Alpha 0.6.1 — Series 3 Supply Crates
Hello commanders! Alpha 0.6.1 is a massive patch that deserves its own blog post! We wanted to outline all the new changes in this build to help guide you all through it. A lot of this Patch features Series 3 functionality in preparation for when we release the Series 3 Crate Sale in December. We’ll be going over Patch 0.6.1 as well as what you guys can expect in the Series 3 Transportation Crate Sale in this post.
First we’ll start with Patch 0.6.1…
Personnel
With Series 3 approaching, transportation module functionality was a big focus on this Patch. This includes the transporting of Personnel! Similar to Ship Hangars, Personnel Transport modules will need to be equipped before you can start loading Personnel into your ship. You will also notice that Personnel Transport modules have a max occupancy and you will not be able to load more than the number allotted.
Another special aspect about personnel is that some require particular Personnel Transport modules. You wouldn’t expect a scientist, entertainer, or diplomat to take anything below luxury, right? These colonists won’t board the standard Personnel transport module, while other colonists will. Here is an example of when you mix a Standard and a Luxury Transport module.
Repair Drones
By equipping a repair drone module your hull and/or armor while out in space without having to go back to a station. To differentiate the two types, know that green means it is repairing your hull and red is repairing your armor.
Missions
Missions got quite a bit of an update! Mission items are now soul bound, this means that mission items cannot be dropped or taken out of your account. If you cancel a mission, those mission items will disappear from your account. Mission spawns are also now global; if someone spawns a mission you will have to wait for a respawn. Mission generation has been weighted a bit more to generate more combat/attack missions than delivery missions.
Hidden Outposts
There are also some new missions that are accompanying this Patch that include transporting Personnel to different parts of the galaxy. Some of these missions are located in hidden stations that seem to be run by Pirates! Look out for missions that might hint at these hidden outpost locations in Fringe space!
These new missions will go live by tomorrow night (11/27/19). To get a head start on these missions, we suggest commanders start collecting diamond and aluminum ore.
Instancing
Instancing in missions is now possible in 0.6.1, but these missions will not be utilized until the Series 3 missions start next week. Missions that are “solo” missions means that only you will be in that mission instance once you arrive to those mission coordinates. If two commanders arrive at the same time to those coordinates and it is a Solo mission, then those 2 users will not see each other but will be able to do the mission at the same time. While “group” missions will allow multiple users with the same mission to be in the same instance together to help each other complete the mission. Users who do not have the mission but happen to be at the same coordinates will not be in the mission instance with the group since they do not have the mission active.
Class Restrictions
Some missions now have restrictions based on class. For example, a mission might only call for Corsair size and below. If a ship like a Prometheus shows up at a mission coordinate that is only for Corsairs, then that Prometheus ship will get a pop up letting them know they cannot participate.
Mission Log
The mission log on the left side of your screen that shows what missions you have active now has an additional feature. The coordinates are clickable and will take you to your destination. To use it, you must be in the same system as the coordinates. You will have the option to sublight, slipstream or Q jump(if applicable) to the mission coordinates. This should make it a lot easier for commanders to navigate to mission locations.
Target Window
Right clicking on a target in your Target Window now brings up more options.
General Updates
Here are a few other updates:
- Performance improvements as well as a full weapon system overhaul. The performance improvements and optimizations should make the game run much smoother, especially when having over 40+ ships on screen.
- We have also implemented new optimized ship trails. Currently, only PC users will see the new trails, these are still a work-in-progress but are much more performance-friendly.
- Ore distribution has been updated across all systems. Rarer ores will no longer be found in Core space, Fringe now hold more rare resources.
- Ships Docking also has a new animation! Small drones will appear and beam you in and out of the station.
Weapons Update
Included in the weapon system update is the functionality of FTL / Pulse weapons. Use these to limit your enemy's FTL / Slipstream movements, FTL pulse weapons can be used to pull ships out of slipstream. You will see these icons if you are hit with some type of disruption. Hover over these icons to see how long you are affected by these disruptions. These icons are placeholder for now, as is much of our UI, but each cube will show stealth, FTL, and engines as disruption time remaining.
