When your crew is facing deep-space disaster, you can always rely on one man to rock up at the eleventh hour and save your sorry butts… Duke Nukem! That’s why we've enlisted legendary voice actor, Jon St. John, to provide the voice for the final crew member in their laser-powered, space survival strategy game, The Captain is Dead.
N U K E M
Jon lends his inimitable brand of machismo to the ship’s lovable (but slightly over-reaching) underdog, the Janitor, whose ability to fix shipboard systems with nothing but duct tape and chewing gum has made him a favourite amongst players of the original board game.
Mr. Nukem himself joins an impressive and diverse cast featuring Elias Toufexis (Deus Ex, Assassin’s Creed), Lani Minella (Mass Effect, Professor Layton) and Kevan Brighting (Portal, The Stanley Parable). So when you need to introduce an alien invader to the business end of your boot, you know the accompanying one-liner will be stylishly delivered.
B O W I E
And have you ever wondered what Mr. Spok would sound like if he was played by David Bowie? Well now you don’t have to! Along with the Janitor, the First Officer is also beaming up, rounding out the crew to its full complement of 18 members. This softly spoken, effortlessly cool commander brings a whole new set of tactics for dealing with the imminent alien threat – selecting him for your crew is the logical choice!
M O R E !
These two new space-farers are joined by a host of updates and improvements, including an increased crew size, rule updates and online leader-boards so you can prove to your friends once and for all that you are the baddest dude in the galaxy!
Stand by for action, brave commanders! Here at Thunderbox HQ we're getting ready for our final crew update, and it's a good one...
This update will finally max out the crew roster (to 18), and adds numerous enhancements.
Joining the existing crew are The First Officer and Janitor - bringing totally new strategies to the game with their unique set of abilities...
L O G I C A L
The deceased captain's Number One brings a distinct tactical advantage to your crew, with his mastery of Battle Plans. Able to draw these game-changing cards more efficiently than other crew members, the First Officer can be powered up to select any plan he chooses... particularly handy when the dilithium hits the fan.
I M M A C U L A T E
If you like the floors on your spaceship to sparkle like a crystalline entity, then the Janitor's your man! He may like to think of himself as the sheriff, but his improvisational know-how lets him use Action points as wild Skills, enabling him to repair pretty much anything, anytime, anywhere!
E N H A N C E D
And new crew isn't the only torpedo in our tube - we're busy adding a ton of enhancements, including...
Improved Tactical HUD
WASD scrolling
Crewman loadout selection
Maximum crew to 7
Steam leaderboards
And more!
S E C R E T S
We also have a biiiiiiig secret about one of the final two characters, that we're not quite ready to share just yet. If you want to find out what it is, head on over to Discord to join the final round of beta testing. All we can say for now is that we've had to take the nuclear option...
Three to beam up!
New crew have just beamed aboard... and not a moment too soon! Get ready to turn the tide of battle as three versatile new specialists join the fight...
D I P L O M A C Y
Maybe those pesky space aliens are just getting their Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra confused with Shaka when the walls fell? Or maybe they need another dose of hot laser justice? Either way, the Diplomat can help you out! With her Command prowess, and ability to override Alerts whenever she heckin' well pleases, she's always ready to unleash Uzano's army... with fists open!
T E L E P A T H Y
Cloaking devices and tentaclular probes are no match for the power of the mind! The Telepath can wield the combined prowess of nearby team-mates, making him extremely powerful when deployed as part of a well balanced crew. Mind-meld clever crew combos to turn him into an unstoppable, psychic one-man-army!
S C I E N C E Y
If in doubt... science it up! When she's not busy researching spores, molds and fungus, the Science Officer can unleash her superior intellect to to upgrade the ship, or unravel the darkest mysteries of the cosmos. And she'll get bonus Skills for researching Anomalies too!
With these three seasoned officers added to your roster, you now have even more ways to die horribly in the icy darkness of deep, deep space!
It's time for the Beta Channel to get cosmic with the addition of a mysterious, new crew member: The Telepath!
P S Y C H I C
The Telepath can use his mind-bending power to trade skills with any crew member on the ship without the use of the Comm System. This means that he can boost his abilities even when under attack from Alien Soldiers, or in the presence of a debilitating sub-space Anomaly!
