Alpha build 109 is live, with a new server. It is a required update, and the biggest one yet: the Frontier is now a galaxy, with a market of its own.
New
- Thirty sectors. Free Port at the centre, Sector 100 and the ten faction homes around it, border sectors between neighbours and the frontier on the rim. Press GALAXY MAP, the holo-table icon at the top right, and Fleet Admiral Voss shows the galaxy on the bridge's holo table.
- Travel through the gates. Right-click a gate to send the selected fleet through it. Everyone in the sector sees a fleet charging its jump.
- Trade hubs and docking. Nine faction stations and Free Port. A fleet docked at a pier is safe, and trades from there.
- The Frontier Exchange. Sell goods to a hub or buy from it, or place orders for other commanders to fill, with order books and price charts. Credits are its own money, separate from coins. Components are on the market too, and some hubs deal in rare goods and contraband.
- Market news, price alerts and Voss's market briefing tell you where a price has jumped.
- The Trader's Licence. Eight ranks earned by trading, with a training chapter of its own.
- Trade runs. The galaxy map's TRADE RUN tab finds the best runs from the hub your fleet is docked at, and BUY, LOAD AND LAUNCH does the rest in one press.
- Risk on the road. Border and frontier space is dangerous for cargo. When a loaded fleet is chased, burn away, dump some cargo or turn and fight; insure what you carry, and set a fleet to ESCORT a hauler.
- Hauling contracts. Post courier and escort jobs for other commanders, or take theirs. The hubs post jobs of their own.
- Freighters. The Wayfarer Tender, the Bulk Hauler and the Leviathan Freighter, opened by your licence rank.
- Trade medals, the Traders board and the alliance hangar.
- Move your base to any sector with planets. After you pick a faction, your first move into its home is free.
- The website has a new Galactic Market page with every hub's prices, updated every 5 minutes, and a weekly report on the economy.
Changed
- Home, Galaxy Map, Market and Move Base Here are 3D icon buttons in one row under FACTION at the top right.
- Alliance weekly orders: what each member adds counts up to twice an even share, so one member cannot fill an order alone, and the cargo order is 45,000 units a member. This starts on Monday at 00:00 UTC.
- A Tide raid you hold off now counts for the weekly bounty Hold your base against a raid.
- New commanders start in Sector 100 while it has room.
- The server and your game do less work every frame.
Fixed
- Pressing F9 no longer crashes the game (#198).
- An away team's notice says how much of its reward your storage could take.
- Move Your Base shows a long planet name in full.
Good to know
- Required update: build 108 can no longer join. Steam brings in build 109 on its own; if it does not appear, exit Steam completely and start it again.
- Attacking another commander's fleet in a faction's home also costs you 250 standing with that faction.
- The Player's Guide has four new chapters: The Galaxy, Trade hubs and docking, The Frontier Exchange and Trading.
- The changelog shows every new feature with a picture from the game.
Questions or bugs: #tester-chat and #bug-reports on Discord. Ideas: #feedback.