales the other way, and that’s fine because the Rychart are the only Faction that matters.

Great analysis. Sig Dampeners cannot replace other Nav components nor are they cleanly better. You'll want a mix of both -- to avoid encounters and then to escape the ones you can't avoid!

[tarquelne]

Jun 10, 2019 21:33:36 GMT -5 fallen said:

Great analysis. Sig Dampeners cannot replace other Nav components nor are they cleanly better. You'll want a mix of both -- to avoid encounters and then to escape the ones you can't avoid!

I think “Enough” is an interesting concept in the game’s ship design. Take Nav. While it might be easy maximize Nav and stuff your ship with Nav Modules and Navigators, with the exception of Patrol and Spy, I think the uses of Nav are all rolls you succeed or fail at. Excess Nav is wasted. So, ideally, you get enough Nav, and then rather than more Nav Modules or Navigators, you install components like Sig Dampers or ECCM screens, or crew with other jobs, that boost things you want boosted but that your “enough” Nav can’t anymore.  

A lot of (enjoyable) head scratching can be lavished on figuring out what’s “Enough” - esp. since there are many stats we need “enough” of.  “Enough” being a moving target complicates things further. 

[fallen]

tarquelne completely agreed. "enough" is hard to find, especially as the relative challenge slowly creeps up.

[contributor]

I was just wondering if there was any thought to sig dampeners affecting card games and encounters there. Reducing military etc encounters during spying would be handy

[fallen]

Jun 15, 2019 16:59:32 GMT -5 contributor said:

I was just wondering if there was any thought to sig dampeners affecting card games and encounters there. Reducing military etc encounters during spying would be handy

Not at this time, nope.