Hey everyone,
Today, we're finishing our roll call of the more salient points of Galactic Statecraft, our new free update! Today, we're showcasing several more features that we are introducing or changing to offer a more satisfying experience in leading your empire to the stars.
Pirate lairs
The way minor factions spawn hostile ships that are immediately dissociated with their origin was perceived as a bit of a deal-breaker by many. This is why we decided to rework pirate management, separating space scoundrels from minor factions, to give pirates their own identity, and to offer an early game challenge to players that can grow into a big thorn in one's side if left unchecked. Note that minor factions will still spawn their own defense fleet, that will interact with players according to the minor faction's alignment.
Lairs are the pirates' base, they are the new place of origin for pirate fleets. They can appear on any unsettled system. They appear as an icon on the map, and within the star system view, you can see the 3D icon of the lair, as well as during space battles taking place on the node.
Next to the system label, you can see a timer indicating the number of turns before the next fleet spawns. When a lair orbits a system, it can still be colonized. Only through a ground battle invasion can a lair be attacked and destroyed. Lairs spawn following game events, either because of a change in pirate power, or through quests or events. They follow this rule when spawning: they don't occupy a space where another lair is present, they only spawn on neutral systems, are distributed equally among constellations, and spawn next to player borders (1-3 systems away).
Pirate empire
We are giving the pirates a little more character by giving them their own identity, even if they are not considered a major, classic faction players can interact with. The empire has its territory (the lairs), and a default economy. As it is intended to be a threat, it is always at maximum Manpower to spawn efficient fleets that can launch ground invasions.
Fleet are now spawned every few turns by lairs, with the duration depending on current pirate power, game difficulty, pirates difficulty, and game speed. Its contents are based on current pirate power. Each level contains its own fleet templates, that then adapt a behavior based on current pirate power.
Pirate power is a property defining the spawn of lairs, the contents of spawned fleets, troop repartition for ground battles, maximum manpower for the lairs, their movement speed and method. This power level follows a trend, based on game difficulty, speed, and events, and can be boosted by specific game actions. There are five levels, that go from basically no threat, to numerous pirate lairs and very dangerous fleets.
Heretic's quest new rewards
The consensus for the Heretic's quest was that whatever happened to Isyander's insane endeavor, it felt a little underwhelming whether he succeeded or not. We decided to rework the quest's rewards, introducing a new "podium" of rewards for players' involvement, as well as a more visual reminders of the dramatic events taking place in the galaxy. Finally, the losing side will no longer be able to recruit heroes once the quest complete! Below are the Lost graves if Isyander's gambit pays off.
Orbital stations
We are adding a bit more life to your systems, with orbital stations popping up around your planets as your system levels up and your population increases. That's just it, but it looks neat, so have a screenshot!
Hall of fame
Another feature that many of you requested, which will make a whole lot of you happy: a history of all your completed games! Titled Empire Chronicles, this feature will allow you to order your completed games by score, faction, or a host of other settings, and you'll even be able to include modded games in the rankings. It will also--and that's where it gets really good--offer a view of the end of game graphs, along with the possibility of rewatching the victory cutscene! Bragging about your achievements has never been easier.
This is it for the major changes! Galactic Statecraft releases tomorrow evening, and we hope you're excited!
While you're here, we've got a small favor to ask of you, so if you're feeling extra generous, check out this thread by our Co-Founder Spacetroll. Finally, as is tradition with each update, forget to join us for our update stream tomorrow at 5:30PM CET, where we'll discuss these changes and answer your questions!
Until then, tell us which changes and new features you're the most excited about!
