Star Traders: Frontiers

[Asid]

Update #310: Refueling for the Year
Fri, January 27, 2023

Quality of Life to get 2023 started, ultrawide screen support, talent fixes, ship and component adjustments



Captains, the spice hall is re-opening and let's get some updates in here! We took a much needed break over and after the holidays but it is time to ramp up the pace of updates again for our favorite space captain simulator.

To get things warmed back up, we're catching up on the community reports of bugs and improvement requests that came in over the last month. A nice quality of life update to kick it off!



Ultrawide Support (21:9)
For anyone playing on an ultrawide with a 21:9 aspect ratio, we've fixed the issues with ship combat to ensure that you get a good combat experience.

Talent Fixes
We've fixed a bug with some debuffs like Unfaltering Ire where the Talent name was appearing over a randomized enemy instead of the actual target. For all Ship Combat Talents that increased Morale, we've fixed their implementation to be sure to always heal the right number of crew (if the healing is needed) -- so the Quartermaster's Rallying Cry correctly targets up to 20 crew and heals them by their Skill.

Finally, we resolved some issues with Talents that added Plasma / FIre / Radiation Resistance working in reverse of the expected rules in some cases, where they could increase damage. This is a bug that slipped in during the upgrade to Auto-Combat so we're thankful to have it fixed now.



Ships and Components
With this update, we've fixed the mislink of data for Interlocking Sensor Matrix 5 and 6 which resulted in them having duplicated stats. Now they are properly differentiated.

We've correctly linked the Neutiquam Cruiser to the Speciality Acquisitions achievement and lock. Remember, if you dislike playing with locks just play the modded version of the game without any mods.

And of course, thanks for reporting typos in the game and in Steam achievements -- we fixed many!

Want more Trese Brothers sci-fi?
We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, we’re telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today!




v3.3.21 - 1/27/2022
- Improved ship combat screen for ultrawide screens (21:9 aspect ratio)
- Fixed bugs with Plasma / Fire / Radiation resistance working in reverse or using wrong type
- Fixed bug with debuffs like Unfaltering Ire printing Talent name over wrong target
- Fixed Quartermaster's "Rallying Cry" to correctly healing the right number of crew (20)
- Correctly locked Neutiquam Cruiser behind Specialty Acquisitions achievement
- Fixed Interlocking Sensor Matrix 6 having duplicate stats with ISM 5
- Fixed typos in dialog, component descriptions and Steam achievements

[Asid]

Update #311: Back Alley Deals
Sat, 4 February 2023

Improved Black Market for specific Rumors by reducing risks, easing access, new Initiative gear



Trade, credits, money! Trade must flow across the galaxy, even when the local Princes think they can stop it. Trade must flow even when the local law forbids it. Here, come this way -- the Black Market awaits! Update #311 is dedicated to the crossing of Rumors and the Black Market. And a new piece of +Init gear to boot!

If you like the on-going free updates to a game original shipped in 2017 or if you just think the number 311 is crazy, please take a minute to leave a review of tell a friend about our studio.


Black Market X Rumors
The Black Market is now much better connected and influenced by local zone, system and event quadrant Rumors.



During rumors where illegal trade would naturally spike -- such as Pirates harassing shipping lanes or Xeno running amok in the quadrant -- Black Market confiscation of goods is reduced by 50%, making it easier to get your illegal goods to the market. For Rumors where Trade Law and all types of law would be lax -- such as Spice Festival and during the scourge of local system Xeno Rumors -- the odds of reaching the Black Market and reaching it with a high level of access are greatly increased.

Other Card Improvements
In the Black Market, we've also reduced the chance of the "Deadly Encounter" card being pulled, it was simply too heavily weighted for the mini-game. And in Salvage where the Trait Conditioning card appears, we've further increased the XP bonus if there is no character who has a Trait that can be conditioned.

New Init Gear
For those intrepid captains willing to risk salvage operations in the void, there is a new gear results possible on military salvage. The Hexbolt Injector is a rare piece of gear that can increase combat Initiative.


v3.3.25 - 2/1/2023
- During Pirate and Xeno Quadrant Rumors, Black Market confiscation risk reduced by 50%
- Reduced the chances of "Deadly Encounter" card being drawn in Black Market
- Substantially improved Black Market odds during Spice Festival, Xeno Fleet Rumors
- Increased XP bonus when Trait Conditioning Cards cannot be triggered
- New Level 5 Military Salvage Gear: Hexbolt Injector (Init Bonus Gear)
- Minor performance improvements, fixed reported typos & crashes

[Asid]

Save 40% and Update #312: Penta-Relics
Wed, 15 February 2023


3 new Salvage Armor Relics, colorful Contact death messages, Black Market traits card and more



Welcome new captains to the void -- everything is on sale right now and the updates, well they're free. They're always free.
Here's #312 - new Salvage Relic armor, more colorful hints in the captain's log, new Black Market card, improved Salvage Shipyard Parts and new impact for high Spice zones on Contact longevity.

