Developer Blog from July 4: Premium ships rework continues

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**Restyling of pirate frigates Phoenix and Reaper was welcomed by our players. And the new crafting system for Premium ships has already proven itself, and gave all pilots the opportunity to collect the required items by playing their favorite game modes.**

This time creative re-evaluation reaches Premium ships Palom, Kite-E, Ghost and Karud. With their looks significantly revamped, they will also get new unique modules and weapons. And the most important thing is that now these ships can not only be purchased, but also assembled from special components unique to each ship. The required resources can traditionally be found during ‘Trophy search’ phase after battles in PvP, PvE and Co-op. Thus, these Premium ships too can not only be bought as part of bundles and DLC, but also be assembled with you spending time and effort only on finding the required resources.

 

Premium ship Palom

 

The time has come to update ships of lower ranks. Rank 3 Jericho frigate Palom not only gets a new look, but also some exclusive weapons and a shield modifier.

The new weapon launches a special projectile that deals significant damage to the enemy. Upon hitting the target the projectile explodes. The new module increases shield resistance to all types of damage, and inflicts damage to all enemies within a certain radius.

 

Premium ship Kite-E

 

Federation Covert Ops Interceptor Kite-E moves to 5 rank in a new guise and in the company of two new modules. Capacitor modifier will accelerate reloading for missile slots and modules. A new active module can launch a special charge adhering to the enemy and dealing damage.

 

Premium ship Ghost

 

Another new addition to rank 5 — Imperial Fighter Ghost. The ship will receive a new exclusive weapon — lasers, with range increasing during firing. The new module projects an electromagnetic damage, generating a cloud of high-energy radiation, which eventually increases its size.

 

Premium ship Karud

 

The biggest upgrade is the rank 15 Jericho ECM Interceptor Karud. Now pilots can assemble an alternative special module for this ship. When it’s active, the target can not use the main weapons. If the target is trying to shoot, it receives significant thermal damage.

This special module can be assembled from components obtained for completing specific tasks in the game. Also, you can buy items in special containers-bundles. The new exclusive weapon uses the ship’s reactor for direct energy generation and acceleration of plasma beams, which gives great results.

Also, the ship will have two new modules.The first increases shield resistance to thermal damage, and if the ship loses the shield, all enemies in a certain radius lose their ability to lock targets. The second module temporarily increases shield resistance to all types of damage.

In addition, pilots taking part in Ellydium Corporation’s projects can expect a new Alien weapon blueprint, this time for fighters. And the League system will receive a welcome update. Green and warm summer in Star Conflict continues!

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The Kite-E was my favourite ship with doomsdays in T5, when you could still bring it. 

I like it, that actually the last picture has a “quote this” overlay burned in. 

not sure, what to think about low ranks getting more detail additions. Reaper and Phoenix were already pretty low ranked, and it was seen positively still, yes. Going even lower? dunno.

In fact I think, in the end, this game will always have a hard time for unique ship experience, because of its linear rank system. This makes ships basicly uncompetitive against each other outside their “rank”. It works with planes, naval ships and tanks as a historical evolution, it is based on. However SC is way more “unique”, wasting a lot of opportunities by being designed like those titles or will probably need still a long time of “overcoming” that initial design principle, which does somehow feel unnatural in it.

One of the most important aspects of any “vehicle game”, bonding with “your vehicle” becomes temporary, as only the last-rank will count in the end.

This didnt have much of an impact in the start, as most ships where just reused models with another name, to stretch the available assets, but this becomes now different.

I have nothing directly against these changes tho, they all will be probably fun, maybe some useless, others op, lets see. But I am not sure, where this is going.

 

It definitely explains however, why games like Citizen get so much hype; they try to achieve, so you never feel there is the same thing you have, just better in every way, one rank higher. This is also what T5 offers. But then all the personality ships are somewhere below, dunno; same for the “great overhaul in eve”, where they basicly summarized the developed metas by the players and the ships, still keeping all ships competitive against each other, and if only by cost and availability, but basicly redid the whole T1 shiptree under that aspect. I feel like such a “revitalizing” more radical approach becomes slowly needed also in SC, to bring the “early visions” and the “later added visions” into unity.

As developers, you probably understand the similar circumstance of a rewrite. It is often the most feared step in a softwares’ life. Not telling you should rewrite everything; but don’t be afraid to approach it like you “could”. Any experienced developer knows, stepping over that fear, and doing the rewrite often ends up in being an epic thing. I really feel like SC could need some of that attitude. But this is just a personal note, take it with a pinch of salt.

I could also be completely wrong, anyway.

 

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YEEEEEEEES!!! Keep upgrading premium ships with better modules than the Special Project ships!! Everyone loves it!!

 

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I think this could lead to more incentive backfiring. The game is encouraging people to stay in lower tiers rather than moving up, especially as it’s a lot easier / cheaper to get unique ships in lower tiers than higher ones.

I get why you’re doing this, but given how you have previously been so concerned about the gaming experience of new players you were willing to kill off the game to protect them, I don’t understand why you’d now reward vets for farming newbies. 