P O W E R F U L
On top of this, the Telepath can absorb the Discounts of any crew member in the same room... and these discounts stack! Need to fix the Jump Core ASAP? No problem! Just pop the Telepath in Engineering with the Weapons Officer and Chief Engineer for a triple repair discount. Pick up a Torch en route and the Jump Core will practically fix itself! BEHOLD THE COSMIC POWER!!!
B E T A v 1 . 3 2
So grab the latest beta to recruit this master of the mysterious, and get your ship safely back to stardock with the power of the mind!
New Crew Incoming!
Fresh Update incoming!!! Check out new crew and features for The Captain is Dead!
U P D A T E v 1.3
The latest update brings the Medical and Weapons Officers to the main build, ready to heal injured crew while grumbling incoherently, and dispense smooth torpedo justice to any jive-talking alien spaceships lurking off your starboard bow.
You'll also notice the crew are a little... chattier than before, as the new banter system has been shaken down and integrated into the main release!
B O N U S
On top of this, brave space adventurers on the Beta Channel get TCID's answer to Chrisjen Avasarala, in the form of the no-nonsense Diplomat, whose mad negotiational skillz allow her to override alerts on other crew member's turns!
...and if the Diplomat's voice sounds familiar, that's because you'll have heard it in games like Mass Effect, Starcraft and Professor Layton. Bonus points if you can work out which characters!
F U T U R E
And stay tuned to the beta channel for more crew as soon as they are ready to rock. Over the coming weeks we'll be introducing....
Telepath - this master of mysticism can trade skills without the Comm System and absorb the unique skills of nearby crew.
Science Officer - want to upgrade your ship or frazzle away those pesky sub-space Anomalies? Then this crazy lady has got you covered!
...with more to come!
That's it for now. Have fun with the new crew! Sincerely, Dan Thunderbox Entertainment
Space... The final frontier... Our mission continues... to bring you more crew... more features... and more laser-to-face danger!
C R E W
Get ready for the next crew members to beam aboard: The Weapons and Medical Officers! The Weapons Officer is a smooth operator... but you wouldn't like to see him angry! His mastery of torpedoes makes short work of any pesky alien ships that are hanging around the starboard bow turning your shields into Swiss cheese.
The Medical Officer is a rough diamond, more at home on his horse than in deep space. His extensive medical training will keep your crew fighting fit, although his bed-side manner does leave a bit to be desired.
B E T A
Both of these new crew members have just been activated on the beta channel, so we can polish them thoroughly before the official release. We rely on your feedback to make The Captain is Dead great, so please do take them for a spin. It's easy....
1) Right click on The Captain is Dead in your Steam library and select Properties.
2) In the Properties panel select BETAS from the side menu, and use the drop down menu to join the Beta channel.
3) Close the window, wait for the update to install, and enjoy VIP access to new crew.
Worried about the beta being a bit shonky? Don't be! Features and crew on the beta will always be fully operational, with just a few teeny-tiny bits of work still to do (like sound effect tuning, voice tweaks or localization).
If you spot a bug that we've missed, or have an idea on how the game could be better, just type T C I D to reveal the secret feedback button at the top of the screen, and hit it to send a screenshot and your save game directly to our task list. BOOM!
B A N T E R
And, as usual, new crew aren't all you'll find in the latest beta... we've also made your team a little chattier! We could tell you more, but that would spoil the surprise!
So grab the game, beam up your new crew, and strap yourself into the captain's chair... because more danger is on the way!
Ahoy there, crew! Our second major update is officially live today, as we continue our plans to emiggen your bad-ass space posse, with 2 new crew members for you to command!
The versatile Hologram is only activated in dire emergencies... which pretty much describes your current situation perfectly! Fortunately he's fast, effective and immune to meddling alien invaders. Unfortunately if the ship's systems get damaged he can end up trapped in the CPU core where he's as much use as a chocolate teapot... so keep an eye on those External Scanners, m'kay?
Wise in the ways of interstellar exploration, the Scholar is a always ready to help save your crew. Her scientific expertise makes researching anomalies and upgrading the ship that little bit easier, and her special ability means that she's never short on mission-critical Skills.
Once again, with the addition of new members, the team size has been upped to 6 characters, for even more epic sci-fi shenanigans.
There's also a major gameplay update in the form of 36 brand-spanking-new achievements...
...or, as we like to call 'em, Medals.