EMP damage has also been added to the game. EMP damage will cause disruption of all systems (stealth, FTL, and Engines) and only affect shield HP.
The Mines in CSC are active once again. Ships can now drop mines for hostiles to run into. Mines last forever as long as you are within 1000 GUs and logged in. Important to note that there is a known issue with mines not syncing correctly to other clients, this should be address in the next minor patch.
AOE modules allow commanders to damage targets within a radius. More AOE type modules will be coming soon. For now the only starship with a AOE weapon is the D.A.R.A. Oscillator.
The Vulcan Harvester and the Night/Frostsaber have also received their unique internal module. This is a pre-equiped mining beam that have the best specification in the class. Additional functionality and ship specific VFX are still pending implementation.
Shields Update
Finally, all shields now match the color of their corresponding icon. If the shield you are using is a pink color, then your shield has a pink hue to it.
Series 3 Transportation Crate Sale
In Series 1 we started with mining, in Series 2 we did combat, and now for Series 3 it is time for transportation. This new series of crates will feature some hangar bays, personnel transport modules, and cargo expanders. This transportation focused series will aid commanders in not only getting to their destinations faster, but also allowing users to transport personnel and ships.
There are two ships you’re going to want to be on the lookout for in these crates: Vulcan Crusader FF and G.L.A.M. Horizon. The Vulcan Crusader is the First Fleet version of the Vulcan Packer, as a First Fleet ship it has unlimited replication. A new company is being introduced into CSC; G.L.A.M. is a luxurious brand that has a price tag to match. G.L.A.M. is unveiling their new ship Horizon, a luxury liner that comes pre-equipped with an XL Personnel Transport module.
Series 3 is upon us! This is the last of our scheduled series of crate sales (There will be some promotional events that will come up from time to time, I.E. Star Trek, Halloween, Etc..). In these Series 3 crates, you will find a larger concentration of transportation type modules. These modules will help Commanders as they move Personnel and Cargo around the CSC Universe. In addition to these module types, we will also use this opportunity in introducing modules of other specializations that we feel are needed to add more variety and balance to the game. These can include new Repair, Armor, Shield, EMP, Mining, AOE (area of effect), Refining, Engine, and Weapon modules.
In Series 3 we are going do things just a little bit different. Like Series 2 odds for rare items will be static, they will not change every time an item is found. But new to Series 3, Rare Items will be rotated out from time to time! These will allow us to introduce new modules, new ships, update odds, and create a stream of drops over the next few weeks. Rare item changes/modules will be announced on all channels at least 24 hours before they go into effect.
So what does this mean and how will this work?
- Series 3 will introduce new ships & modules over the next few weeks. There is NO Guarantee a ship/module you see in the crate today will still be available after the change. Once a crate is purchased the items in that crate are rolled from the current list, so even if the drops change and that item is no longer offered it will still be in the crate you purchased if it was rolled.
- Check-in with CSC on social media or discord for Updates on Events / Drop Changes.
- The Series 3 Supply Crate sale is scheduled to start on December 6th at 3 PM PST.
- Series 3 will start with both the Vulcan Crusader (First Fleet) and the G.L.A.M. Horizon, both these ships are of the Prometheus class. It is also include a mix of other MP ships similar to previous Series
- The initial item list and crates will be posted to our website ~24 hours before S3 Start.
In additional to S3 crates, the weeks following S3 start will include several custom missions, new game features (these will come online in stages over the next few weeks), and community events.
Conclusion
There will be another minor Patch next week before Series 3 launches that includes a more comprehensive weapon module balance and ship specific bonuses. The patch next week will address any minor bugs that pop up as well as enabling Series 3.
Additionally, there were some features from 0.6 that have been pushed to the 0.7 build release. For example the checking in and out of ERC-20 resources. More information on 0.7 to be released in the coming weeks.
Fly safe commanders!
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