If you're new to the void and have questions, the community forum our Discord are great places to get help. If you're enjoying the pace of updates, please consider telling a friend and leaving a review!


Pentaweave Armor and More
Salvaging Armor has received some major improvements with Update #312, adding both 3 new types of high-level armor that can be found via the Relic card as well as improving the overall progression of armor salvage cards - including Relic - to include fewer duplicates and present a better progression of loot chance.



Contact Life & Death
... "killed by faction assassins" ... "killed in a suspicious accident" -- the Captain's log entries detailing the death of a Contact now include colorful descriptions giving some clues to the Contact actions and direct causes that might be behind their demise -- faction infighting, questionable accidents and outright assassinations!

For those lucky Contacts who reside on zones where the Spice Rating is high, such opportunity to access such a rich spice flow can increase their longevity and help them live longer natural lives.

Backroom Deals - Traits!
The new Backroom Deals card that can appear in the Black Market has the opportunity to add new sneaky and conniving Traits to your criminal records, helping further develop your crew based on your actions. Traits like Discreet, Fearless and Menacing are some of the possible results from this card.



Shipyard Parts Salvage
If you hit the Shipyard Parts card during Salvage, the resulting stashes are larger and with more varied results between capital ship components, weaponry and small craft components which will make your life as a merchant perhaps more interesting but also more profitable if you can find the right outlets to sell.

v3.3.27 - 2/15/2023
- New Relic Armor (Level 9) : Pentaweave Mesh, Ranger Nine-Plate, Razorbright Stealth
- Improved behavior of Armor Relic Salvage Card (better filter, less duplicates)
- Improved Stash generation logic for "Shipyard Parts" salvage card (larger, more interesting stashes)
- New Black Market card that generates sneaky Traits (Discreet, Fearless, Menacing)
- Contacts on zones with higher Spice Rating live longer
- Added colorful "death reason" to Logs for Contacts that died in Faction violence

[Asid]

Update #316: Hunters of the Deep
Mon, 8 May 2023



New enemy captains + ship combos, improved Xeno ship build variations, new gear, new Contact death logs



It's Update #316 with some new deadly enemy captain + ship combos, a new round of variations to how Xeno will build their ships, new gear and even better Contact death logs. The pre-Summer scramble has dragged our usual update schedule a bit, but we're excited to be getting back to the update roadmap here!

If you are enjoying the pace of updates and new free content, be sure to drop a review and post some feedback! We're always here and listening.


New AI Captains in Dangerous Ships
Newly trained captain AI have taken command of some powerful ships -- the Dreadnought Battlecruiser and the Shizari Huntress. These new enemy challengers will show up in the later stages of the game and their captain's have new upgrade plans for them to ensure they are as threatening as they sound. If you encounter such a ship in the void, be sure to check your scopes, consider your options and choose wisely.




Xeno Variety
In this update, we've spent some hours digging into the rules and decisions by which Terrox and Jyeeta Xeno build their ships. It was a good opportunity to check the systems against current human AI as well as the latest technologies available to you, the human Star Traders. This review has led to some exciting improvements that should help create a wider variety of xeno ships including a better mix of weaponry and defensive components.


New Gear, More Available Deathward
With Update #316, we've added 2 new high level pieces of gear - the Edgebane Tincture and the Bexian Synthserum. Respectively at level 8 and 9, these are not likely to be easy to find and will require multiple runs into high risk Orbital Salvage operations to turn them up.

Also, the Zendu Deathward has bee reduced in level from 10 to 8 in order to make it appear more frequently in Salvage loot drops.




Contact Death Rules and Logs
Some new rules have been added to extend Contact's lifespans on worlds with either high Spice rating or high Military Rating. For those on high Spice rating worlds, the natural lifespan has been extended even farther. For those on high military worlds, they have gained a higher chance to be able to resist an attempt by an enemy Contact to have them killed by assassins.

