Update (12/05/15, 2:10pm EST): another hotfix up! A few more assorted issues. Update (12/04/15, 10:40pm EST): another hotfix is up; more fixes related to procurement missions. Update: a hotfix for the mission destination issue is now up. Please re-download using the links below.
Starsector version 0.7.1a is now out! This is mostly a bugfixing and polish release, but there are some new features making their way in as well.
Faction commissions – align with a faction to fight their enemies and gain access to their technology
Faction hostilities – take advantage of opportunities presented by temporary hostilities between major factions
A much easier easy difficulty
Higher sensor ranges during the early game
Lots of bugfixes and a few balance adjustments
The full patch notes are here. You can download the new version here:
First, a brief summary of what this post is about – a new campaign feature that allows nearby fleets – naturally, including yours – to join ongoing battles.
If you’ve been following the development of this release, you’re probably aware that things are in the “polish things and make it fun to play” phase more so than in the “add more features” phase. Why, then, add a significant new feature at this stage? The answer is that it’s a direct response to playtesting, rather than a specifically planned-for feature on the roadmap – it’s meant to help address several important gameplay issues, some quite long-standing. Now was a good opportunity to do it, and here we are. Looking back, I’m glad I ended up taking this on now rather than later – with how many different pieces of the code this change touches, it would only get more difficult with time.
Let’s take a brief look at what the design goals are, and then we’ll dive into the specifics of how it works. Read the rest of this entry »