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1 hour ago, JasanQuinn said:

I think this could lead to more incentive backfiring. The game is encouraging people to stay in lower tiers rather than moving up, especially as it’s a lot easier / cheaper to get unique ships in lower tiers than higher ones.

I get why you’re doing this, but given how you have previously been so concerned about the gaming experience of new players you were willing to kill off the game to protect them, I don’t understand why you’d now reward vets for farming newbies. 

They are parts,you can still get them from PvE by helping n00bs on the other hand,so win win on that gamemode,I can win Fire supports all day long on T5 so T1 will be just a breeze.

But premiums like premiums,It would be great to also discuss in the stream the way to get the blueprints,we still have to win 10 battles on a mission with a required effectiveness,and if yes then which one and how much will we need?

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Yay. Now we can even farm longer. o.o

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24 minutes ago, Lord_Xenon said:

Yay. Now we can even farm longer. o.o

Wow you are always so negative, this will simply improve already existent ships and add new modules and weapons to them, you will have a better looking ship for not paying anything extra compared to before, active modules, passive modules and weapons just cost credits anyways. So in fact you just get more possibilities. 

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20 minutes ago, OmegaFighter said:

Wow you are always so negative, this will simply improve already existent ships and add new modules and weapons to them, you will have a better looking ship for not paying anything extra compared to before, active modules, passive modules and weapons just cost credits anyways. So in fact you just get more possibilities. 

I hate to say it but i gotta agree with OmegaSkrFighter on that,less p2w progressively,id really like to see a rework on Mauler in that case,or at least animate its texture.

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You read only what you want to read or?

I’m positive on this as I can farm them - maybe in a year or so - for free.

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I do find it a bit funny that buying a premium ship isn’t enough to unlock everything it has.And no, just because it’s available “for free” does not mean that everything is hunky-dory, when the time scale involves several months of dedicated farming. The price gets inflated by an order of magnitude or two simply to grind for the parts to assemble the new modules – assuming your time is valued at minimum wage, and GS costs money to get. A bit ridiculous, in my opinion.

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The thing that disgusts me about this new system is how insanely high the price is.

It costs more to buy a Phoenix with containers than it does to buy the DLC that gives you the Phoenix, Gim, Shark, a bloody huge licence and 11K GS.

You can’t tell me with a straight face that it anything other than the Devs trying to exploit people’s ignorance.

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@Liberty: I don’t think, that you understand how BUYING work.
Or do you Q.Q at a car dealer, that the car d cost 20,000 with no extras but the same car with extras 30,000? You get what you buy. Not more, not less.

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41 minutes ago, Lord_Xenon said:

@Liberty: I don’t think, that you understand how BUYING work.
Or do you Q.Q at a car dealer, that the car d cost 20,000 with no extras but the same car with extras 30,000? You get what you buy. Not more, not less.

I don’t think you understand that the selling points of these ships are the extras - it’s what the devs big up whenever the new style Premiums are mentioned. The Reaper isn’t just a Premium Guard; it’s a Premium Guard with a ramming prow, harpoon guns, tractor beams and the ability to project a defensive bubble over nearby ship. The ships are being pitched as if all these features come as standard, whereas some are hidden behind an undisclosed premium paywall.

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First we introduced new Premiums, then reworked the old ones. The whole plan is to rework every ship, including non-Premium ones, to add more customization options, new exclusive features.

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6 minutes ago, CinnamonFake said:

First we introduced new Premiums, then reworked the old ones. The whole plan is to rework every ship, including non-Premium ones, to add more customization options, new exclusive features.

All of them?ALL OF THEM?!Well,that’s gonna take a while considering there will be 222 ships in total,again,I am looking forward for that Mauler rework!

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18 minutes ago, xXThunderFlameXx said:

All of them?ALL OF THEM?!Well,that’s gonna take a while considering there will be 222 ships in total,again,I am looking forward for that Mauler rework!

Yep, that’s what we’re aiming for) But in particular order.

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10 minutes ago, CinnamonFake said:

Yep, that’s what we’re aiming for) But in particular order.

I guess you are not allowed by  to tell us.

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If all ships are going this way, I sincerely hope you drastically reduce the requirements for obtaining the unique specials. They should be standard with the ship.

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1 hour ago, CinnamonFake said:

 The whole plan is to rework every ship, including non-Premium ones, to add more customization options, new exclusive features.

Seriously? Cool. I hope you rework soon the Blood Tormentor and the Nyx.

EDIT: I think you should make a contest to get ideas for the reworks, it would speed up the process ”) 

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4 hours ago, xXThunderFlameXx said:

All of them?ALL OF THEM?!Well,that’s gonna take a while considering there will be 222 ships in total,again,I am looking forward for that Mauler rework!

 So am I !!! I looked forward to when I could buy the mauler, only to be disappointed at how Wimpy it is , My Phoenix does better in open space . I’d like to see attack and guard drones available for the mauler , maybe a Warp gate to run away easier .