In addition, we've increased the variety and clarity of the death reasons that are included in Contact's death log, specifically if they were killed by some kind of violence or faction violence. We hope you enjoy these tidbits of information which can offer glimpses into the game's simulation as well as provide key details to your story as you sail the galaxy.

v3.3.39 - 5/8/2023
- Newly trained AIs using Dreadnought Battlecarrier, Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress
- Reduced 'Zendu Deathward' Gear from Level 10 to Level 8 (more frequent drops)
- New level 8 Gear 'Edgebane Tincture'
- New level 9 Gear 'Bexian Synthserum'
- Revised some aspects of Xeno Ship Combat AI to add variety
- Contacts on zones with higher Spice Rating live even longer
- Contacts on zones with higher Military Rating more resistant to Assassins
- Added more descriptive "death reason" to Logs for Contacts that died in Faction violence
- Fixed a bunch of reported crashes, thanks for sending those

[Asid]

Update #317: Battlecarriers in the 9000s
Sun, 14 May 2023



A new Mass 9000 Battlecarrier, rebalanced Autocannons, new xeno autocannons, new Orbital Salvage card

It's Update #317 with a new Mass 9000 ship, autocannon rebalances, new Oribtal Salvage card (watch out!) and more. Starports all across the galaxy have started on hulls for the new Acheron Battlecarrier, so start saving, captains.

A huge thanks goes out to all of the community members posting on the forum, helping new players, and sharing their thoughts in reviews. We're excited to keep Star Traders: Frontiers growing with new content and additions, so you're loving the 300+ free updates be sure to drop a review and tell a friend.


New 9000 Mass Battlecarrier
The Acheron Battlecarrier is a sprawling ship weighing in at 9000 Mass and kitted out as a battle-hardened carrier perfect for taking on Jyeeta xeno carriers head-to-head. It boasts best-in-class maximum craft defense at 78% and a unusual slot configuration that preferences Small (15) and Large ( sized slots over medium (. With 7 officers and 42 crew, it can sustain 5 craft and is a new contender in the most expensive and largest weight class for ships.

We'll keep the Acheron in player's only hands for a bit and shake out any balance issues before considering letting high level captains on high difficulty take this thing for a spin!




M101 Autocannon Update & Xeno Autocannon
We've applied a fix to bring the venerable M101 Tracker Cannon up to the level it needs to be to stay competitive with other autocannons, granting it a +3% Craft Defense.

On the enemy's side, the L2 Terrox Xeno Autocannon has also gained a +3% Craft Defense, making their close-in short range ships more challenging to fight with carriers. The miasmatic death haze that floats close to the hull of the Terrox Spines makes it hellish for any wing pilot to come that close to the hull!




New Salvage Card and Updated Weights
A new "Reactor Accident" card has been added to Orbital Salvage with a nasty -5 weighting. Take your time considering if you want to prioritize knocking this card out of the hand because it can leave your engine in a bad way, which can both cause heightened combat risk as you limp back for repairs and a hefty repair bill to boot.

We've increased the weight of the "Web of Conspiracy" card, fully doubling it, as the card has so many cool permutations and after-effects that are great in the galactic simulation.


AI Captain + Crew Build Improvements
With Update #317, we've tweaked the appearance rates for the Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress to make them less common opponents. We've also fixed a longstanding bug that was allowing the AI to promote too many officers on the Caliga Vindex for an unfair advantage.

v3.3.41 - 5/13/2023
- New 9000 Mass Battlecarrier, the Acheron
- Balanced "M101 Tracker Cannon" adding +7% Craft Defense
- L2 Xeno Autocannon adds "Miasmatic Death Haze" granting +3% Craft Defense
- Added a new "Reactor Accident" Salvage Result Card (-5)
- The "Web of Conspiracy" Card is now twice as common (because it is fun)
- Reduced chance of Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress enemies spawning
- Fixed too many enemy officers spawning on Caliga Vindex
- Fixed performance issues on huge maps with large numbers of living Contacts

[Asid]

Save 50% + Update #320: Medical Mastery
Sun, 2 July 2023



Added 2 new rank 15 medical profession Talents, improved anti-weapon ship board rules, fixed Pit Fighter V storyline bug



Update #320 comes along with the Steam Summer Sale and the best discount of the year. Save 50% to step onto the bridge of your own Star Trader's vessel and ply the void, to serve the factions, seek your fortune or plot your own course. With this latest update, we've added 2 new rank 15 Talents for the esteemed medical jobs - Combat Medic and Doctor. We've also tuned up the rule set around anti-weapon ship boarding Talents, fixed some bugs with character cosmetics and some issues that could occur in 2 of the 5 branches of the Pit Fighter V storyline.

If you're enjoying the updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review!

What’s the latest on Cyber Knights?
Throughout the last year, we’ve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoint’s private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a demo posted up for Steam Next Fest still freely available to play, development is continuing at a high pace and we are layering on polish as we marching to the launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure you’ve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord.




Rank 15 Medical Professions




Improved Anti-Weapon Boarding
We've improved the rules for boarding victory Talents that specifically target and disable enemy ship weapons. If these Talents are unable to target at least one weapon to destroy -- usually because the ship's weapons are already offline -- then they will refuse to active, won't go on cooldown and will not consume one of your 2 boarding talent slots.