Collecting these bad boys is no walk in the park! You'll need to fully upgrade your ship, work out how to beat the no win scenario, and perform a Krangon death ritual just to get the easy ones.
Aside from that, we've also enhanced all the animation, to smooth out some of the rough edges, add more personality to the crew, and make the game flow with a little more pep!
So start your Jump Drives, and fire up the latest version of The Captain is Dead for more crew, more challenge and more deep-space destruction!
P.S. If you're already having fun with the game, and enjoying these updates, please do leave a review on the store page - we'd love to hear from you!
Achievement Hunters Wanted!
We've been working like crazy on the next update, and I'm excited to say that it's a biggie!
Aside from a major pass on the animation, to improve the silky smoothness, we're adding two new characters (the versatile Hologram, and mysterious Scholar) and 36 brand-new achievements.
You may have already heard that these Medals (as we like to call them) are all rock hard. Our team have only been able to hit a paltry nine of them so far...
That's why we need help from you - the fearless, alien-fighting, ship-saving badasses - to make absolutely sure they all work as intended!
If you are going on an achievement hunt, you might want to arm yourself with the following knowledge...
You can view your Medal collection at any time from the Settings menu under Game -> Medals.
Click on a Medal to read the win conditions... working them out is half the battle!
Some of the Medals are hidden... these are character based and will be revealed if you start a game with the appropriate crew member.
Typing T-C-I-D will make the bug button appear at the top of the screen so you can use it to send feedback.
The Medals are not easy to get! Did we mention this already... don't expect a space cakewalk, m'kay!
Just sign up to the beta channel, let the auto-updater work its magic, and then go save that ship!
WAIT!
I almost forgot...
New crew incoming! You'll also get the Scholar with the latest beta update:
This wise, and mysterious lady will make getting those achievements juuuust that little bit easier. And trust me, you'll need all the help you can get!
Join the discussion on Discord to let us know how you do- we are standing by to be suitably impressed by your epic Medal collections!
Activate the Emergency Hologram!
Heads up, crew! We've just uploaded a new beta release, with bug-fixes, tweaks and, oh yeah...
THE HOLOGRAM!
That means that if you've subscribed to the beta, this photonic fellow will be waiting for you when you next fire up the game.
There are two things you need to know about this unusual crew member, who has been added in at the vociferous behest of our lovely Discord community... One! The Hologram has three skill discounts, five actions, is immune to damage, and can ignore any alien interference, making him an extremely handy addition to your team. Unless of course the Teleporters or CPU get taken out... in which case he's about as much use as a chocolate teapot. So don't let that happen, m'kay?
Two! To create the perfect, lovably-annoying blend of Voyager's EMH and Red Dwarf's Arnold J. Rimmer, we not only recruited a top-flight, AAA script writer, but we also enlisted the considerable vocal talents of Mr. Tom Wayland - a veteran actor from shows like G.I. Joe, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Gundam and, of course, Pokémon, where Tom has voiced more than 50 of the little critters!
On a totally separate note, eagle-eyed players will notice that Steam Achievements are now visible. Unfortunately, they're not collectible just yet... we're had to put them live for testing... but they should be ready real soon (along with another, cool, new crew member) so start polishing your medal cabinet!
Achievements are coming soon...
Let's cut straight to the chase here, people: Achievements are for the weak!
Most games reward you for just booting them up... but not The Captain is Dead. No sirree!
We've decided to do things differently with our Achievements, and have crafted them with the following tenets in mind...
To have value, they must require effort.
To reflect mastery, they must encourage advanced techniques.
To have meaning, they must stay in context.
To respect the player, there must be no grinding.
That's why you won't get Achievements in The Captain is Dead, you'll get Medals.
Each medal requires the use of a different crew member or advanced technique to attain it, and getting your hands on that sweet, sweet chest-candy won't be easy. In fact, just working out exactly what you have to do to win a medal will be part of the challenge.
The easiest one is to save the ship... and we all know just how difficult that is. After that they just get tougher. We've worked with the valiant commanders on our Discord channel to create some truly epic throw-downs. Have you got what it takes to perform a Krangon Death Ritual? Do you think you can beat the no-win scenario to collect the Kobayashi Star? You'll be able to find out soon, as we're very nearly done getting all 36 Medals into the game.
So pick your crew, and get practicing, because these formidable challenges will really put your alien-blasting, system-repairing, ship-saving skills to the test!
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