The long awaited 1.05 patch is here!
Some notable additions and changes have been made to the gameplay in the form of the morale system, formations in battle, some streamlining of controls and so on.
We've showcased most of the featureset of this patch in our previous post:
http://steamcommunity.com/games/439960/announcements/detail/812157060060517411
It might be worth taking another look at the tutorial to get a refresher on how the updated controls and new mechanics work, as a number of problematic control methods have been either removed or changed. (ie moving units by clicking on them directly, instead they are moved by the right-click system context menu)
Let us know your thoughts and suggestions on the steam forums!
Here's the full list of changes in this patch:
Added
Morale system, a fleet may retreat from battle when their will is broken",
Fighters may now attempt a flanking maneuver to cause additional morale damage
Tactical action cards and strategic actions have been made easier to use
The tactical action button will now start pulsating if you have recieved a new tactical card
The strategic action button will now keep pulsating until it has been used in the given turn
An auto save and quick save (F5) / quick load (F9) feature
Information panels during battle for the HUD buttons
A counter to the retreat button during battle to tell how many units can escape
Fuel reserves are now visible during battle to help make an informed decision about retreating
The technology screen now shows your current resources and whether there is free tech available
The end game screen will now show the victory points of all the players
Many situations are now more responsive via little popup messages
You can now keep track of current political agendas through an ingame list
Earning a bounty from defeating the rogue fleet is now more pronounced
Fixed
A bug that prevented empty Carriers from moving
A bug that allowed more than 7 tactical cards to be held at once
Large strides have been made towards future savegame compatibility (old saves will be broken one last time, sorry!
Fixed a bug that could occasionally cause a crash to desktop from reflective shots
Sometimes units weren't properly removed after dying in battle
Rogue fleet at the end of the tutorial is no longer overpowered
The bottom hud panel (showing a system's stats) should now look better on all resolutions and aspect ratios
On some occasions certain units were excluded from a retreat attempt
Units no longer pop out of existence when retreating from battle due to low morale
Changed
Moving and (un)loading units now only possible through right-click context menu
Planet density will now have a more meaningful effect on the game world
Tutorial updated to address new features
User interface has recieved a slight overhaul
Ships are no longer organized in battle individually, instead formations are drawn based on ship type
Tutorial has gone through some changes to fit the updated game mechanics and UI
Huge patch for Strategy, Politics, Battles, UI, HUD, and more. Details here!
We've been heads down on some huge updates!
First, battles. Now you can move an entire squadron of ships just by one drag and drop. It also shows you how many of those ships you have, and how many have been killed on each side. Battles will also allow formation changes in real time during battle instead of the "regroup" + "lock coordinates" flow:
We are removing the symbols from the HUD and have cleaned up all of the button styles for clarity and crispness. the victory point panel has been redone to make it absolutely clear what victory points belong to who, as well as all applicable hovers and symbols. Race symbols will be used to denote fleets and leaders on the board:
Strategic button will now show you all of the details about your strategic ability, plus allow you to browse all other strategic abilities + supplementaries + how many of each you have unlocked. It will also now tell you which one you have chosen without having to select it.
There is now a robust political agenda UI, which will show you which political agendas are currently active, which ones were just enacted, and also a duration for all political agendas in play (with descriptions of each).
Last, some cleanups to the technology screen to make it easier on the eyes!
We are almost done with the overhaul, so if you have any feedback or comments, post them now and we can make sure anything is addressed before the patch goes live!
UI Enhancements, AI Overhaul, and more!
Path 1.04 comes in packing some heat, with an enhanced look and feel, usability improvements, more informative interface, and AI that scales better in larger galaxy sizes.
Barters received more attention in this patch two, in both diplomacy benefits and benefits for you the player. Now, improving relations with a planet before bartering will grant over double the barter effects, and all of the unit barters will affect any planet you own that contains an OCF!
So give the new features a shot, and let us know what you think! As always, we will be posting what's coming up next in patch 1.05 tomorrow. Have fun!
Price Reduction Announcement
After receiving a large volume of feedback from the community here on Steam, reviewers, and elsewhere, we listened. A lot of gamers view publishers and developers as being completely immovable, stubborn, or just greedy... but if there is one thing that David at Lock 'n Load Publishing and Philip (me) at Riveted Games care most about, it is the long term relationship with our gamers.
After David and I discussed the price in more depth, and talking with the community, we decide to take a chance. Our reason was simple: We value the years of effort that went into making this game, the depth of strategy and gameplay it contains, and most importantly our dedication to supporting this game and listening to the community for as long as possible. If you look at our first patch notes alone, this is clear to see.
However, we know this relationship must be cultivated and that we need to build trust with the community before you can put a price tag on it.
So for this reason, we are reducing the price to $19.99, and starting it off with an additional 10% release discount, bringing the price to $17.99.
If you have already purchased our game at the higher price point, go ahead and request a refund to take advantage of the new pricing. If you have any issues or concerns, contact us through steam and we will handle each one on an individual basis.
Sincerely,
Lock 'n Load Publishing
Riveted Games
We're live! So what's coming up next!?
So after 3.5 years of development and tons of community feedback from our diehard fans, we're finally live!
...but that's not all, we already have a long list of ideas on how to make this game even more enjoyable for (hopefully) years to come. Here's what you can expect in the coming days, weeks, and months:
Patches as often as needed to address issues
Mac build
Linux build
Localization
Enhanced multiplayer tooling
additional free content for the first month or 2
Once those are finished, we will take a look at what players want more of and incorporate that into the first major DLC pack. What you can expect to get in future DLC would be:
additional races
MORE content
tournaments and stats
additional new features
Updated assets
So that's the short term plan, if you have any feedback or requests, Im always available on the community hub!