Pit Fighter V Storyline Fix
Thanks to everyone reporting errant issues within the game's many storylines. With this Update, we've fixed a bug in one of the five possible branches you can hit in the Pit Fighter V storyline -- all depending on who hates you the most -- which could lead to early expiration of the rest of the missions. If it was Char's agents, then you might end up in a horrible unfair rush to reach the fourth and final round.

In a follow-up to last update's new character outfits, we've fixed some issues with hats and helmets not interacting with other choices correctly.


v3.3.47 - 7/2/2023
- New Rank 15 Doctor Talent: Medical Reset
- New Rank 15 Combat Medic Talent: Flechette Rounds
- Fixed issue with "Disarming Sabotage" and "Behind Enemy Lines" firing without functioning enemy weapons to target
- Fixed issues with most recently added flight helmet and full helmet
- Fixed bug in Pit Fighter V storyline if attacked by Char's agents, could expire too early

[Asid]

Update #324: Orbital Disaster Strikes!
Thu, 10 August 2023



Orbital Disasters harm local contacts, adjusted Rumor rules for Early Coalition Era, buffed 4 crew gear

It's Update #324! Not quite an orbital disaster but it sounds pretty cool. We've got some awesome improvements, tuning and fixes in this update as well as a reminder about the 5 year anniversary stream too. So -- if you like the pace of updates, please tell a friend, post some feedback and be sure to leave a review!

5 Year Celebration Reminder!
Time flies like a starship, Captains. This month we're celebrating 5 years of Star Traders: Frontiers!

Mark your calendars for TONIGHT, August 10th, 9pm EDT. We'll be live on Twitch with the Trese Brothers (including a special appearance from youngest brother Martin!) for a community hang-out and celebration stream on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TreseBrothers

What’s the latest on Cyber Knights?



Throughout the last year, we’ve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoint’s private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. Now, with a live demo up on the Steam page, we're cranking up to finishing pace and we’re marching toward the Q4 launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure you’ve wishlisted (andfollowed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord.


Orbital Disaster
When different types of Salvage Rumors start on a system, the local Contacts can gain or lose Influence. Orbital Salvage Rumors that can cause Influence bonuses include those like Orbital Constructions, Abandoned Military Station and others. We have now pushed Orbital Disaster Salvage Rumor correctly into the camp that harm local Contact Influence - a good change to help keep the simulation fair and clear, especially as this is a Rumor that can be bought by aggressive Contacts on their action.


Early UCF Rumors Peace
We have added a rule change to the simulation to further improve the dynamics of the interstellar Rumors during the Early Coalition Era when Contacts attempt to create damaging Rumors. In the simulation in general -- when taking their action, Contacts can attempt to purchase damaging Rumors against other Contacts they hate (example -- Aetaan Char is in the simulation attempting to Civil Unrest the Faen homeworld due to her extreme hatred).

During the Early Coalition Era, there is now a voting mechanism where other Contacts may deny the Rumor action after it has already been paid for. This results in the Rumor not being created and the aggressive Contact losing the Influence they put on the table for the action in the first place. This helps create a relative but fragile time of peace during the Early Coalition Era.



Gear Buffs
Two sets of combat gear -- the Paladin's Chain and Watchdog Whisper -- both have gained buffs to their stats to help push them more into the forefront of their respective categories. In addition, we've added to the respective Attribute bonuses for the Wing gear GAATSO Interlink and Vrax Harness, as it always helps for your Wing pilots to have slightly sharper Attributes along with their Wing-focused traits, gear and Talents.



More Xeno Protections
We're on a bit of a rip making sure xeno don't slaughter early game captains unfairly. We've added another round of protections to prevent xeno rumors from being generated in certain ways that were letting them slip past the existing filter. Even less xeno Rumors should escape the lab in the early game but they are really hard to keep locked up -- so you might still see some!

Other Fixes
We've adjusted the weighting in enemy captain ship designer to reduce the likelihood of Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress ships appearing as they were both a little overweight for fairness and pushing other ships into the margins.

Finally, thanks for reporting bugs, typos and all the rest!

v3.3.55 - 8/9/2023
- Orbital Disaster rumors now damage Contact Influence rather than increase it
- Contact AI purchasing Rumors during UCF Era revised to use simulated votes (hurts aggressive Contacts)
- Buffed Paladin's Chain and Watchdog Whisper (Crew combat gear)
- Buffed Attribute bonuses for GAATSO Interlink and Vrax Harness (Fighter Pilot gear)
- Reduced chances of Xeno Rumors occurring early in the game
- Reduced rate of enemy Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress spawning
- Minor performance support patches, fixed reported crash & text bugs